Wild Women and the Blues

Wild Women and the Blues by Denny S. Bryce is a 2021 Kensington publication.

I love the jazz age!

This debut novel, set in 1925 Chicago, is centered around Honoree Dalcour and the Dreamland Café- a high-end black and tan club- and Sawyer Hayes, circa 2015- a film student- haunted by the loss of his sister.

Sawyer finds some photographs belonging to his grandmother, which sends him on a quest to find Honoree Dalcour, a woman now in her 110th year of life. As Sawyer slowly coaxes her memories to the surface, an amazing story unfolds revealing a 1920s saga full of crime drama, heartbreak, and romance. While Sawyer feels there is a connection there somewhere with his family, the truth is far more shocking than he bargained for.

I loved this show more book! The author has created complex characters, as well as an authentic atmosphere to create a well -rounded historical mystery and drama, which spotlights black filmmakers and stars of the era. Naturally, with the book set in the twenties, there was plenty of crime drama involving the mob and illegal substances… and murder.

Naturally, for me, the historical segments are what truly made the story sparkle. The contemporary storyline is a means to an end, for the most part, but there are some compelling emotional pulls to Sawyer’s side of the story, for a more well-rounded tale. Several characters taking part in the story, were actual filmmakers, movie stars, and performers of the day, making the story even more interesting.

This is an exceptional view of the Chicago Jazz age, from the position of black people, juxtaposing the glamour of the decade against the powerful criminal elements that held a tight gripe on the era.

The story also highlights the power of friendships and love, while the mystery is tense and suspenseful!

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book! It is a compelling story set in one of my favorite historical time periods, but is written from a fresh perspective. There were several historical elements I was unfamiliar with, which sent me on a Googling frenzy on a quest to find out more about the real- life characters featured in this book. I’d also like to mention the fabulous cover on this book- I love twenties fashions!

An impressive debut novel for Bryce- hope to hear more from her in the future! show less

This was a great experience. A very involving, well-researched historical novel set primarily in 1920s Chicago’s Bronzeville black community, with characters you’ll grab onto and root for through a story that grabs you back.

The story is told through two storylines (does anybody write novels from one character’s view anymore?).

Honoree Dalcour is an aspiring night club dancer trying to navigate a world of competing dancers, night club owners, criminals, and grifters. As a young black woman and an amateur at personal and professional guile, she’s at a serious disadvantage.

Sawyer Hayes is a graduate film student, trying to finish his thesis on the work of early black film-maker Oscar Micheaux. A trail leads from his grandmother show more Maggie to Honoree, who appears to have met and known Micheaux. At 110 years old, Honoree can be a unique resource for his research -- no one else is still living who had her kind of relationship with Micheaux.

The narrative switches back and forth between 1925, where Honoree tries to climb the ladder from the low level Hattie’s Cafe to the Dreamland Cafe where Louis Armstrong plays and the social elite of the black community gathers, and 2015, where Sawyer tries to pry information from Honoree at her bedside in the nursing home.

The two stories run together as, little by little, the connection between Maggie and Honoree gets bared. The connection is not what you expect, and it supplies a very provocative, intriguing twist to the story.

Before you get to that, though, the story of Honoree in 1925 could stand alone as a novel in itself. Bryce does a great job of painting the picture and throwing us into it with Honoree.

And the picture includes ambitions, betrayals, Al Capone, murders . . . But it’s not a mishmash — it all fits together into a believable depiction of life in the Chicago black community of Bronzeville in the 20s.

The story, and the drive to its climax, when Honoree finally unveils her relationship with Maggie and what happened at the Dreamland Cafe, is more than compelling. I felt like I was there, and I read faster than I wanted to, to find out what happened to Honoree and the others in her life.

The depiction of life in Bronzeville is fascinating, a parallel world to the white world of the time that set its boundaries and limitations. But that community, with the exception of its exploitation by the organized crime world of Capone (and others), runs on its own, within the environment the white world sets for it. You can feel the burgeoning of such communities at the time, during the Great Migration.

Definitely recommended both as a novel that compels and engages, and as one that will likely teach you something about the times and lives it depicts. show less

Sawyer Hayes needs to finish his PhD thesis after a year's absence from mourning the death of his sister. His hope lies in proving that his grandmother's old films are original Oscar Micheaux's. The last living link to the film is 110 year old Honoree Dalcour. Sawyer needs to interview her for his thesis, but Sawyer will have to prove his worth in her eyes in order to hear about Honoree's life among the legends of 1920's Chicago.

