Helpful Score: 32
There is Jenny, an unconventional woman for her times who bikes around the city of San Francisco, catches and sells frogs for a living, and backs down for no man nor woman. She lands in jail because she wears pants or gets embroiled in brawls. And, there is Blanche, a dancer at a bordello who is very popular with her male audience. She fell in love with Arthur at age 15 who taught her the pleasures of sex which earns their living along with the dancing. When the women meet life changes for Blanche as she develops her first friendship with another woman.
The story is tangled and becomes more so when Jenny is shot and killed. Blanche is certain that Arthur and his buddy, Ernest, are responsible but did they mean to kill her instead? However, the more she learns about Jenny and her past the more uncertain she becomes about who might have killed her. And, the truth, when she discovers it, is far from what she imagined. The tale is threaded with French lyrics and I can hear the characters singing as I read. I became totally involved with the lives of Jenny and Blanche and you may, too, should you choose to read this book. I can't help but recommend it.
The story is tangled and becomes more so when Jenny is shot and killed. Blanche is certain that Arthur and his buddy, Ernest, are responsible but did they mean to kill her instead? However, the more she learns about Jenny and her past the more uncertain she becomes about who might have killed her. And, the truth, when she discovers it, is far from what she imagined. The tale is threaded with French lyrics and I can hear the characters singing as I read. I became totally involved with the lives of Jenny and Blanche and you may, too, should you choose to read this book. I can't help but recommend it.
Helpful Score: 4
I have read quite a few stunning reviews of this book, but personally, I don't see what all the hub-bub is about! After reading the first 50 pages, all the while hoping it would get better, I stopped reading it and brought it back to the library. Room is one of my favorite books of all time, but this story I couldn't even finish.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a book club choice, and although I'd read Room and enjoyed it, Frog Music didn't seem like something that would interest me. The first few chapters didn't convince me that I was going to like it much either, but I really wanted to stick with it. I'm glad I did, because while it's not the best book I've ever read and it's certainly not the happiest, it's very unique and quite interesting. I like how the author goes back and forth between the past and present and ultimately brings the two together, and none of the characters are quite who they seem. If historical mysteries interest you and you don't mind something a little outside the norm, this might be the book for you. Sex and prostitution are a main theme in the book, however, so if that makes you uncomfortable, then take a pass on this one.
I read "Room" and really liked that book, so was anticipating that I'd enjoy "Frog Music." I was disappointed, and found it tedious to read. The underlying story actually has merit, but it is hard to extract it from all the French phrases and song lyrics (hence the title) which add confusion and nothing else to the story. Ms. Donoghue explains at the end that she fictionalized a true story. I was unsure why it was important for the author to go into detail about that, because from Donoghue's explanation, very little of an actual story was available, and the book is almost pure fiction.
This author never ceases to impresses with the depth and width of her research. The story is based on a real life unsolved murder in the infancy of San Francisco. The characters are real. She even gives a synopsis of the songs that were contemporary at the time, and their particular history as well. Bravo! Great historical crime novel, with an indepth look at race, poverty, society and the laws by which people lived.
A unusual story about a frog catching girl and high class working girl and how they impact each others lives.
Very daunting.
Very daunting.
