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Girl Singer
Harlem 1938: eighteen-year-old Avery, aspiring singer, is heard by Lester "Pres" Young, Count Basie's tenor saxophonist. Pres recommends her to Basie, and Avery is whisked into the jazz life. Years later, with several hit records to her credit, Avery settles in Greenwich Village. But her life takes a sharp turn when she meets Karl, a Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 2015
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74 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
June 30, 2015
Being a librarian, I received an early galley of this novel and it BLEW ME AWAY. I'm already a fan of Carlon's two earlier books--Riding on Duke's Train and Travels With Louis--both of which are categorized as young adult--yet as richly nourishing as any adult novels I've read in the last decade. However, Girl Singer is in a class of its own. Avery Hall, the first person narrator, is a feisty, sensitive, thoughtful young lady who gets the chance to sing with the Basie Band in 1938. The musicians here--Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Lester Young, Jo Jones, Jimmy Rushing, Buck Clayton and, of course, Count Basie himself--explode off the page. Before its middle change of pace, the book has already dealt with heavy issues--women's rights, violence against women, crushing bigotry--with a light, natural touch. The musical descriptions of Basie's Band sent me directly to YouTube to see and hear these musicians in action. I can see Girl Singer turning anyone and everyone into a jazz fanatic. HOWEVER, when the novel changes gears in its middle, that's when it becomes truly unique and spectacular. Avery, an African American woman, meets, befriends, and then falls in love with a Holocaust survivor named Karl Flach. The two later marry, which proves a bit too radical, even for late 1940s Greenwich Village. Karl's story of surviving Dachau and then sailing for Shanghai to escape the Nazis is one of the most gripping tales I have ever read--and I'm a librarian! I also minored in Holocaust studies and every single detail of Karl's stories is vividly and accurately true to life. In addition, the novel includes two beautiful photographs of 1940s Shanghai, taken by a survivor/photographer named Heinz Praeger. In short, Girl Singer is cinematic in its sweep, gut wrenching in its action, and tear-inducing in its bold and beautiful heart. This novel in my opinion could wind up on many critics' best-of-the-year lists. It hit me so hard that I did not want to say goodbye to Avery and her Basie brothers, so I am reading it for a second time. When Girl Singer is published in November buy it as soon as possible.
October 31, 2015
I have a greater appreciation for the musical legacies of Billie Holiday and Count Basie because of this book. I have a greater appreciation for all jazz music because of Girl Singer. The girl singer in this book is a fictional black female singer named Avery Hall. She replaces Billie Holiday as lead singer in the Count Basie Orchestra in 1939.
Reading this book is like receiving a musical education in jazz music. It is simply not enough to read about the songs that Mick Carlon writes about in this book. I feel compelled to listen to them. I need to find out what makes each song great. I like the piano playing of Count Basie. There are many references to various songs by him in this book."Jumping At The Woodside" and "Blue and Sentimental" are my two favorite songs by Count Basie. These songs show the diversity of Basie's talent as a piano player."Jumping At The Woodside" is upbeat and lively. This is very different to "Blue And Sentimental", which has a more soothing tone. I love the tone in Billie Holiday's voice on songs like "Them There Eyes" and "Swing Brother Swing". These two songs puts me in a pleasant mood for the entire day.
I love to learn about anything of historical value. The examples of the racism in this book have historical value, because each example shows how black people handled attitudes of prejudice with courage in the early part of twentieth century.
The Count Basie Orchestra performed for everyone of any race any where. They were forbidden to perform for black audiences at times. They even performed in China. I learned about the legacy of a saxophone player named Lester Young. He played with Count Basie on a song entitled "Ghost Of A Chance". Lester Young's saxophone playing is so smooth and relaxing.
I like the romantic relationship between Avery Hall and her German neighbor Karl. I learned that German Jews and German Christians were forbidden to talk to each other during World War II by law. I learned that German Jews lived in Shanghai China during the war years. I like everything about this book. The themes of music and history are adroitly presented in Girl Singer.
Reading this book is like receiving a musical education in jazz music. It is simply not enough to read about the songs that Mick Carlon writes about in this book. I feel compelled to listen to them. I need to find out what makes each song great. I like the piano playing of Count Basie. There are many references to various songs by him in this book."Jumping At The Woodside" and "Blue and Sentimental" are my two favorite songs by Count Basie. These songs show the diversity of Basie's talent as a piano player."Jumping At The Woodside" is upbeat and lively. This is very different to "Blue And Sentimental", which has a more soothing tone. I love the tone in Billie Holiday's voice on songs like "Them There Eyes" and "Swing Brother Swing". These two songs puts me in a pleasant mood for the entire day.
