Overview

Sadly, San Francisco, California, has the history and reputation of being a racist city. The year is 1948 and people of color are not allowed to live or work east of Van Ness Avenue. It isn't a law, it's just the way it is. Earl and Stella Crier do not see it that way. They had been happy with their little piano bar out on the avenues until they found themselves in need of more space, so they bought an old hotel in the Tenderloin and turned it into a Private Residency for Musicians. Earl was color blind long before he lost his sight. His love of people and the music of the era attracts an odd lot to The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel including a black trombonist, a light brown gifted songbird, a Nisei Clarinetist, another playing the bass, and a tenor saxophone player who might be the ugliest man in the world. The hotel is not registered with the corrupt San Francisco Musician's Union which has a closed shop policy on people of color. This soon draws the wrath of the union president. Earl, Stella, and the Honeysuckle Rose Quintet will not allow the union to destroy what they love and so begins the battle to save the Honeysuckle Rose Hotel. It is a remarkable story of courage, compassion, character, and a deep determination of a blind pianist to do what is right because it is the right thing to do.

Full Product Details

9780578448718

Table of Contents

Reviews

June 11, 2015 This is the sequel to Poets Can't Sing written by Sherman Smith. To find out why poets can't sing it is a must read. The story opens in 1948 . . . There is a standard (and rather annoying) convention that historical fiction refers to narratives set before 1900. That might have worked fine in 1940 or 1960 or even 1990. Today, though, this rule of thumb is more suffocating than useful. POET'S CAN'T SING is set in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War. Firmly set in its period, it captures the flavor of that particular moment-a time when public pride over a hard-won victory too often overshadowed the personal suffering of those who made this victory possible. The author's writing is top notch. He moves seamlessly from point-of-view to point-of-view and from past to present. We get to know his characters in all their messy humanity. Smith does a great job showing us the profound sadness that lives in the gap between what these men intended to be and what life and the war has made of them. We watch as they struggle to get better and be better in spite of their own self-destructive tendencies and the cruelty and incompetence of those around them. There's a good dose of humor to balance out the darker scenes. Which is good, because Elroy is like cancer that spreads from chapter to chapter. I don't know that I could have dealt with him all the way to the end if not for Earl and Brooks's amusing interaction. As for the resolution, things take an interesting turn for the main character after their time at the hospital. Yet the question of whether such damaged souls as Earl, Brooks, and Ivory can ever learn to live with their scars and build decent, worthwhile lives is left open. POETS CAN'T SING is an absorbing and emotional work of literary-historical fiction. - provided by Chahan May, 2015 I loved The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel. The plot, the characters, the history - all blended into a finely wrought meal for the mind and soul. I love Mr. Smith's attention to details both in the characters and the story. Mr. Smith is hitting his stride in historical fiction and leaves us wanting more. Can't wait! The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel is a book I could not put down. The characters are unusual, quirky and compelling. The storyline includes a well-researched history of post-WWII San Francisco. This book continues the lives of the characters of Poets Can't Sing, Sherman Smith's first novel. The book is full of heart, warmth and a bit of the who-dun-it. I highly recommend both books. The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel picks up where Poets Can't Sing left you hanging. Since I loved the original characters (Stella, Earl, Brooks, Ivory) it was great to follow along in their next adventures. And what a roller coaster ride it is. Sherman Smith weaves tales that border on the fantastic, but then develops the greater story in a way that pulls me in, chapter after chapter. You see the effects of the war on these individuals, yet also how their histories impel them to create a real family over time and circumstance. You see how the times conspire to open doors for integration in music walking the tight rope between violence and humor. He really makes me care re his characters. Sherman Smith is one hell-of-a writer who feels deeply and understands the needs and yearnings of this period especially well. Time well spent! The Honeysuckle Rose Hotel is a truly wonderful read, loaded with lovey phrases and radiant with such depth of care among a cast of close-knit characters, a beautiful companion to Sherman Smith's eloquently written prequel, Poets Can't Sing

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available