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bookappeal's review against another edition
4.0
Though it doesn't delve as deeply into emotion as it could, this novel provides insight into the world of vaudeville as told through two perspectives, one sister who views the tumbling act as a means of money to attend college while the other hopes to make her way through life on the stage, in defiance of the constraints placed upon her by society. The friendly relationships that develop between the traveling acts and the dynamics between four sisters and their mother are touching and fun.
staggandie's review against another edition
4.0
3.75. Sweet book that I enjoyed. Some things tied up too neatly. As they do. Love all the upstate and western NY town names.
jbh57's review against another edition
3.0
This was a sensitive historical fiction, based on 4 sisters who become a vaudeville act when their father is injured and unable to provide for the family. Very enjoyable and insightful.
kne's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this one for its unique subject matter. I learned a lot about vaudeville and the post-WWI, pre-Roaring '20s era. Fay did a pretty impressive job of giving 4 girls from one family distinctive traits and voices. I enjoyed traveling the country with them and was surprised to see where they all ended up. I definitely recommend this for historical women's fiction readers looking for something a bit different.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
fourlittlebees's review against another edition
3.0
Give me a book about a circus, burlesque, or vaudeville and you've lost me for at least a few days.
I was thrilled to get a chance to read ()and review) an ARC of Juliette Fay's upcoming The Tumbling Turner Sisters, about a family of four sisters who, at their mother's behest, take to vaudeville with their tumbling routines to earn money when their father is injured and unable to work.
::: The Good Stuff::
Fay has very much done her homework. She references actual vaudeville houses of the late 1910s and early 1920s while weaving in the impact of historical events on the characters without slowing the narrative. Issues like women's suffrage, Prohibition, and racism are part of the sisters' lives, but not placed at the forefront of the story, giving a rich and nuanced realism to the novel. Adding to that realism are small moments of importance presented in a historically plausible manner and an unflinching look at the bigotry of the era.
The very best thing is how Fay manages to create characters who avoid the too-perfect and anachronistic revulsion at era-typical prejudices while giving them an open-mindedness that keeps them likable: a young man incensed at a woman's desire for the vote confronted with the idea that an intelligent woman could be more than a housewife and mother; a white woman surprised by the fact that offering a hand to a black man was the same as any other person, acknowledging both internalized and societal racism.
Bits of humor and historical believability make this a great read.
:: The Not-So-Good Stuff ::
The most frustrating thing about reading this book is that, but for two overarching issues, it would have been stellar. The first is that the character of Ethel Turner -- the mother of the sister act -- veers so far into Mama Rose territory that I couldn't picture her as anyone but Ethel Merman. They share the name. Ethel (the character) orders her girls to do whatever it takes. Controls their careers and their money. Tries to move them up in the vaudeville circuit. Has a henpecked man (her husband, the girls' father) who does whatever she tells him to. Even writing this review, I still have "Everything's Coming Up Roses" in my head.
The second issue is the dual POV (point of view) narration. I'm normally a huge fan of getting into more than one character's head, and am partial to this style of storytelling. The issue here, however, is that the two POVs are two of the sisters, and this style usually lends itself to characters on opposite sides: of an issue, of a relationship, of the story. There often wasn't enough of a distinction between the sisters (one bold and driven, the other bookish and a "good" girl) to keep them straight. There were several times when I found myself flipping back to the beginning of a chapter or looking for a dialogue tag to remind myself which sister's POV I was reading, especially when they were in a group scene, and I wish there'd been a larger distinction between their voices.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone as obsessed with the live entertainment era.
I was thrilled to get a chance to read ()and review) an ARC of Juliette Fay's upcoming The Tumbling Turner Sisters, about a family of four sisters who, at their mother's behest, take to vaudeville with their tumbling routines to earn money when their father is injured and unable to work.
::: The Good Stuff::
Fay has very much done her homework. She references actual vaudeville houses of the late 1910s and early 1920s while weaving in the impact of historical events on the characters without slowing the narrative. Issues like women's suffrage, Prohibition, and racism are part of the sisters' lives, but not placed at the forefront of the story, giving a rich and nuanced realism to the novel. Adding to that realism are small moments of importance presented in a historically plausible manner and an unflinching look at the bigotry of the era.
The very best thing is how Fay manages to create characters who avoid the too-perfect and anachronistic revulsion at era-typical prejudices while giving them an open-mindedness that keeps them likable: a young man incensed at a woman's desire for the vote confronted with the idea that an intelligent woman could be more than a housewife and mother; a white woman surprised by the fact that offering a hand to a black man was the same as any other person, acknowledging both internalized and societal racism.