I love to learn about anything of historical value. The examples of the racism in this book have historical value, because each example shows how black people handled attitudes of prejudice with courage in the early part of twentieth century.
The Count Basie Orchestra performed for everyone of any race any where. They were forbidden to perform for black audiences at times. They even performed in China. I learned about the legacy of a saxophone player named Lester Young. He played with Count Basie on a song entitled "Ghost Of A Chance". Lester Young's saxophone playing is so smooth and relaxing.
I like the romantic relationship between Avery Hall and her German neighbor Karl. I learned that German Jews and German Christians were forbidden to talk to each other during World War II by law. I learned that German Jews lived in Shanghai China during the war years. I like everything about this book. The themes of music and history are adroitly presented in Girl Singer.
November 23, 2015
Girl Singer by Mick Carlon is an epic tale as it stretches over several decades. Outwardly it is the story of a young lady who is 19 in 1938. She is discovered by saxophone god Lester Young who hears her and recommends her to Count Basie who brings her aboard to sing with his band.
The girl singer Avery recounts her story of life on the road with the Basie band and how the guys saw her as family and looked after her. The way Carlon integrated jazz icons as characters was genius. They were portrayed as the real people they were.
Avery's triumphs were interspersed with incidents of of racial and violent interludes. She grew up fast. All of this while shouldering her mothers bouts with domestic violence.
At the end of a tour she went back home and met a man with a thick German accent. After snubbing him he informed her he was not a nazi. He was a Jewish refugee. A relationship ensued while she kept contact with her musical roots
The research Carlon put into this book is astounding. Music is the vehicle he uses to expose and examine domestic race relations of the era and how they were not much different than nazi Germany. He uses twists along the way to sustain pathos and create a big screen image of the action
Overall he defines the price of happiness and fulfillment. The price is not cheap. It can be read and enjoyed on many levels. Deserves to be on the Times Bestselling List
The girl singer Avery recounts her story of life on the road with the Basie band and how the guys saw her as family and looked after her. The way Carlon integrated jazz icons as characters was genius. They were portrayed as the real people they were.
Avery's triumphs were interspersed with incidents of of racial and violent interludes. She grew up fast. All of this while shouldering her mothers bouts with domestic violence.
At the end of a tour she went back home and met a man with a thick German accent. After snubbing him he informed her he was not a nazi. He was a Jewish refugee. A relationship ensued while she kept contact with her musical roots
The research Carlon put into this book is astounding. Music is the vehicle he uses to expose and examine domestic race relations of the era and how they were not much different than nazi Germany. He uses twists along the way to sustain pathos and create a big screen image of the action
Overall he defines the price of happiness and fulfillment. The price is not cheap. It can be read and enjoyed on many levels. Deserves to be on the Times Bestselling List
November 21, 2015
Girl Singer took over my life for 3 days. The adventures of Avery Hall are gripping, inspiring, often funny, and at times horrifying. Thanks to Girl Singer, I'm now listening to Lester Young and Count Basie music. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK to anyone who enjoys a well told tale with unforgettable characters. Girl Singer would make an incredible movie.
October 24, 2015
I'm a reader who has read many, many books. Yet very few have taken me as many places as this novel. Absolutely extraordinary. I won't even try to describe the places this book takes a reader. You must experience Girl Singer for yourself.
February 15, 2016
This novel took over my life for 3 days. An amazing journey. Avery Hall lives!
December 15, 2015
Like his previous two books, Riding on Dukes Train and Travels with Louis, Mick Carlon again focuses on the accomplishments and lives of a great Jazz group - this time the Count Basie Band. His technique in this book, Girl Singer, again is telling his story through the eyes of a young person - in this case Miss Avery Hall, an eighteen year old black girl who is recruited in 1938 to take the place of the great Billie Holiday upon her abrupt and unexpected retirement as the Basie Band "Girl Singer." Carlon adeptly brings the reader through the travels of this band throughout the USA. As readers, we get an up close and personal look at Jazz greats William "Count" Basie, Lester "Pres" Young, Papa Jo Jones, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Walter Page, Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, "Sweets" Edison and others. We learn about their great talents and contributions to the Jazz world during the late 1930's into and through the 1940's, and more importantly Carlon allows us to feel the trials and tribulations of a black group of musicians during a time in this country where, particularly in the South, segregation, bigotry and often, violence, was a way of life.
