I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
The Tumbling Turner Sisters by Juliette Fay Published by Gallery Books on June 14th 2016
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Pages: 352
Source: complimentary review copy
Amazon / IndieBound
Goodreads
What an incredibly researched historical novel! I felt completely immersed in the time period {1920s}! Vaudeville was at its height {kind of a prequel to tv show 'America's Got Talent'}. When the novel opens we meet the Turners and learn how they're barely getting by. Dependent on Mr. Turner's income, losing the source from a stupid mistake makes figuring out how to survive critical.
So what does the mom to four beautiful daughters do? She comes up with the idea to put her daughters on the stage as a vaudeville act in order to make enough money for the family to eat and pay rent. When the girls' act becomes a hit their lives are forever changed.
What I loved
→The history and detail. Learning what vaudeville was {comedy, gymnastics, music, dancing} and wasn't {burlesque} fascinated me and had me looking up old videos and photographs. There are even a few of the theaters that hosted vaudeville still open and operating today!
→The quotes at the beginning of each chapter from famous vaudeville players. "There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves." ~Will Rogers, actor, singer, comedian, and social commentator
→How the characters and theaters came to life through the descriptive passages "Even from inside the suitcase, I sensed the audience's anticipation. They cheered for Nell's cartwheels, but the volume rose when Gert entered with her handsprings. By the time I rolled out onto the proscenium, the audience was like a pack of hungry dogs, ready to devour any scraps of entertainment we threw them. Gert's arm jiggles sent them into paroxysms, and the human rolling ball, with skirts flapping up as they spun, caused a wild round of boot stomping."
→The humor! The dialogue between the four sisters was seamless and filled with funny moments!
→The breadth of topics approached from poverty and mental illness to racism and women's rights, The Tumbling Turner Sisters touches on it all with skill and grace.
and the Not So Much
I would be remiss if I neglected to share a couple of things that frustrated me in reading this novel. For example ~
The mother. Granted her character was supposed to be a strong Italian woman, but she was a bit over the top for me. At times I wondered why she even had children. Her actions were so non-mothering! AND she took henpecking her husband to an entirely new level. Did women really act that way?
While not that big of a deal, I did have to flip back to the beginning of the chapters several times to see who was narrating. While normally I love multiple points of view in books, in The Tumbling Turner Sisters it was somewhat difficult to tell the sisters apart. Narrated from Winnie and Gert's pov, the sisters' characters were too similar to distinguish at times.
Caution. Some aspects were difficult to read though true to the time period. There is one passage in particular that uses cringe-worthy terminology. I appreciate that the author approached sensitive subjects head on but do want to warn you sections may make you uncomfortable.
Recommended for
Readers who loved Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Goodreads also recommends Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train, but I think Juliette Fay's novel is closer to a Karen White novel such as On Folly Beach. The laugh-out-loud humor and fleshed out characters are comparable.
Juliette Fay: Website :: Facebook :: Twitter
With many thanks to Wunderkind PR and Gallery Books, I've got a copy of The Tumbling Turner Sisters to give away! Ends Monday, July 4th at 11:59 pm. U.S. entries only please.
