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celjla212's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 STARS
I mostly try to stay away from historical fiction, but when this book was pitched to me I liked the fact that at its' heart it was about a mother and daughter. The story was rich, and good in so many ways, but it fell flat in others and actually in some parts really disappointed me.
This tale is told from the two main characters' points of view, ten years apart. Naomi is 17 years old in 1955, when she leaves her country home in Kansas to eventually make her way to Chicago, where through a series of her friends' connections she ends up becoming a spectacular lounge singer. Ten years later, her daughter Sophia tells her side, of living with a mother who seems to be on the precipice of fame and leaving her daughter to fend for herself.
Though I enjoyed both girls' chapters, Sophia's were the most real and heartbreaking for me. Her thoughts are earnest, with all her feelings laid out bare and nothing held back; because she is so young she doesn't really see the need to keep secrets. Sophia is scared of loss, and since it's the 1960's her biggest fear (at least the one she states) is that everything in the world will be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. This is a rather troubling thing for a 10 year old to be concerned about, but the reader quickly gets the sense that young Sophia may be more grown up than even her mother.
People come and go out of Naomi and Sophia's lives, and it's fascinating to watch how each one affects both of them. The girls do have a support system, an "adopted" family of friends who have been there through thick and thin. Jim is the closest friend they have, although his love for Naomi far exceeds what she feels for him. It's painful to see them interact sometimes, but Jim makes his own choices and he'll take what he can get from her.
The book is a fast read, but to me there were certain parts that dragged on far longer than they should have, and others I would have liked to see described in more detail. How Naomi got to be where she was is important background information, but I would have liked to see more about Sophia's childhood and how she was treated by her mother during her first years of life.
As I said, there were things about the story that disappointed me, and for the most part, that would be the ending. Two terrible things happened to Sophia in a very short amount of time, and I was left wondering if she was going to be alright. Yes, she is a strong little girl, but who knows what kind of effect the tragedies will have on a girl of such an impressionable age?
Another thing I found odd was that Naomi just so happened to become lifelong friends with the first few people she met in Chicago. It was all very unrealistic, and seemed kind of forced and did not fit in with the rest of the story.
I did like the book overall and would recommend it to those who regularly read stories from this period in time.
I mostly try to stay away from historical fiction, but when this book was pitched to me I liked the fact that at its' heart it was about a mother and daughter. The story was rich, and good in so many ways, but it fell flat in others and actually in some parts really disappointed me.
This tale is told from the two main characters' points of view, ten years apart. Naomi is 17 years old in 1955, when she leaves her country home in Kansas to eventually make her way to Chicago, where through a series of her friends' connections she ends up becoming a spectacular lounge singer. Ten years later, her daughter Sophia tells her side, of living with a mother who seems to be on the precipice of fame and leaving her daughter to fend for herself.
Though I enjoyed both girls' chapters, Sophia's were the most real and heartbreaking for me. Her thoughts are earnest, with all her feelings laid out bare and nothing held back; because she is so young she doesn't really see the need to keep secrets. Sophia is scared of loss, and since it's the 1960's her biggest fear (at least the one she states) is that everything in the world will be destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. This is a rather troubling thing for a 10 year old to be concerned about, but the reader quickly gets the sense that young Sophia may be more grown up than even her mother.
People come and go out of Naomi and Sophia's lives, and it's fascinating to watch how each one affects both of them. The girls do have a support system, an "adopted" family of friends who have been there through thick and thin. Jim is the closest friend they have, although his love for Naomi far exceeds what she feels for him. It's painful to see them interact sometimes, but Jim makes his own choices and he'll take what he can get from her.
The book is a fast read, but to me there were certain parts that dragged on far longer than they should have, and others I would have liked to see described in more detail. How Naomi got to be where she was is important background information, but I would have liked to see more about Sophia's childhood and how she was treated by her mother during her first years of life.
As I said, there were things about the story that disappointed me, and for the most part, that would be the ending. Two terrible things happened to Sophia in a very short amount of time, and I was left wondering if she was going to be alright. Yes, she is a strong little girl, but who knows what kind of effect the tragedies will have on a girl of such an impressionable age?