About half way through his book Carlon deviates from the Jazz world, although he keeps relationships alive throughout the book, into a close look at the social tenor of the world; not just in our country, but worldwide throughout this time period. He has Avery step away from the band for a "break" from all the travel, as she takes up residency in Greenwich Village, NY. There, (late 1940's) Avery meets Karl, a young Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany. As Avery and Karl move from acquaintances, to friends, to lovers and into marriage we learn about Karl's life as a Berlin Jew, his brief stay at Dachau, his escape to Shanghai, China and finally his life in Greewich Village. Throughout the second half of his book, Carlon is masterful inasmuch as he is able, subtly, to meld his Jazz story into an extended story that focuses the reader's attention and emotions on the state of the country, and the world, pulling together the racial tensions in America with the dreadful social injustices of Hitler's Europe, and evolving into a poignant description of life in New York City for a young interracial couple trying to make a go of it in their marriage. Although at one point the reader will feel total despair, through Carlon's narrative skills, s/he will finish the story with only feelings of hope. Really good read!
About half way through his book Carlon deviates from the Jazz world, although he keeps relationships alive throughout the book, into a close look at the social tenor of the world; not just in our country, but worldwide throughout this time period. He has Avery step away from the band for a "break" from all the travel, as she takes up residency in Greenwich Village, NY. There, (late 1940's) Avery meets Karl, a young Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany. As Avery and Karl move from acquaintances, to friends, to lovers and into marriage we learn about Karl's life as a Berlin Jew, his brief stay at Dachau, his escape to Shanghai, China and finally his life in Greewich Village. Throughout the second half of his book, Carlon is masterful inasmuch as he is able, subtly, to meld his Jazz story into an extended story that focuses the reader's attention and emotions on the state of the country, and the world, pulling together the racial tensions in America with the dreadful social injustices of Hitler's Europe, and evolving into a poignant description of life in New York City for a young interracial couple trying to make a go of it in their marriage. Although at one point the reader will feel total despair, through Carlon's narrative skills, s/he will finish the story with only feelings of hope. Really good read!
December 31, 2015
Travel back in time and enjoy what it's like to be on the road with Count Basie and his famous band. Girl Singer, Avery Hall, is in for a wide awakening as she leaves New York City and travels through the back roads of the Deep South. Meet the musicians and fall in love again with this fine young lady. Mr. Carlon's use of language will allow you to hear the music as you read and experience the tension of the era! Another A++!
August 3, 2017
I'm a big Carlon fan--and I do believe that this is his finest novel. And since I adore his earlier two books. that's quite a statement. Trust me--this is one powerful ride. And you'll want to listen to Lester Young until next week!
May 21, 2016
An astonishing, moving, beautiful ride. Avery Hall has escaped from an abusive home to the streets of Harlem in 1938. A resourceful girl, she has found a job as a waitress in a coffeeshop as well as singing for spare change in dive bars late at night. No female protagonist since Ursula Todd in Kate ATkinson's LIFE AFTER LIFE has grabbed me and moved me as much as Avery. Through Carlon's eloquent, not-one-word-wasted prose, I felt myself loving Avery for her courage, her common sense, her work ethic, and her generous heart. An added bonus to this remarkable novel is that I began listening to the music of Lester Young, a musician I had only heard about. Honestly, I don't know how I could have lived without this music! Young's music, both with and without the Count Basie Orchestra, is sly, heartfelt, catchy, and downright beautiful. GIRL SINGER took over my life for several days as I accompanied Avery on the "Blue Goose," the Basie band bus as they drove through the back roads of the Deep South. A visit with a young woman in a mining town took me literally underground to view prehistoric art! A visit to Savannah, Georgia led me into the life of a former slave. Page after page led me through some of the most enjoyable reading experiences of recent years--and this is even before Avery meets her soulmate, Karl Flach, a young man who has survived the Dachau concentration camp. If you love stories that grab your heart, if you love stories that take you on amazing journeys (Shanghai! Harlem! New Orleans!), if you love literature that will open your mind to the music of Lester Young, Count Basie, Jo Jones, and Jimmy Rushing, then GIRL SINGER is the book for you. I cannot recommend this chockful-of-action novel enough.
