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The Wicked City: A Novel
Scritto da Beatriz Williams
Narrato da Julie McKay e Dara Rosenberg
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New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams recreates the New York City of A Certain Age in this deliciously spicy adventure that mixes past and present and centers on a Jazz Age love triangle involving a rugged Prohibition agent, a saucy redheaded flapper, and a debonair Princetonian from a wealthy family.
When she discovers her husband cheating, Ella Hawthorne impulsively moves out of their SoHo loft and into a small apartment in an old Greenwich Village building. Her surprisingly attractive new neighbor, Hector, warns her to stay out of the basement at night. Tenants have reported strange noises after midnight—laughter, clinking glasses, jazz piano—even though the space has been empty for decades. Back in the Roaring Twenties, the place hid a speakeasy.
In 1924, Geneva "Gin" Kelly, a smart-mouthed flapper from the hills of western Maryland, is a regular at this Village hideaway known as the Christopher Club. Caught up in a raid, Gin becomes entangled with Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson, who persuades her to help him catch her stepfather Duke Kelly, one of Appalachia’s most notorious bootleggers.
Headstrong and independent, Gin is no weak-kneed fool. So how can she be falling in love with the taciturn, straight-arrow Revenue agent when she’s got Princeton boy Billy Marshall, the dashing son of society doyenne Theresa Marshall, begging to make an honest woman of her? While anything goes in the Roaring Twenties, Gin’s adventures will shake proper Manhattan society to its foundations, exposing secrets that shock even this free-spirited redhead—secrets that will echo from Park Avenue to the hollers of her Southern hometown.
As Ella discovers more about the basement speakeasy, she becomes inspired by the spirit of her exuberant predecessor, and decides to live with abandon in the wicked city too. . . .
Azioni libro
Inizia ad ascoltareInformazioni sul libro
The Wicked City: A Novel
Scritto da Beatriz Williams
Narrato da Julie McKay e Dara Rosenberg
Descrizione
New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams recreates the New York City of A Certain Age in this deliciously spicy adventure that mixes past and present and centers on a Jazz Age love triangle involving a rugged Prohibition agent, a saucy redheaded flapper, and a debonair Princetonian from a wealthy family.
When she discovers her husband cheating, Ella Hawthorne impulsively moves out of their SoHo loft and into a small apartment in an old Greenwich Village building. Her surprisingly attractive new neighbor, Hector, warns her to stay out of the basement at night. Tenants have reported strange noises after midnight—laughter, clinking glasses, jazz piano—even though the space has been empty for decades. Back in the Roaring Twenties, the place hid a speakeasy.
In 1924, Geneva "Gin" Kelly, a smart-mouthed flapper from the hills of western Maryland, is a regular at this Village hideaway known as the Christopher Club. Caught up in a raid, Gin becomes entangled with Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson, who persuades her to help him catch her stepfather Duke Kelly, one of Appalachia’s most notorious bootleggers.
Headstrong and independent, Gin is no weak-kneed fool. So how can she be falling in love with the taciturn, straight-arrow Revenue agent when she’s got Princeton boy Billy Marshall, the dashing son of society doyenne Theresa Marshall, begging to make an honest woman of her? While anything goes in the Roaring Twenties, Gin’s adventures will shake proper Manhattan society to its foundations, exposing secrets that shock even this free-spirited redhead—secrets that will echo from Park Avenue to the hollers of her Southern hometown.
As Ella discovers more about the basement speakeasy, she becomes inspired by the spirit of her exuberant predecessor, and decides to live with abandon in the wicked city too. . . .
