4.5/5 stars.
Using duel timelines, we learn the story of Honoree Dalcour, a sharecropper’s daughter, and Sawyer Hayes, an aspiring film student.
I really loved this novel. It was a rich historical fiction that quickly dumped you into the world of the 1925 Chicago jazz scene. Honoree is a Black girl working hard to become a dancer at one of the nicest Black and Tan clubs in Chicago. We follow her life as she interacts with those around her and see some of the persecution she faces for being not one of the rich Black people.
In 2015, we meet Sawyer who is seeking to speak with Honoree because she is the only one left alive to be able to speak to him about the legendary filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. Sawyer needs her information about Oscar to allow him to finish up his thesis and carry on with his life. As he begins to speak with Honoree, however, he learns more than he ever thought he would.
The language in this book was fantastic. Some words I had to look up to fully appreciate their placement and meaning in the novel, which made it all the more realistic and engaging. I also really loved the twists and turns this book made along the way. It was not boring and kept my attention all the way through. The ending was great and really tied everything together. As a thriller/suspense lover, I adored the surprise at the end as well.
All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, mysteries, dancers, and jazz. The world created is so wonderful and rich. The majority of the novel is focused on Honoree in 1925, something I wasn’t expecting but enjoyed so much. We are truly taken into what it meant to be a Black girl in 1925 Chicago.
Warnings: Rape, pregnancy, closed door sex
Using duel timelines, we learn the story of Honoree Dalcour, a sharecropper’s daughter, and Sawyer Hayes, an aspiring film student.
I really loved this novel. It was a rich historical fiction that quickly dumped you into the world of the 1925 Chicago jazz scene. Honoree is a Black girl working hard to become a dancer at one of the nicest Black and Tan clubs in Chicago. We follow her life as she interacts with those around her and see some of the persecution she faces for being not one of the rich Black people.
In 2015, we meet Sawyer who is seeking to speak with Honoree because she is the only one left alive to be able to speak to him about the legendary filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. Sawyer needs her information about Oscar to allow him to finish up his thesis and carry on with his life. As he begins to speak with Honoree, however, he learns more than he ever thought he would.
The language in this book was fantastic. Some words I had to look up to fully appreciate their placement and meaning in the novel, which made it all the more realistic and engaging. I also really loved the twists and turns this book made along the way. It was not boring and kept my attention all the way through. The ending was great and really tied everything together. As a thriller/suspense lover, I adored the surprise at the end as well.
All in all, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, mysteries, dancers, and jazz. The world created is so wonderful and rich. The majority of the novel is focused on Honoree in 1925, something I wasn’t expecting but enjoyed so much. We are truly taken into what it meant to be a Black girl in 1925 Chicago.
Warnings: Rape, pregnancy, closed door sex