What is this book about?

It’s 1976, the eve of America’s 200th birthday. As communities across the country prepare to celebrate the Bicentennial, three generations of people living in a small town in southeastern Wisconsin explore what their own personal independence means to each of them.

Seventy-three-year-old Kitty Barrett longs to fulfill a childhood dream, but worries her family will think she’s too old. Kitty’s daughter Claire, in her early 40s, wants more out of life than domestic chores and her ten-hour-a-week job at the library. Claire’s daughters have dreams of their own. Grace is torn between the boy she loves and spending her junior year of college in France, and thirteen-year-old Skye hopes for a romance with a fickle-hearted classmate named Zack. Kitty’s other daughter Vivian, in her early 50s, tentatively rekindles a romance with a high-school sweetheart.

Silently hovering over the eve of their Bicentennial celebration is the memory of Vivian and Claire’s brother, Mike, who was killed during WWII in 1944. As the stories of Kitty’s and her family’s pursuit of happiness unfold, it’s apparent that even though thirty-two years have passed since Mike’s death, the sorrow of his untimely passing has cast a lingering shadow over the lives of Kitty, Claire, and Vivian.

Why did I read this book?

I read Julie Jacob’s collection of essays, Two States of Single: Essays of Love, Family, and Living Solo, and I loved it. After meeting Jacob at the Wisconsin Writers Association Conference in October 2024, I read her collection of essays a second time and loved it again. So, when I learned that her novella had been accepted for publication, I was excited.

Also, I was seventeen years old in 1976, and I remember the anticipation and excitement surrounding the Bicentennial. Although I would be on an adventure in Rome on July 4, 1976, at the time I felt sad about missing the Bicentennial celebration in the States. Reading Jacob’s book gave me a chance to travel back in time to my own southeastern Wisconsin hometown. I could experience the Bicentennial through the eyes and actions of her characters who are ordinary people dealing with the same type of issues that my family, friends, neighbors, and I faced.

Why did I like this book?

Jacob’s story writing skills shine in Bicentennial Eve. She writes great scenes, which come to life through well-written descriptions and dialogue delivered by relatable characters with compelling stories. The dilemmas faced by the characters drew me into the novella. Skillfully paced, Jacob weaves tension into her story from beginning to the end. I always wanted to read just one more chapter right up until the end of the book.

I read Bicentennial Eve twice, first in manuscript form then after it was published. It was just as lovely the second time around.