Tags
ambition, bootleggers, chorus girls, family, Flappers, Jazz, murder, prohibition, secrets, trouble
Hello everyone! Welcome to the Book Nook. This is the fifth and final post in my Kwanzaa Celebration Review Series. This is a special time on my blog where I read books written by black authors in honor of Kwanzaa because that is the holiday that I celebrate. Today’s review is going to be on Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce. Now, I have never heard of this book before but I was looking for another book to read and I came across it. I liked the cover, the plot and apparently it was similar to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which I have read so I decided to give this book a try. And…it was something.
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*Disclaimer: spoilers ahead*
Chicago 1925: Honoree Delcour is determined to leave Miss Hattie’s and work at the Dreamland Cafe where she can possible be discovered as a well-renowned dancer. However, Chicago is filled with bootleggers, gamblers and gangsters. So, it’s no surprised that Honoree finds herself in trouble. Now, not only must she navigate going after her dreams but she must avoid getting hurt at all costs.
Chicago 2015: A young film student named Sawyer Hayes is trying to interview a 110-year-old Honoree Delcour for a film project about Oscar Micheaux; a prominent film director during the 1920s. Sawyer believes that Honoree could help give some insight into Micheaux. But the more time he spends with Honoree the more secrets that are revealed. And Sawyer may not like what he hears.
First off, I was not a big fan of the writing. There seemed to be a lot of over-explaining and the story just didn’t seem to flow naturally. However, the chapters are a decent length and the book as a whole is not long. I was more-so interested in Honoree’s story than Sawyer’s. I honestly believe that there was no point to his story line. The synopsis made it seem as though through his relationship with Honoree he could heal some part of him but there was no real character development for Sawyer. Sawyer lost his sister to a car crash a year prior and he blames himself because he was driving the car. Apparently his father blames him as well which is why they don’t get along. This is brought up several times throughout the story but nothing is actually done about it. In addition, Sawyer from time to time saw his sister’s ghost which was eerie. Was this because of trauma or guilt? We don’t know and I thought it was pointless.
As I said before, I enjoyed Honoree’s story more. I feel as though if the entire story was just about her it would’ve been better. After auditioning at the Dreamland Cafe, Honoree witnesses the murder of one of the barkeeps and ends up finding herself in the middle of a convoluted situation; and I do mean convoluted. Honoree’s ex, who left her three years prior, is back in town. They end up becoming involved again and he’s involved with Honoree’s boss at Miss Hattie’s and he’s also involved with one of Al Capone’s men who’s involved with someone else…there was lot going on. There were a few revelations made throughout the book that I didn’t see coming including the plot twist at the end.
It’s revealed that Honoree is in fact Sawyer’s great grandmother. FURTHERMORE, we discover that Honoree isn’t really Honoree but Bessie Palmer; a young girl that Honoree took under her wing. After going their separate ways in 1925 Bessie started using Honoree’s name. Um…ok? Again, I didn’t see it coming but…sure I guess.
In conclusion, my expectations for this book wasn’t high but it was a bit of a let-down. I was not a fan of the writing which in turn made the pacing drag on at times. I was not a fan of Sawyer’s story line and I think we could’ve done without him. Honoree’s story was the most enjoyable part of this book even I had some issues with that.
Overall, I give it a 3/5
Until next time!