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Recensioni
In all fairness I should probably start this review with the fact I've never read any of Beatriz Williams' previous books, so I don't have any standing knowledge of her writing or characters. So it actually surprised me when I picked up this book and started enjoying it as a standalone, only to slowly fall further and further out of sorts with what was actually going on. I feel like I should warn any potential readers that although this is technically a standalone first book, there are references to Williams' other books here too. I had a friend who has read more of her works than I have explain them to me, and then everything made more sense after that. So, if you're lost, you might want to do a little digging. Just a PSA.Now, on to The Wicked City. This is a dual narration book, alternating between the POVs of Ella Hawthorne in 1998 and Gin (Geneva) Kelly in 1924. I have to say, I was a little disappointed that Ella didn't get more of the limelight here. I actually enjoyed her story immensely, and felt like she got cut out more than she should have. Struggling to make her way in a world where she was once so happy, and now all alone, I so felt for her. While Gin's story was wonderful, and intriguing, the focus on her didn't create strong ties between these two women's stories. It felt more like Ella was just a filler story to connect Gin's story to present day events. There's a "ghost story" of sorts that works hard to make this connection, but I'm still not convinced. Add in the fact that the ending is wide open to make way for another book, and there are tons of loose threads floating out there, and you'll see why I was on the fence about that.I can definitely say that Gin's story is well done though. Down to the vernacular, you can feel the vibe and grit of the 1920's. From speakeasies, to bootleggers, to prohibition era agents, it all draws you in to Gin's day to day life in Manhattan. I loved how easily Williams showed Gin's deep love for this Manhattan, despite its less than desirable aspects, and how realistic her life felt on the page. Despite not always feeling like her story tied into Ella's, I can't say that I didn't enjoy seeing life through Gin's eyes. Her story was wild and unpredictable, much like her character, and I appreciated that. In fact, had this been a story that only focused on her, I probably would have happily rated it much higher. It was the stretches of tying this back to other stories, and to other characters, that kept giving me issues.Truth be told, I'll probably seek out more of Beatriz Williams' books, if for no other reason than I really enjoyed her writing style. I would also like to fill in some of the questions I have for myself, and give some of her other characters a chance. I still feel like it should be noted somewhere though that this book is a little difficult to read as a newbie to Williams' work. If you're willing to enjoy the story without fully understanding every little reference and nuance, you'll be fine. If you're nitpicky, like I am, you might have an issue. I'd say this is worth a read, as long as you know what you're in for! 1920's Manhattan is a fascinating place to take a literary trip to!
I enjoyed the storyline from 1924 rather than the one from 1998 which was a little far-fetched at times (ghosts in the basement playing clarinets - really?). The Appalachian dialect that Ginger spoke was intriguing; I also appreciated that the author, unlike many of her previous books, did not obsess with the smoking habits of her characters. Overall, it was a fairly substantial tale, although I thought the ending left a few open questions that should have been resolved.
In 1924 Geneva, or Gin, as her friends call her, has become entwined in the atmosphere of Manhattan's speakeasies. A typist by day, Gin let's loose in the evenings and often visits the speakeasy, Christopher's in the basement of the building next door to her apartment. Life is good for Gin until Christopher's is raided one night and she is pulled back into the life she thought she had escaped and the step-father she would rather forget back in River Junction Maryland. Prohibition officer Oliver Anson has recruited Gin to help him bring down one of the biggest bootleggers in the East, her step-father Duke Kelly. At first, Gin is hesitant, but when she returns home to see how Duke has influenced everyone, she agrees to join, the stoic and strong prohibition officer on his mission. Recently, in 1998, Ella Hawthorne walks in on her husband cheating and promptly walks out of their home. Ella finds refuge in a humble apartment on Christopher street. Ella immediately finds a friend in her upstairs neighbor, Hector. Hector also gives her a warning to not go downstairs to the laundry room at night since there was a speakeasy in the basement next door and strange sounds can still be heard.I found myself immediately pulled into The Wicked City. The writing and the characters grabbed my attention. First of all, I adore dual time stories. I do admit that Gin's story grasped my attention more; the writing so perfectly conveyed Gin's personality that I felt that this is someone that