The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

This book was a bit of a let down. My friends really loved it so I anticipated that I would as well but instead it reminded me of Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. The two books take place in different times and in different parts of the world but it was the constant struggle with next to no "wins" for the characters that struck the chord of familiarity. It seemed to go on forever with struggle after struggle. If there had been some diversity in the types of struggles, that may have helped but it seemed like hour after hour of the same story on repeat. 

You will find an official plot line description at: 
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7274337-the-invisible-bridge