Bits of humor and historical believability make this a great read.
:: The Not-So-Good Stuff ::
The most frustrating thing about reading this book is that, but for two overarching issues, it would have been stellar. The first is that the character of Ethel Turner -- the mother of the sister act -- veers so far into Mama Rose territory that I couldn't picture her as anyone but Ethel Merman. They share the name. Ethel (the character) orders her girls to do whatever it takes. Controls their careers and their money. Tries to move them up in the vaudeville circuit. Has a henpecked man (her husband, the girls' father) who does whatever she tells him to. Even writing this review, I still have "Everything's Coming Up Roses" in my head.
The second issue is the dual POV (point of view) narration. I'm normally a huge fan of getting into more than one character's head, and am partial to this style of storytelling. The issue here, however, is that the two POVs are two of the sisters, and this style usually lends itself to characters on opposite sides: of an issue, of a relationship, of the story. There often wasn't enough of a distinction between the sisters (one bold and driven, the other bookish and a "good" girl) to keep them straight. There were several times when I found myself flipping back to the beginning of a chapter or looking for a dialogue tag to remind myself which sister's POV I was reading, especially when they were in a group scene, and I wish there'd been a larger distinction between their voices.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and I'd recommend it to anyone as obsessed with the live entertainment era.
karenstory's review against another edition
4.0
Catching up…
I read this a while ago…
And…
With this as a recent donation to my Little Free Library Shed, by my Sister of my Heart ♥️Verlie, I am now reminded it is time to include a review for Goodreads.
This story…
Is inspired in part by Fay’s own family history in vaudeville.
So…
It is not surprising that she would write this story with enthusiasm, and attention to the era’s rich history.
And…
The story is told from alternating perspectives of the sisters, Winnie and Gert. Both different in style, but enjoyable to experience.
While…
Most of the story is light with humor, there is a dark turn in the third part of the book. This is when the author showcases the value of family. Family that will literally catch you when you fall.
Readers will experience…
Wit. Wisdom. Love. Heartbreak. Historical “real” moments.
A plot that is fresh and showcases a vast cast of convincing, colorful characters, with their own distinct voice and personality.
A truly class act of a story.
I read this a while ago…
And…
With this as a recent donation to my Little Free Library Shed, by my Sister of my Heart ♥️Verlie, I am now reminded it is time to include a review for Goodreads.
This story…
Is inspired in part by Fay’s own family history in vaudeville.
So…
It is not surprising that she would write this story with enthusiasm, and attention to the era’s rich history.
And…
The story is told from alternating perspectives of the sisters, Winnie and Gert. Both different in style, but enjoyable to experience.
While…
Most of the story is light with humor, there is a dark turn in the third part of the book. This is when the author showcases the value of family. Family that will literally catch you when you fall.
Readers will experience…
Wit. Wisdom. Love. Heartbreak. Historical “real” moments.
A plot that is fresh and showcases a vast cast of convincing, colorful characters, with their own distinct voice and personality.
A truly class act of a story.
kathryneh's review against another edition
4.0
I won this advanced copy in March, it arrived in May and I saved until now for book club. I was a bit apprehensive as vaudeville life doesn't particularly interest me, but this book was far from focused on vaudeville. The family worked in vaudeville in order to earn money and they got better as time went on, but it really was about family, survival, the harshness of life and the beauty. And, about the people, the family met during their travels. The end was so well pulled together. I felt like I knew where all of my friends ended up. A really good story.
squid_vicious's review against another edition
2.0
After their father injures his hand and loses his job as a boot stitcher, the four Turner sisters - Nell, Gert, Winnie and Kit - are groomed by their mother into become a traveling vaudeville act in order to pay the bills.
On paper, this book should have been a slam dunk for me: its set in Upstate New York in the 1920's, its about vaudeville and sisters going through a tough time, supporting each other and making a good life for themselves. And yet... something about it just failed to grab me.
Fay tells this story through the eyes of Gert and Winnie, who are the two sisters with the most opposite characters: the first is flirty and strong-headed, the second shy and bookish. This also should have worked, as such characters would have looked at the same situations very differently. But I often had to check the chapter heading to make sure I knew which sister was narrating this particular one. Also, when their mother Ethel decides that the sisters will become acrobats and makes them practice, that decision seems to come out of nothing more than her own frustrated desire to be on stage: wasn't there anything more practical and less risky they could have done to make some money? They also seem to just pick up the gymnastics out of the blue: we never know if they had any background in it, or if it was hard, if they got hurt or bruised or anything.
