Frog Music; Emma Donoghue
Little Brown Co - 2014
An 1876 unsolved San Francisco murder is the basis for Emma Donoghue's latest novel, Frog Music which is set in the same time period.
Jenny
Bonnet is a 27-year-old French-born woman who makes money catching
frogs and selling them to local SF restaurants. She dresses like a man
and is a regular in the courts as a result of her dress code
defiance. It is in the opening pages of the novel that Jenny is shot
through the window of a boarding house, while Blanche Beunon, a
burlesque dancer and prostitute, in the same room bends down to tie her
shoes, making the reader wonder --- who was the real target?
Blanche, a lucrative woman, who has earned enough money to
purchase a 6-story boarding house in SF's Chinatown, is convinced that
she knows the men responsible for the shooting (Arthur her pimp of
sorts and Ernest his associate). Furthermore, she believes that they
meant to kill her, not Jenny. As she tries to convince investigators of
the their guilt, Blanche fears not only for her own life but also for
that of her infant son who has been taken away by Arthur and Ernest.
The novel is full of colorful characters that come alive on the
pages. The story really demonstrates how badly women were treated
during that time period, and the smallpox outbreak which hit the area in
the midst of a heat wave only added to the tension that enveloped this
novel. Jenny, a woman Blanche hadn't known very long, certainly made an
impression on me. She was instrumental in getting Blanche to change he
thinking about herself and the trajectory of her life.
I liked this book, but found the narrative a little confusing at
times on audio. The story jumps around to timeframes both before and
after the murder. I did better after switching to the print format. As I
read I found myself much more interested in Blanche's character and how
things would work out for her and her child, rather than trying to get
to the bottom of the murder mystery. Blanche was an interesting
character who I hoped would find her way.
4/5 stars
Interesting sounding historical mystery. I like to read about realistic characters.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering about this one and am glad you ended up liking it, Diane. It sounds like print may be the better way to read this one.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about this book, Diane. I liked Room but I'm not sure about this one. I'll put it on my list :)
ReplyDeleteOh no, I have this one on audio.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to give this a try and was planning to listen, but maybe I should reconsider and read instead.
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten what this book was about. Now I remember why I had it on my list of books I was looking forward to. Glad to hear it delivers...in print!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds much more intriguing to me now. I am a big fan of colorful or eccentric characters. I'll be looking for this.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this now and really enjoying it, but I can see how it might be more difficult to follow on audio!
ReplyDeleteI am one of the few on the planet that did not like Room but I picked this one up to give her another go. It has not been getting good reviews and a lot of bloggers end up ditching it. Sort of makes me less anxious to read it.
ReplyDeleteAnother one I'm curious about!
ReplyDeleteOk, I listened to the audio version and had the same problem with loosing the narrative thread. I wonder if I would have liked it more in print.
ReplyDeleteAhh, I am very much looking forward to reading this book. I have it on reserve at the Library, but the wait-list for it is astronomical. She is a favorite author of mine and I just missed her the other day when she was in town doing a reading -- I had to work at the time.
ReplyDeleteRats!
Slammerkin and Life Mask are my favorite books of hers. I have personally corresponded with Emma Donoghue, and she is so friendly. And so humble about her own genius.
Great review (I linked to it in my post)! I was also confused by the jumping back and forth, even though I was reading it on my e-reader. I can't imagine how confusing the audio must have been. I ended up liking the novel--I loved how Donoghue examined and embellished these real-life events--but I wish she had given us a more nuanced look at whether Blanche's "desires" (underpinning her employment) were just a coping mechanism related to the low social and economic status of women.
ReplyDelete