Did You Have the Life You Wanted? by Andrea Simon follows Anita after an assault that occurs while she works as a caseworker, knocking her off the path of the future she had envisioned. The plot tracks how she builds a life in the city, and then keeps having to reconfigure it as fresh blows land. A friend falls ill and dies, and the funeral marks a hard break in her circle. Old family damage comes out and forces her to look again at her brother and the household. She moves from shared apartments to marriage and parenthood, and ultimately into writing. When cancer makes time feel short, she sends out manuscripts and returns to earlier connections, reflecting on the choices that shaped her life over fifty years.

Did You Have the Life You Wanted? by Andrea Simon is a sweeping saga, and while it does not have a traditional plot, this character-driven story arc is deeply beautiful. I love the places we are taken to, and how they directly connect to a step in Anita's development. Her days in Majengo Village are wonderfully detailed, from crowded communal living to the patience of tutoring Jerry, and it is scenes like these that make her decision to seek out unfamiliar places feel convincing. This is preceded by a massive loss that is heartbreaking, and there is also an element of her running away, which I appreciated. The writing is straightforward, and the chronology moves smoothly and organically. Overall, this is literary fiction at its finest.

Andrea Simon’s Did You Have the Life You Wanted? follows Anita Rappaport from her youthful years during a chaotic period in US history. She leaves her home in Brooklyn in the 1960s and moves to Greenville Village. It is a time of revolution in the United States, and school strikes are underpinned by racism, the Attica and Stonewall Inn uprisings, and the burgeoning feminist movement. She struggles to find her footing in a society that still discriminates against women, is faced with gang violence, and suffers limitations because of her gender. The story explores her activism, personal loss, and family secrets. Her growth is fraught with trials, and as she grows older, she reflects on her life and asks whether she lived the life she wanted.

Did You Have the Life You Wanted? is told in the first-person and creates a feeling of intimacy for the reader. You feel as though you are walking alongside Anita, seeing things, people, and events through her eyes. I enjoyed how the author explored the roles of women and the friendships they shared as they fought for a world with a place for their daughters. This book is about pausing to look back and reflect on one’s legacy, and the author creates a heroine who is flawed yet courageous and filled with grit. Her circle of friends, lovers, and family members is believable and memorable. I enjoyed the diverse social fabric and the dazzling portrait of New York City, from Greenwich Village to the immigrant communities in Brooklyn. Andrea Simon skillfully writes about self-discovery, gender identity, social change, authenticity, and racism. The detailed historical setting takes you to the early 1960s civil rights protests, city race riots, and to the post-9/11 era, a setting that offers the perfect backdrop to Anita’s evolution.