I would want to be friends with. Her strength, resolve and willingness to do what was right for her family and town made Gin irresistible to me and the other characters. I loved her sayings and her witty banter, everything she said felt so perfect for the time period but not overly done. The city itself also became a character; the city becomes alive as Gin states"...and I thought I had made a terrible mistake, that I would never belong in this sea of stink and vice, this hive of determined bees ling heir cells with hones. Ant then I tasted the honey, honey , and I stared to understand what New York City was all about. Hallelujah. I started to glimpse my place in the hive, how each tiny insect contributed her mite of pollen, how grand it was to live in a hive like this at all..."With the city taking on a life of it's own, it made more sense that there was a lingering of spirits and the hint of a ghost story waiting in the wings for Ella to find and explore. I do feel like this side of the story could have been expanded, but the air of mystery it left was ideal for the atmosphere. As Ella connected more with Gin's story line, I did feel a stronger pull toward her as well. As Ella and Gin's story lines weaved together, I could see the parallels of their situations despite the years apart, both women were dealing with issues within their professions, man troubles and above all else, a new found sense of independence. Overall, a great mix of history, atmosphere, mystery and a touch of romance. I can't wait to see where it goes next!This story was received for free in return for an honest review
I have never read any of this author's books before, but I certainly will now. The premise is intriguing, the plot mobile, the characters engaging, the dialog great fun. The story reels you in while you just keep turning the pages. No spoilers, the publisher's blurb gives hints and clues but can't begin to prepare you for all the laughs and creativity. An excellent read, and I highly recommend it! I did enter and win a giveaway in which the book was provided by the publisher in expectation of a review.
The first thing you notice about Beatriz Williams' new novel, The Wicked City, is its striking cover. A woman wearing a vibrant red dress dress under a red umbrella, walking in what looks like 1920's Times Square in New York (the cars are the key clue to the time frame).Immediately a reader would pick this book up off a shelf to check it out. Reading the back cover, you discover that a character from Williams' last novel A Certain Age, society maven Theresa Marshall's son Billy, has a role in this novel.One of Williams' strengths in her novels is the connection between characters in her previous books. The Schulyer family has been prominent in several of her most recent books- One Hundred Summers, The Secret Life of Violet Grant, Along The Infinite Sea, and The Forgotten Room- and they have a role here as well.The story begins in 1998 with Ella Hawthorne moving into an apartment at 11 Christopher Street in Greenwich Village in New York City. She has just left her husband after finding him cheating on her. Her lifestyle takes a dramatic turn, from living in a gorgeous condo to moving into a tiny apartment in a small, older building.She meets an intriguing (and handsome) man, Hector, in the laundry room basement, who gives her the lowdown on the building and its tenants. She hears music coming from the the other side of the wall, from the building next door. Hector tells her that it used to be a speakeasy, back in the days of Prohibition.And then the story takes a turn to the 1920's where we meet Gin Kelly, a real-life flapper, who spends her time at the speakeasy drinking illegal alcohol after working at her job as a typist at Sterling & Bates. Gin is a real dame, the kind of woman Barbara Stanwyck would have played in a the movies.Gin is dating young rich college boy Billy Marshall, who has fallen hard for her and wants to marry her. She is also being pursued by Anson, a federal Prohibition agent who is leaning on Gin to help him shut down the flow of illegal moonshine, coming from the man Gin ran away from- her stepfather, who has become a powerful alcohol distributor in Maryland.Gin's story intrigued me more than Ella's did, perhaps because there was more physical action and more of a sense of danger. There is a powerful scene near the end of the story that had me at the edge of my seat, with Gin and Billy and Anson and Gin's stepfather; it was incredibly harrowing.Beatriz Williams' writes characters you care about, and her ear for the 1920's dialogue felt very much like watching an old movie on TCM and even put me in mind of HBO's Boardwalk Empire, the Prohibition-set TV series.She is also very clever at weaving her characters' stories and histories together, and their connection to the Schuyler family gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling seeing some of my old friends again. If you are a fan of Williams' previous novels, The Wicked City is a must-read, and if you haven't yet read any of her books, this is a good one to start with; I guarantee you will be running to grab her previous novels to catch up with what you have missed.