Wild Women and the Blues drops into jazz age Chicago, specifically Bronzeville representing the African American experience during this time period. Honoree's story is one of loss, heartbreak, and danger, but also one of hope and the promise of freedom. We are introduced to Sawyer first, however most of the show more story is from Honoree's point of view with several intermittent chapters that bring the point of view back to the present. I was completely wrapped up in Honoree's point of view from her youth. Her personality is rough and crude, but she knows what she wants and gets it done. The writing brought alive the Dreamland Cafe with glittering costumes, rowdy customers and free flowing bootleg whiskey. Honoree definitely lived a wild life as a dancer who cavorted with Louis Armstrong, Oscar Micheaux and Capone's gang. The mystery that ran through Honoree's story was enticing, her secrets run deep and were teased out slowly. show less

This book is set in Chicago in two time frames - near Christmas in 1925 and in the summer of 2015. The book's premise was good. The part of the book that is set in 1925 is firmly rooted in the time frame, and a good snapshot of what life was like in 1920's Chicago. We have a few of the big names like Al Capone, Louis Armstrong and his wife Lil. The Roaring 20's were in full swing in 1925, and the mobsters ruled the city. Two girls find themselves right in the middle of it all. Both are dancers in a black nightclub. From there a lot of the action is quite predictable - one girl finds herself in the family way, the other finds herself in the middle of a gang war. Where the book falls down in my opinion is in the 2015 segment. There are show more too many coincidences as to family connections. A young man in 2015 is interviewing a 110 year old woman. He is gathering information for a doctoral thesis on early black film makers, and is trying to assemble information from one of the girls. I found the pacing of this novel off a bit. The transition between the two time-frames was quite abrupt and it just didn't flow. The story is a good one, and I love the 1920's era, but the book didn't gel for me. It was worth a read for the Jazz Age culture though. show less

“Why would I talk to you about my life? I don't know you, and even if I did, I don't tell my story to just any boy with long hair, who probably smokes weed. You wanna hear about me. You gotta tell me something about you. To make this worth my while.” Honoree Dalcour
This is the story of Honoree, a sharecropper's daughter and dancer in Chicago's Dreamland Cafe in the 1920s. She’s now 110, not as strong as she used to be, but still sassy. The book transcends time going back and forth from 1925 to 2015. Sawyer a film student, goes to interview Honoree and the connection between them is fascinating.
Wild Women and the Blues was a great look into Chicago in the 20s, and the lives of Black women in the jazz scene. Their struggles to not show more only survive poverty but also improve their lives, all in the midst of prohibition and the mob captured my attention and held me captive throughout the book. I loved the way it went from early 20th century and early 21st century.
I absolutely loved reading this book, it reminded me of speaking with my grandmother, who told us fascinating stories about living in the 1920s. (Gramma was born in 1898 and lived to be 100, so you can imagine all the first-hand history lessons she gave us.) But, I digress.
Overall, I would say if you love historical fiction with a flair and interwoven story lines, Denny S. Bryce did a great job with making everything come full circle. The book flowed really nicely and the characters are relatable. I highly recommend Wild Women and the Blues and will definitely be on the lookout for more of her work. show less

Wild women is the truth. I loved the characters in this book. I loved reading about part of the history in our country with the best jazz from Louis Armstrong and so many others - and well, it goes with the the worst gangster: Capone with his followers during the Prohibition era.

It starts with a graduate student, Sawyer, who needs to finish his documentary thesis with the legendary Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux in 1925. He couldn't do it without the help of a 110 year old woman, Honoree, that seems perky at times yet hanging on the edge of life with all the answers within at a senior living facility. She's a stubborn old soul that makes you work for every ounce of information. I could hear her words in my head: "Don't you dare go to show more the end to find out what's going to happen. You must wait." And that's what she did to Sawyer. He researched what he could while she gave him pieces of clues.

The author brilliantly created the characters as if I was watching them in my head with the glamour, violence and the "good and bad" of life for Blacks in the Chicago clubs. I wish we had a chance to view the documentary films that were created of the times. At the end, she wrapped everything up making it more than a satisfying conclusion. I was close to guessing where everything was going but with the continued twist and turns, it kept my interest all the way.

I can't wait to read Denny S. Bryce's next historical romance: Blackbirds. show less

I really enjoyed reading this. The story and the spunkiness of Honoree grabbed me from the first few pages and never let me go. We got married too, by the way.

The history was rich and seamlessly weaved in. I thought the slang and 20's terminology was good though did they have the f-bomb back then, idk. In some stories, it can feel like they're infodumping the time-period's slang. I didn't feel that way here.

I also enjoyed all the main characters and their complexities. Even Trudy, who wasn't the typical mean girl. Eziekel annoyed me but had me rooting for him all at the same time.

If I have a nitpick, Sawyer's struggle with guilt and and depression seemed to magically disappear after a few talks with Honoree. But maybe he just needed show more to be true to himself. I don't know why Ms Kent liked him. I also always feel weird when the fictional characters meet real-life historical figures. How am I supposed to know if they're in character lol.

CW: colorist remarks, death, attempted sexual assault show less