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morganbrabender's review against another edition
3.0
Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I guess you could say I kind of liked it, but I had to force myself to finish. I never really got invested in the characters and didn’t think the twist at the end was realistic. I’m also not really a historical fiction reader, so maybe that was it?
katreadsalot's review
4.0
With wit and vivacity, Alice "Nobody" James leapt off the page in this historical mystery. Faye is an incredible writer - I'd read her grocery lists if she published them. This was a slower book for me, but so glad I stuck with it.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
I so enjoy Faye's writing; and her plotting; and her settings; and her characters. This book features Alice (aka Alicia, aka Nobody) who flees New York City in fear of the Italian Mafia in 1921. She ends up at the Paragon Hotel in Portland, Oregon, taking care to flee as far from the reach of the Family as she can. The porter on her Pullman train, a black man named Max, takes her to the Paragon to recover. At the hotel, which caters to a black clientele, Alice becomes aware of racial tensions and the rise of the Klan in Oregon. A disappearing child, an abusive police officer, and a charismatic singer named Blossom are all part of the story. This is an exciting book with a complicated plot and I really enjoyed Alice's voice as she tells her story. It's historical fiction which sheds light onto parts of our country's past that don't usually show up in fiction, which is my favorite kind of historical fiction.
constancepoplos's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Faye doesn’t shy away from making the reader feel uncomfortable. But that’s the point. She explores racism, sexism, homophobia in a way that feel personal and real. Gripping story following 2 timelines that meet up. Docked her a few points because the writing style with constant “rat-a-tat” etc. feels slightly juvenile and sometimes it’s a bit difficult to follow since Alice is more often than not called Nobody throughout. Overall would recommend this book as a thought provoking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism
Moderate: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Addiction, and Outing
booksnaturemagic's review against another edition
2.0
DNF. I could not get into this book. I found the voice of the narrator to be annoyingly overdone with 1920s slang and cutesy sayings. It just didn’t ring true for me - it felt overwrought and like she was trying too hard. Got about half way through and couldn’t bring myself to finish it.
eabrevaya's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
jashanac's review against another edition
Just not getting into it. Not sure if this author is the one that needs to tell this story?
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tough read. And I’m not talking about the period details of blood and violence of New York Mafia of those times, nor the casual acceptance of blatant racism, lynchings, and corrupted policemen supporting the Ku Klux Klan in Portland. Although those themes definitely provide the tension in this book.
I’m talking about the dialect (or at least I’m assuming its dialect when everyone says things like “I admired to learn more” instead of “I wanted to learned more” or whatnot), droll puns, arch references, etc. that everyone uses in their speech in this novel and most of it is dialogue.
I had to stop, reread, or guess what was being referred to half the time. And it was amusing and entertaining, but I also longed for the narrator, Alice/Nobody to just say things sometimes without the arch references to figure out.
Meanwhile, I was fascinated with the details of her life– born into a whorehouse in 1921 prohibition New York, she is childhood friends with a man who becomes part of the mafioso in her neighborhood. So does she after her friend’s father is killed and the whorehouse owner threatens to have her become part of his workforce. Alice is apprenticed in a way to a rival mafia don who uses her to gather information.
But we are also following Alice as she escapes a bloody confrontation in New York to a colored hotel in Portland where she is adopted by the colorful denizens of the hotel. Only, things begin to unravel when an orphan boy from the hotel disappears and the Ku Klux Klan reacts to the search for the boy with violence.
Everyone is fascinating, has secrets, and is larger than life. I just felt sometimes that the dialogue was over the top, much like flappers of that time!
I’m talking about the dialect (or at least I’m assuming its dialect when everyone says things like “I admired to learn more” instead of “I wanted to learned more” or whatnot), droll puns, arch references, etc. that everyone uses in their speech in this novel and most of it is dialogue.
I had to stop, reread, or guess what was being referred to half the time. And it was amusing and entertaining, but I also longed for the narrator, Alice/Nobody to just say things sometimes without the arch references to figure out.
Meanwhile, I was fascinated with the details of her life– born into a whorehouse in 1921 prohibition New York, she is childhood friends with a man who becomes part of the mafioso in her neighborhood. So does she after her friend’s father is killed and the whorehouse owner threatens to have her become part of his workforce. Alice is apprenticed in a way to a rival mafia don who uses her to gather information.
But we are also following Alice as she escapes a bloody confrontation in New York to a colored hotel in Portland where she is adopted by the colorful denizens of the hotel. Only, things begin to unravel when an orphan boy from the hotel disappears and the Ku Klux Klan reacts to the search for the boy with violence.
Everyone is fascinating, has secrets, and is larger than life. I just felt sometimes that the dialogue was over the top, much like flappers of that time!