I have developed a real love for stories set in the 1920s. Prohibition and the Jazz Age are simultaneously so seedy and so glamorous. There's just something so seductive about the time, juxtaposed so teasingly with underground, unspoken violence. Beatriz Williams' newest novel, The Wicked City, is set firmly in this glittering, dangerous world in New York City and in the small town Appalachia of a big time bootlegger.It's 1998 and Ella Gilbert has left her husband after she finds him having sex with a prostitute. She's moving into an apartment on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, a place she'll be able to create a new life for herself. On her first day there, she meets Hector, a musician and the building handyman of sorts and she's drawn to him just as she's drawn to the building. He warns her not to go down to the laundry room after dark but she forgets his warning when she remembers that she's forgotten her laundry down there. Strange and alluring noises come from behind the wall and she wants to go investigate.Flip to the 1920s. Geneva Rose Kelly, more familiarly known as Gin, is a flapper. Typist by day, she flirts with her wealthy college boyfriend in speakeasies by night, especially the speakeasy on Christopher Street. After a raid on said speakeasy, Gin ends up talking to Oliver Anson, a Prohibition agent who wants her help bringing down her step father, the man who has become one of the biggest bootleggers and distributors on the East Coast. Reluctant to help Anson, but just as reluctant to turn on her abusive, lecherous step father, Gin ends up entangled in the whole thing whether she wants to be or not.The narrative shifts back and forth between Ella and Gin's presents although the 1920s is more fleshed out than the late 1990s and Gin tells her own story in first person while Ella's is a more distant third person narrative. Gin's story is the more compelling and dynamic one (as is she as a character, sassy creature that she is) so the imbalance works. Williams does a good job evoking the language of the 1920s and subtly changing Gin's language depending on whether she's in NYC or Appalachia. Clearly Ella and Gin are women of two different time periods although both are learning strength, determination, and independence after having fled from their first lives.As the tie between Ella and Gin starts to come clearer, the pace of both narratives picks up steam. Williams' careful readers will recognize the Marshalls and the Schuylers from previous books and while the new reader isn't missing too much not knowing them yet, the connection makes the story just that tiny bit richer. There is a small paranormal element but it only pertains to Ella's narrative thread and doesn't overwhelm the otherwise straight realism. There are a few unresolved but important plot lines, including the questions of Gin's biological father and Ella's find in her role as a forensic accountant that could have been pursued a bit further. Maybe in a future book? But the dichotomy of Duke Kelly's murderousness and his benevolence towards the small town in which he lives is intriguing and terrible and the truth about Gin and Anson is captivating enough to carry the novel. This is a rollicking good read with heart pounding action, murder, deception, and lies. Williams' devoted fans will be delighted by it, historical fiction fans will thrill to it, and readers who enjoy nothing more than a good tale will be pleased to have found another novel that feeds their need so well.
Beatriz Williams may be my new favorite historical fiction author - this novel, with its story divided between the Roaring 20s and the late 90s New York City, is filled with fun, likable characters. The connections between the past and present come alive, with a small touch of the supernatural for intrigue. Fun reading, highly recommended for historical fiction fans.
I liked it, but I wasn't crazy about it. I saw the connection between the two eras in the story, but didn't see the relevance of it. It was ok - nothing to write home about- ONWARD.
This is a story of two women who share an apartment in New York, but they do it in two different times; Ella moves into the space in the modern age after leaving her husband. Geneva lived there during Prohibition. At that time the building also housed a speakeasy and Ella sometimes hears the strains of jazz coming from a room in the basement.Other than apartment the two women really have nothing to do with one another and their stories are completely different. As per usual with me I much preferred Geneva’s story and most of the book does tell her tale. Ella’s is constructed to bring Geneva’s forward I believe. It’s a little less developed and several plot points are left hanging. It’s far less compelling as well.As to Geneva – her story is a page turner. I got happy every time I turned a page and found myself in her world. Not that she lived in an easy world. Her back story is parceled out bit by bit as she works towards separating herself from her roots.Overall I really enjoyed the book. I was very disappointed when I turned the last page and I do hope that Geneva’s story continues somewhere down the line. I feel she has so much more to say. But I don’t know if that is going to happen. There are also several questions on Ella’s side that were left unanswered so I don’t know if that was intentional or what. But since I was more invested in Geneva perhaps I’m not as bothered.
