A review by rglossner
Last Night at the Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert

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.