ebook, 352 pages
Expected publication: June 14th 2016 by Gallery Books
In 1919, the Turner sisters and their parents are barely
scraping by. Their father is a low-paid boot-stitcher in Johnson City, New
York, and the family is always one paycheck away from eviction. When their
father’s hand is crushed and he can no longer work, their irrepressible mother
decides that the vaudeville stage is their best—and only—chance for survival.
Traveling by train from town to town, teenagers Gert, Winnie, and Kit, and recent widow Nell soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated.
Traveling by train from town to town, teenagers Gert, Winnie, and Kit, and recent widow Nell soon find a new kind of freedom in the company of performers who are as diverse as their acts. There is a seamier side to the business, however, and the young women face dangers and turns of fate they never could have anticipated.
My Thoughts…
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.
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PRAISE
“Delightful!”
—RT Book Reviews, *4 star review
“...Brings the world of 1910s vaudeville vividly to
life.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Page turner!”
—Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“Energetic and colorful!”
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling
author of Orphan Train
"A great piece of historical fiction."
—B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestselling
author of The Muralist and The Art Forger
“...Charming fourth novel.”
—Library Journal
“...Such a treat to read.”
—Elissa Englund, Bank Square Books, Nominated The
Tumbling Turner Sisters for the Indie Next List
“...A warm and wonderful cast of characters who will
tumble their way into readers' hearts.”
—Pamela Klinger-Horn, Excelsior Bay Books Nominated The
Tumbling Turner Sisters for the Indie Next List
"This novel of love, dreams, and the everlasting
strength of family in the face of adversity is set during the height of
Vaudeville, and features the amazing Tumbling Turner Sisters, an act created
out of desperation by four sisters determined to save their family from
financial ruin. Told from the point of view of Gert and Winnie, the novel
perfectly encapsulates the social mores and pressures of the early twentieth
century—the Turner sisters dare to dream big, and big things come at a big
cost. Don’t miss this page turner!"
—Sara Gruen, bestselling author of Water for Elephants
“Filled with energetic prose and colorful characters--you
won’t soon forget the Turner girls!”
—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling
author of Orphan Train
"The Tumbling Turner Sisters come tumbling out of this
terrific story, full of life, passion and trouble. Forced into a life in
vaudeville, the four young girls and their mother push the boundaries of
propriety to achieve their dreams in a world that doesn’t often allow women to
have dreams. Gert and Winnie shine as each, in her own way, fights for her
right to be who she is. A great piece of historical fiction that rings true one
hundred years later."
—B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestselling
author of The Muralist and The Art Forger
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