Ki Longfellow
Paperback | Pages: 456 pages Rating: 4.1 | 1320 Users | 98 Reviews
Details Containing Books China Blues
| Title | : | China Blues |
| Author | : | Ki Longfellow |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Second |
| Pages | : | Pages: 456 pages |
| Published | : | January 24th 2012 by Eio Books (first published 1989) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Mystery. Fiction |
Explanation Supposing Books China Blues
The Roaring Twenties, Chinatown, San Francisco: back-street blues and bathtub gin… hardball mobsters and hardheaded cops… seductive speakeasies and sizzling scandals. As the young Louis Armstrong blows his horn in the infamous Blue Canary, impetuous Nob Hill Socialite Elizabeth Stafford Hamilton plunges into a reckless affair with mysterious Li Kwan Won. Unknown to Lizzie, Li is the overlord of the city’s vast bootlegging empire—and archenemy of her powerful husband, the San Francisco district attorney. Suddenly Lizzie’s privileged, upper-crust life is shadowed by danger and intrigue—as she’s trapped between her lover and her husband while they battle for control of the city.Eio Books has reissued Ki Longfellow's first novel, published by Harper Collins in England in 1989.
Be Specific About Books As China Blues
| Original Title: | China Blues |
| ISBN: | 0975925571 (ISBN13: 9780975925577) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Chinatown, San Francisco, California(United States) |
Rating Containing Books China Blues
Ratings: 4.1 From 1320 Users | 98 ReviewsColumn Containing Books China Blues
I was born in San Francisco. It's been a long time since I've seen it. But reading this roller-coaster of a book brought it back to me full blast. No, I'm not old enough to have known it in the Twenties, but it doesn't matter which San Francisco you know, Longfellow's San Francisco will sweep you up and carry you from the top of Nob Hill to South of the Slot. The Slot was the track running along the middle of Market Street once upon a time. South of it was a darker "Frisco." But it's ChinatownTake a spoiled brat, throw her into a world she can't control, add wonderful writing, a wonderful setting, a host of colorful characters, a time in our history that fascinates (me, anyway), early jazz, early newspapers, an actual mystery in the to-this-day unexplained sudden death of the President of the United States, Warren G. Harding -- a doofus very like George W. Bush, mix it all up and you get this wonderful book.
I would have given this 5 stars if I didn't have to compare it to the author's other books. Maybe that isn't fair. Maybe it should be judged solely on its own merit. I loved it. I'll go away and think about my choice. It really does deserve 5 stars. My opinion anyway.
I don't think I've read a better portrayal of a black woman by a white woman than I found in this fast-paced very clever novel. Dido is not the central character but she acts like it. I loved the idea of a cold-hearted good time girl who could sing hot-blooded songs. I loved her honesty and her strength in a time when "colored folk" could sing in the Cotton Club but they couldn't get in the front door. Blacks, whites, Asians, the Irish, the mob...the racial mix in this book is a wonder and I ate
Grabbed this when I learned it was published again. Already a fan after The Secret Magdalene and Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandria so I really wanted to read it. It was really worth it. A real snap crackle and pop through San Francisco's Chinatown. It's the Roaring Twenties. It's full of imported mobsters. And going behind the scenes of Chinese city life. Not to mention a terrific heroine whose character flaws are fascinating and ultimately a disaster for all. The writing is full of
A colorful novel, even vivid, taking you into a real life deep breathing San Francisco both during the 1906 earthquake, then later in 1923 when the President of the United States, the gormless Warren G. Harding, came to town to die. It's chock full of wild and wonderful characters on both sides of the law, all worthy of attention, but its leads are forever memorable. Li, the Chinese kid who grew up to be a kingpin of the Chinese Tongs. Kit Dowie, a wild eyed rascal who dreamed of writing like
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