This is a story of two women who share an apartment in New York, but they do it in two different times; Ella moves into the space in the modern age after leaving her husband. Geneva lived there during Prohibition. At that time the building also housed a speakeasy and Ella sometimes hears the strains of jazz coming from a room in the basement.Other than apartment the two women really have nothing to do with one another and their stories are completely different. As per usual with me I much preferred Geneva’s story and most of the book does tell her tale. Ella’s is constructed to bring Geneva’s forward I believe. It’s a little less developed and several plot points are left hanging. It’s far less compelling as well.As to Geneva – her story is a page turner. I got happy every time I turned a page and found myself in her world. Not that she lived in an easy world. Her back story is parceled out bit by bit as she works towards separating herself from her roots.Overall I really enjoyed the book. I was very disappointed when I turned the last page and I do hope that Geneva’s story continues somewhere down the line. I feel she has so much more to say. But I don’t know if that is going to happen. There are also several questions on Ella’s side that were left unanswered so I don’t know if that was intentional or what. But since I was more invested in Geneva perhaps I’m not as bothered.
It's the late 1990's and Ella Hawthorne has just discovered her husband cheating on her and impulsively moves out of their home and into a tiny apartment in an old Greenwich Village building. After going down to do her laundry in the basement early one morning, her good-looking neighbour Hector advises her to stay out of the basement at night. The space next to the laundry room used to be a speakeasy in the '20's and laughter, clinking glasses, and jazz music can still be heard to this day.
It's the 1920's and Gin Kelly, a saucy redhead, has moved from the hills of western Maryland to the Big Apple where she gets caught up in a raid at a speakeasy known as the Christopher Club. She also gets caught up in a love triangle between a rugged, strait-laced Prohibition enforcement agent and a Princeton boy from a well-known, well-to-do family. Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson persuades Gin to help catch her stepfather Duke Kelly, one of Appalachia’s major alcohol distributors and in the midst of that she uncovers secrets that will shock even her.
I honestly don't know how to tell someone how much I love this author's writing. Her books are just so damn well-written - descriptive without dragging on. Everything and everyone comes to life. It's told from two perspectives and they're both interesting. There are names in here that, if you've read her previous novels, you'll know. If it's by Beatriz Williams then you're guaranteed a great read and will be left wanting more.
It's the 1920's and Gin Kelly, a saucy redhead, has moved from the hills of western Maryland to the Big Apple where she gets caught up in a raid at a speakeasy known as the Christopher Club. She also gets caught up in a love triangle between a rugged, strait-laced Prohibition enforcement agent and a Princeton boy from a well-known, well-to-do family. Prohibition enforcement agent Oliver Anson persuades Gin to help catch her stepfather Duke Kelly, one of Appalachia’s major alcohol distributors and in the midst of that she uncovers secrets that will shock even her.
I honestly don't know how to tell someone how much I love this author's writing. Her books are just so damn well-written - descriptive without dragging on. Everything and everyone comes to life. It's told from two perspectives and they're both interesting. There are names in here that, if you've read her previous novels, you'll know. If it's by Beatriz Williams then you're guaranteed a great read and will be left wanting more.
The Wicked City alternates between 1924 (Geneva Rose Kelly)and 1998 (Ella Hawthorne).An old Greenwich Village apartment building provides the thread of commonality.Ella has left a cheating husband and SoHo loft and taken an apartment here in an effort to evaluate her life.She confronts an attractive tenant (Hector) and a unusual warning not to enter the basement at night.Geneva Rose, from Maryland hill country, has fled the difficulties of her environment and became a free spirited flapper.She is a regular at the Christopher Club, a speakeasy located inthis apartment house basement.Given the backdrop of Prohibition, her life intertwines withcharming Princeton boy, Billy Marshall and Prohibition enforcement agent, Oliver Anson.Both girls are well portrayed opposites, but Geneva Rose (in audio CD) was such an intriguing character.Love triangles, questions of haunting, resolution of certain relationships and events are among the reasons I hope Beatrix Williams continues this story.4★...such a good read.