Pub: April 12, 2022
NetGalley
historical fiction, arc, digital,
St Martin’s Press
432 pages
ISBN: 9781250265548
8/25/22- 8/26/22
During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era in the 1920-1930’s, there were a lot of people struggling to make ends meet. It was a time when people were concerned about the country and the political changes they prayed would alleviate their suffering. Of course, history reveals that not everyone endured the financial hardships of the failing economy. In this story, the Amadeo’s were such a family who seemed to “own” Galveston with their lucrative illegal business transactions.
Unfortunately, there were families who struggled to survive, sometimes denying their present situation of loss. Evie Grace Devlin was raised in Vinegar Hill which was as acidic as the name suggests. Evie was raised with a father who made money dancing through vaudeville circuits when circumstances made him close his dance school. Evie holds on to memories of her father who died while she was young and helping him teach dance to students. Her mother was a distant, selfish wannabe actress concerned only in her own welling being.
Evie works hard and finally finds her way out of Vinegar Hill when she receives a charity scholarship to attend a nursing school taught by nuns in Galveston. It’s a dream come true for Evie who becomes instant friends with Sophie Amadeo in nursing school who also wishes to extract herself from her family’s high expectations. Although Evie studies hard and is at the top of her graduating class, she is denied her coveted title as nurse due to her upbringing within the vaudeville community. Embarrassed and needing a job, Evie finds herself being hired to work dance marathons where the dancers needed medical care from lack of sleep and being on their feet for hours on end. For some people this was a way for them to support themselves during these times of poverty as well as an inexpensive form of entertainment.
Evie is content attending to the dancers as a nurse until she is eventually brought in dance. She ends up being paired with Zave who coincidently was trained to dance by Evie's father. She becomes part of the dance duo who would attract crowds to the venue. They prepare for a major dance event at the Starlight Palace on the historic Starlight Pier until tragedy strikes. The story of survival, dedication and resilience dominate the theme. Recommended for historical fiction fans for its unique view of the time era.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for sending this book for review
consideration. All opinions are my own.
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