May 21, 2016
My teen daughter sadly does not enjoy reading. But a friend recommended this book to her and she could not be parted with it. "Mom, you have to read this!" So I did. First off, because of my late father, I know my jazz. I know my Ella, my Billie, my Sarah. So I dove into this book with baited breath...for absolutely no reason! GIRL SINGER is absolutely realistic, enjoyable, musical, and jazz savvy. I now have trouble realizing that Avery Hall did not in fact exist. But of course she does, in the pages of this terrific book. The other day I could hear Billie Holiday's voice coming from my daughter's earbuds. "Mom, I love jazz!" she said. And it's all due to Mick Carlon's GIRL SINGER. She is now reading Carlon's TRAVELS WITH LOUIS and has ordered his novel on Duke Ellington from our local bookshop. This author has gotten my daughter to love reading and love jazz. (The first sentence of my review should read, "My teen daughter DID not enjoy reading"). And for that, I love Mick Carlon!
August 7, 2016
Why isn't this book a best seller? I bought it because I like jazz and because of the gorgeous cover, but by page 2 I was hooked. Avery Hall is one of the gutsiest, coolest, most interesting female narrators I've come across in quite a while. Her travels take her far and wide--and she encounters quite a bit of heartache. Yet overall she is a gifted survivor and her tale inspires. Hollywood, take note: There's always belly-aching about the lack of roles for African American actresses (of which I am one): The role of Avery Hall would be the role of a lifetime. From her struggles with her mother to her Basie Brothers who watch over her with love to her love affair and marriage with the Holocaust survivor Karl, Miss Hall is a character just aching for the big screen. I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS HYPNOTIC, MUSICAL, EXCITING, HEARTFELT NOVEL. Read GIRL SINGER!
October 22, 2016
Is it melodramatic to say that a book has improved my life? Well, I'll say it anyway: GIRL SINGER has improved my life. My eye was captured by its beautiful cover in my local bookshop, so I bought it, and did not pick it up again for several weeks. But then I dove into page one and was off. What a story! What a marvelous character Avery Hall is! But here is how this novel has changed my life. I began listening on YouTube to the different musicians described--Count Basie, Lester Young, Jo Jones, Charlie Parker, and so on. (I'd already heard Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, who are also characters in the book, but now I'm hearing them with fresh ears). GIRL SINGER is a marvel--a gripping and moving story that stays with you. Pick up a copy, read it--then begin listening to the music it beautifully describes. And your life will be improved, too.
October 23, 2016
My 19 year old daughter asked me to read this novel and I'm glad I did. I agree with everything said by all the other reviewers, but they all leave something out. I learned so much about the Holocaust through reading Girl Singer. Who knew that there were over 20 thousand Jewish refugees living in Shanghai, China during WW2? Not me. I've done research checking the information that comes from the character of Karl, and it's all true. So Girl Singer is not only an inspiring tale that gets one to delve deep into Jazz music, it is also a valuable (and accurate) journey through one man's experience in the Holocaust. Why this book is not a best seller is beyond me. I also agree with the reviewer who said that it would make a fine movie. It would. I love, love, love this book. In fact, I'm now reading it a second time.
December 3, 2015
Mick Carlon weaves together a story that captures the beauty and ugliness that touched Avery and Karl's lives. I love the descriptive imagery that takes you on Avery's journey as she becomes part of the Jazz scene in the Count Basie Orchestra. I can hear the snow crunching under her feet in New York, my toes were tappin' to the swingin' jazz music at the halls and I could smell the beignet's in New Orleans. The unimaginable story of Karl's survival of the holocaust is told in a touching way that brings Karl and Avery together in a time when ignorance and bigotry affected them both.
Take a journey back in time and meet some of the Jazz greats along the way.
Take a journey back in time and meet some of the Jazz greats along the way.
April 28, 2016
While reading this book, I strongly recommend that you listen to some great jazz music including Count Basic and his Orchestra. You will be taken all over the on the the road with these 'cats' and will hear them play from their souls. Avery, the Girl Singer, protected and nurtured by some of the best jazz musicians of all times, will have you rooting for her too. Encouraged and supported by the best - Elle and Billie, Avery matured into a wonderful jazz singer and went on to meet the love of her life Karl, a German Jewish who managed to escape a concentration camp. His story was amazing and takes the book in an unexpected direction.