This should have been about women making a space for themselves on their own terms in a time and place where women had precious little agency of their own. But that also fell a bit flat as the sisters are basically under their stage-mother's thumb. We get the idea that Gert wants to be more than someone's wife and that Winnie wants to go to college and maybe be a doctor, but I never really felt their yearnings. Fay also pays lip services to a few social issues of the day, such as the constant discrimination the tap dancer Tip has to struggle with, but again, I didn't really feel it.
I think that the lack of atmosphere and vitality is what might have killed it for me. I could never really visualize the girls, their act or costumes, the landscapes they evolved through.
Fun, but too quaint and shallow for me.
On paper, this book should have been a slam dunk for me: its set in Upstate New York in the 1920's, its about vaudeville and sisters going through a tough time, supporting each other and making a good life for themselves. And yet... something about it just failed to grab me.
Fay tells this story through the eyes of Gert and Winnie, who are the two sisters with the most opposite characters: the first is flirty and strong-headed, the second shy and bookish. This also should have worked, as such characters would have looked at the same situations very differently. But I often had to check the chapter heading to make sure I knew which sister was narrating this particular one. Also, when their mother Ethel decides that the sisters will become acrobats and makes them practice, that decision seems to come out of nothing more than her own frustrated desire to be on stage: wasn't there anything more practical and less risky they could have done to make some money? They also seem to just pick up the gymnastics out of the blue: we never know if they had any background in it, or if it was hard, if they got hurt or bruised or anything.
This should have been about women making a space for themselves on their own terms in a time and place where women had precious little agency of their own. But that also fell a bit flat as the sisters are basically under their stage-mother's thumb. We get the idea that Gert wants to be more than someone's wife and that Winnie wants to go to college and maybe be a doctor, but I never really felt their yearnings. Fay also pays lip services to a few social issues of the day, such as the constant discrimination the tap dancer Tip has to struggle with, but again, I didn't really feel it.
I think that the lack of atmosphere and vitality is what might have killed it for me. I could never really visualize the girls, their act or costumes, the landscapes they evolved through.
Fun, but too quaint and shallow for me.
charlottelynn's review against another edition
4.0
The Tumbling Turner Sisters is entertainment in words. I love the vaudeville aspect of the story. The traveling, the shows, the performers, and of course the drama is all part of the charm of the book. I enjoyed the interactions between the Turner family and the different performers. The timeframe made some friendships taboo, yet Juliette Fay did not shy away from developing them. The ages of the performers made me concerned at some friendships yet they seemed to work.
My biggest worry in this story is the mother. I know that she was doing what she could for her family but she was so into herself. I believe she was a mother entirely living her past dreams through her children. There were times that she seemed to forget she was a mother and a wife.
Juliette Fay most certainly did her research. The stage house they worked in were real. The issues of prohibition, women’s rights, and racism were happening during this time. The reading of The Tumbling Turner Sisters brought me back in time to a wonderful era.
If you love a good vaudeville story this is definitely for you.
My biggest worry in this story is the mother. I know that she was doing what she could for her family but she was so into herself. I believe she was a mother entirely living her past dreams through her children. There were times that she seemed to forget she was a mother and a wife.
Juliette Fay most certainly did her research. The stage house they worked in were real. The issues of prohibition, women’s rights, and racism were happening during this time. The reading of The Tumbling Turner Sisters brought me back in time to a wonderful era.
If you love a good vaudeville story this is definitely for you.
booksandthebronxgirl's review against another edition
2.0
It was just ok. I was expecting a bit more regarding character development and likability of characters. It seemed like it could be a book where you could develop an attachment to the characters but it was as if the author didn't have enough pages to get that effect. They were all sketched with pretty broad strokes and none of them were really that likable. The author touched on Prohibition, the 19th Amendment, the KKK, and miscgenation (which was the most interesting to me), but really didn't deal well with these issues that satisfactorily. The most interesting part of the book involved the film, The Birth of a Nation, and the audience's reactions to it in the theaters the girls were playing. The second most interesting part for me involved the only Black character, Tip, the tap dancer. But that wasn't really expanded upon so there really wasn't that much to hold my interest.