Another thing I found odd was that Naomi just so happened to become lifelong friends with the first few people she met in Chicago. It was all very unrealistic, and seemed kind of forced and did not fit in with the rest of the story.
I did like the book overall and would recommend it to those who regularly read stories from this period in time.
mmc6661's review against another edition
4.0
Last Night At The Blue Angel was a wonderful story from a new author. I just plowed through this one and enjoyed every word. It has colorful, interesting and wonderfully human characters that just came alive on the pages. My heart just went out to young Sophia and I hope to hear from her again someday ! If you remember the late 50's- early 60's and the days of Jazz clubs, you will enjoy this heartbreaking drama. I will be looking forward to reading Rebecca Rotert again.
kdurham2's review against another edition
3.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
A historical fiction that had the time period and a city that I could read over and over again, but fell short for me. Chicago is a city that feels like it doesn't get as much press as New York City, so I love to read fiction set in it as it is almost like a refreshing drink.
The part that fell flat for me was the secretiveness of the lesbian storyline and the pieces that I wish had been a little more obvious in the beginning. The women that were helping Naomi raise Sophia were from her childhood and the reader didn't get their full stories until too late in the game to appreciate their roles in Sophia's upbringing. I wish the reader had gotten a little more of that earlier in the book.
A historical fiction that had the time period and a city that I could read over and over again, but fell short for me. Chicago is a city that feels like it doesn't get as much press as New York City, so I love to read fiction set in it as it is almost like a refreshing drink.
The part that fell flat for me was the secretiveness of the lesbian storyline and the pieces that I wish had been a little more obvious in the beginning. The women that were helping Naomi raise Sophia were from her childhood and the reader didn't get their full stories until too late in the game to appreciate their roles in Sophia's upbringing. I wish the reader had gotten a little more of that earlier in the book.
bibliobethica's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. The ending was exceptional. The rest of it was good.
tatianamgriffin's review against another edition
5.0
Last Night at the Blue Angel is such a gripping novel. The dialogues are so real, and will make you fall in love with the characters. I strongly recommend it.
lvw22's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give this 3 1/2* It's a page-turner, that's for sure. I started it at 6:00 last night and finished it just before midnight. Set in the early 1960's Chicago jazz scene, the book is told in alternating voices of Naomi, an aspiring singer, and her eleven year old daughter, Sophia. I especially enjoyed Sophia's voice.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
Recommended by Becky K. Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Slast%20night%20at%20the%20blue%20angel%20rotert__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
rglossner's review against another edition
4.0
This moving debut novel is about the the many ways we love, the many forms that family can take, and the powerful effects that loss has on our lives. Naomi, a talented undiscovered jazz singer, and her ten year old daughter Sophia, live in Chicago in the 1960s, but Naomi's story is revealed in flashbacks that she narrates. Naomi struggles with society's limitations, as does Sophia in her turn. Issues of race, the war in Vietnam, gender and sexual identity are all explored.
The characters are unforgettable, the writing excellent, the story moving. This would be an excellent book club choice.
The characters are unforgettable, the writing excellent, the story moving. This would be an excellent book club choice.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
The 60s in Chicago, the jazz scene, sexual ambiguity, "found" family, race relations: all of this is part of Sophia's life. Her mother, Naomi Hill, came from somewhere and has created a career singing jazz standards at the Blue Angel; along with this she's also built a family who take care of Sophia, her somewhat precocious daughter. Both Naomi and Sophia are very tolerant of other people's differences, the reasons for which are explained in flashbacks to Naomi's life "before".
This was nearly perfect, but the ending made me a little irritated. It's not just that I hoped for something different, but that I wanted a little more ambiguity with the ending. Sophia's lack of anger at her mother also bothered me some, hence the four not five stars.
ARC provided by publisher.
This was nearly perfect, but the ending made me a little irritated. It's not just that I hoped for something different, but that I wanted a little more ambiguity with the ending. Sophia's lack of anger at her mother also bothered me some, hence the four not five stars.
ARC provided by publisher.