August 6, 2016
No novel has given me more pleasure this year than Mick Carlon's GIRL SINGER. While listening to 1930s Count Basie and Lester Young, I dove into this enthralling story. Truly, this book has made me into a jazz fan. I now understand what makes this music so special. Carlon's prose perfectly describes the crisp, swinging sounds of 1930s/1940s Count Basie. Plus, the reader takes a fascinating tour through the streets of Shanghai, China in the early 1940s. I never knew that Jewish refugees made a home for themselves in Shanghai. Now I do--thanks to this incredible novel. Oh, and GIRL SINGER would make one incredible film!
November 22, 2015
An outstanding, interesting, and emotional read. Mick Carlon makes you feel the true joy and swing of the Count Basie Orchestra as well the deep pain of the first Nazi concentration camp. Two stories in one. Characters so well developed you become part of the story and you enter their world. This book is more mature and intense than Carlon's "Louis" and "Duke" books but a must read. If books like Mick Carlon's were read in every school in the country, there would be a much greater understanding of America's own classical music, jazz. I loved this book, highly recommended!
October 16, 2016
I thought this was a great unique book. I knew little about the jazz singers mentioned in the book, but it was great to learn more a little about them through the eyes of Avery. The book starts out when she was 19 when she caught her big break when Lester "Pres" Young heard her sing and asked to join the band he was a part of. From that point on Avery's life was not the same. This book also has a great historical fiction aspect with teaching about racism both here in the United States and overseas during World War II with Hilter's Germany.
May 29, 2016
A stunning and moving novel. When I finished the last page (in Paris), I thought of the places GIRL SINGER had brought me: Harlem in 1938; the Savoy Ballroom; underground in a West virginia coal mining town; New Orleans; Nazi Germany; the Dachau camp; Shanghai, China!; Hollywood in the late 40s film noir era. Oh, and I forgot to mention Yankee Stadium when Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling. Read this book today. Like a Joe Louis punch, it will knock you out, but in a good way.
November 13, 2019
Girl Singer is the story of exactly that- Avery Hall, a young black waitress from New York in the late 1930's who is discovered by saxophonist Lester Young of the Count Basie Orchestra, and is hired as their lead singer after Billie Holiday picks up a new gig. After a year or two of endless touring, Avery settles back down in NYC, where she meets Karl Flach, a German Holocaust survivor who eventually becomes her husband.
My only complaint with this book is that it should have been filed under Young Adult fiction at my library, instead of Adult. The book is short and I personally found that the plot just barely scraped the surface of the issues it discussed. Several lines of dialogue seemed to have been written only to convey educational information, rather than move the plot along. For a young reader who might not be familiar with jazz music, racial prejudice in America, or the Holocaust, Girl Singer is a decent introduction to such themes and topics. However, for myself as a twentysomething bachelor of music who spent 4 years studying jazz, a lot of the information felt repetitive. I was also not satisfied with the speed of the plot, and how rushed Avery and Karl's relationship felt. In fact, the entire rest of the book following Avery's first tour of the US felt rather rushed.
That being said, the author's love for jazz is palpable throughout the story and I find his efforts to educate those unfamiliar with Count Basie to be admirable. Avery was a great heroine, an unyielding woman who knows what's best for her and won't compromise her morals, and I found her relationship with the Count Basie Orchestra to be touching. The real-life characters were depicted respectfully and with fondness. And there were plenty of emotional moments in the misfortunes Avery suffered along her journey (though I was relieved to find a happy ending).
My only complaint with this book is that it should have been filed under Young Adult fiction at my library, instead of Adult. The book is short and I personally found that the plot just barely scraped the surface of the issues it discussed. Several lines of dialogue seemed to have been written only to convey educational information, rather than move the plot along. For a young reader who might not be familiar with jazz music, racial prejudice in America, or the Holocaust, Girl Singer is a decent introduction to such themes and topics. However, for myself as a twentysomething bachelor of music who spent 4 years studying jazz, a lot of the information felt repetitive. I was also not satisfied with the speed of the plot, and how rushed Avery and Karl's relationship felt. In fact, the entire rest of the book following Avery's first tour of the US felt rather rushed.
That being said, the author's love for jazz is palpable throughout the story and I find his efforts to educate those unfamiliar with Count Basie to be admirable. Avery was a great heroine, an unyielding woman who knows what's best for her and won't compromise her morals, and I found her relationship with the Count Basie Orchestra to be touching. The real-life characters were depicted respectfully and with fondness. And there were plenty of emotional moments in the misfortunes Avery suffered along her journey (though I was relieved to find a happy ending).
