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Book Recommendations
Recommended books can be ordered on Bookshop.
Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce
Sawyer Hayes is desperate and afraid. He missed the deadline for his doctoral thesis, and his deceased sister haunts him day and night. Why? After the death of their mother, Sawyer and his sister, Azizi, clung to their father. But Azizi’s sudden death broke their familial bond. Despondent and alone, Sawyer escapes to his grandmother Margaret White Hendricksen’s home. However, her secrets create a fissure in their relationship. A treasure trove of documents lands on Sawyer’s lap, providing data to rescue his failing thesis on Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But this information must be verified. Vital to completion is an ornery centenarian, Honoree Dalcour. In Bronzeville Senior Living Facility, the ill woman eeks out a meager existence surrounded by the ghosts of her past. Over months, Sawyer meets with Ms. Dalcour. Gradually, he uncovers details surrounding 1920s Chicago, flappers, and gangsters. In time, Sawyer discovers a link between Dalcour and his grandmother. An epic truth which leads to a murderer. Bryce flips the reader between early twenty-first Chicago and the Windy City in the 1920s. The number of characters could be overwhelming but necessary across two worlds. I don’t enjoy switching between time periods, but Bryce did a decent job. The writing is clear and easy to read. I completed the book in only a few days because of work commitments. A murder mystery lay at the cornerstone of the novel. More emphasis on building the world of 1920s Chicago would have been appreciated. Overall, though, a solid story. I am interested in reading more from this author.
Sawyer Hayes is desperate and afraid. He missed the deadline for his doctoral thesis, and his deceased sister haunts him day and night. Why? After the death of their mother, Sawyer and his sister, Azizi, clung to their father. But Azizi’s sudden death broke their familial bond. Despondent and alone, Sawyer escapes to his grandmother Margaret White Hendricksen’s home. However, her secrets create a fissure in their relationship. A treasure trove of documents lands on Sawyer’s lap, providing data to rescue his failing thesis on Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux. But this information must be verified. Vital to completion is an ornery centenarian, Honoree Dalcour. In Bronzeville Senior Living Facility, the ill woman eeks out a meager existence surrounded by the ghosts of her past. Over months, Sawyer meets with Ms. Dalcour. Gradually, he uncovers details surrounding 1920s Chicago, flappers, and gangsters. In time, Sawyer discovers a link between Dalcour and his grandmother. An epic truth which leads to a murderer. Bryce flips the reader between early twenty-first Chicago and the Windy City in the 1920s. The number of characters could be overwhelming but necessary across two worlds. I don’t enjoy switching between time periods, but Bryce did a decent job. The writing is clear and easy to read. I completed the book in only a few days because of work commitments. A murder mystery lay at the cornerstone of the novel. More emphasis on building the world of 1920s Chicago would have been appreciated. Overall, though, a solid story. I am interested in reading more from this author.
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