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Title details for The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris - Available

The Jazz Palace

by Mary Morris
Michael Early
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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Acclaimed author Mary Morris returns to her Chicago roots in this sweeping novel that brilliantly captures the dynamic atmosphere and the dazzling music of the Jazz Age. In the midst of boomtown Chicago, two Jewish families have suffered terrible blows. The Lehrmans, who run a small hat factory, lost their beloved son Harold in a blizzard. The Chimbrovas, who run a saloon, lost three of their boys on the SS Eastland when it sank in 1915. Each family holds out hope that one of their remaining children will rise to carry on the family business. But Benny Lehrman has no interest in making hats. His true passion is piano-especially jazz. At night he sneaks down to the South Side, slipping into predominantly black clubs to hear jazz groups play. One night he is called out and asked to ""sit in"" on a group. His playing is first-rate, and the other musicians are impressed. One of them, the trumpeter, a black man named Napoleon, becomes Benny's close friend and musical collaborator, and their adventures together take Benny far from the life he knew as a delivery boy. Pearl Chimbrova recognizes their talent and invites them to start playing at her family's saloon, which Napoleon dubs ""The Jazz Palace."" But Napoleon's main gig is at a mob establishment, which doesn't take too kindly to freelancing. And as the '20s come to a close and the bubble of prosperity collapses, Benny, Napoleon, and Pearl must all make hard choices between financial survival and the music they love.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 7, 2015

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781490658537
      • File size: 289334 KB
      • Duration: 10:02:46

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Morris's novel intends to tell the story of two Jewish families who persevere after suffering the terrible losses of young sons. Set in Chicago from 1915 through the Roaring '20s, it weaves a lifeless fictional story into a vibrant historical period. Michael Early's narration is rather flat, a monotone that brings no emotion or weight to the characters' lives. The transitions between the history and the fiction are abrupt, making the story seem more like a patchwork than a tightly woven tapestry. Overall, the audiobook fails to bring this vibrant era to life. Some background jazz might have helped to set the scene, carry the transitions, and enliven the atmosphere. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from April 27, 2015
      Morris's first novel since 2004 puts her many gifts to use in a story of creativity, music, resilience, and love in Prohibition-era Chicago. In 1915, Benny Lehrman and Pearl Chimbrova encounter each other as teenagers as the SS Eastland sinks before their eyes, with three of Pearl's brothers aboard. In the years that follow, Bennyâwho feels dogged by tragedyâgrows up fascinated not by Lehrman's Caps, the factory he is expected to run some day, but by the nascent musical genre called "jass." Recognizing Benny's talent as pianist and composer, trumpeter Napoleon Hill takes Benny to play beside him at the Jazz Palace, the speakeasy Pearl has created to help take care of her siblings. Music helps all three prosper, but it can't protect them from the privations of the Depression, the violence of the mob, or the barriers of discrimination. Meanwhile, Pearl and Benny are drawn to each other, but Benny's self-doubt and Pearl's seductive younger sister, Opal, complicate their relationship. As fluid and nuanced as the music it celebrates, Morris's narrative brings physical details, the power of music, and the sweeping history of Chicago (the author's hometown) to memorable life. Real events and figures weave seamlessly into the lives of three characters fighting to claim their authentic identities despite family, cultural, and inner resistance.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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