January 12, 2019
I found my son reading a book instead of playing Fortnight. He told me he was reading it in his English class and that I should read it, too. Then he began asking me questions about Billie Holiday and Lester Young! My own father was a jazz nut and I inherited the gene. So I gave the book a try and I have to say it's one of the best books I've read in years. From the first page it grabs you and takes you on quite the jazz journey. I then ordered the author's two other novels and they are different, but just as fine. To quote my son: "I don't like to read, but I like this book a lot." He's still listening to rap, but he's now curious about jazz and the Holocaust and how African Americans were treated back in the day. Kudos to my son's high school for adopting such a fine, fine novel.
March 11, 2022
An absolutely amazing novel that brings the Jazz scene of the 1930s and 40s alive. Herschel Evans, Lester Young, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Jones--they all come alive in this vivid ride of a book. The scene in which our protagonist Avery attends the Joe Lewis-Max Schmeling fight at Yankee Stadium is one of my very favorite scenes of recent fiction. And when the Holocaust survivor Karl appears, the action switches gears and I learned so much. I never knew, for instance, how many Jewish refugees lived in Shanghai in the early 40s. My daughter read this novel in her high school literature class and has now been bitten by the Jazz bug. After reading Girl Singer, I know why the Historical Novels Reviews called this fine novel "unmissable."
June 22, 2018
This incredible novel grabbed me and didn't let go. Want to visit 1930s Harlem? Want to live in 1940s Shanghai? Want to experience what it was like to sing in front of the immortal Count Basie Orchestra? Want to become friends with Lester Young? I can't quite put into words how deeply GIRL SINGER touched me. What a terrific film this would make! Pour a glass of your favorite beverage, put some classic Basie/Billie/Pres on your system, and dive into this novel. You will not regret my advice.
August 2, 2018
Has anyone else been as knocked out loaded by this book as I have? My kids have read Carlon's two earlier novels on Duke and Louis, and they bugged me to read them, too. I'm glad I did. They are terrific and full of heart. But Girl Singer is not for kids. This is an adult novel that brings you to the dephs of the Dachau concentration camp. But more than that. It also brings you to Harlem in the 30s with Basie's band, across the country, to 1940s Los Angeles. I have now read Girl Singer twice and I'm looking forward to my third time. What a terrific movie this would make!
July 11, 2019
I've read both Colson Whitehead's THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD and now Mick Carlon's GIRL SINGER, and I have to say that although both novels are gripping, I prefer GS. Avery's journey simply was a more interesting ride. Maybe I have a short patience with magic realism, but I did not grow annoyed with GS the way I sometimes did with TUR. A most satisfying read.
March 11, 2016
Girl Singer is extraordinary. Mick Carlon beautifully weaves in two important stories of the 20th century in America. One, of the jazz singer experience for a woman traveling in Count Basie's band in the Harlem Renaissance, another of a refugee fleeing Hitler's Germany for the United States. These stories blend together terrifically, but also stand independently. Carlon's research in both stories provides comical, thought-provoking and terrifying details about the plight of both lead characters finding their place in American society. Girl Singer is a fast read with historic and iconic characters from American jazz brought to life.
April 14, 2016
One of the best books I've read this year. From Harlem 1938 to Dachau 1939 to the streets of Shanghai, China in the early 40s, to Los Angeles 1947--what a heartfelt, gripping experience this fine novel is. Avery Hall is one of the most alive protagonists I've met in recent literature. You simply have to read Girl Singer. I recommend it highly.
May 26, 2016
I'm a Mick Carlon fan and I love his earlier two novels. But Girl Singer is in another league altogether. Trust me--jump aboard this novel and it will take you on the ride of your life. I really don't know what to say except...Girl Singer moved me more than any novel I've read this year. A masterpiece.
December 25, 2023
One of my favorite novels I’ve read. I had the pleasure of being taught by Mr. Carlon in 7th grade, and he is truly an incredible man. The story of Heinz Praeger was one that Mr. Carlon told us in class, and inspired Karl’s storyline. If I remember correctly, Mr. Carlon also told a story of an underground bunker from his childhood. Fun fact: Mr. Carlon loves his witch hazel!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews