The blurb of this book may have you believe that you are about to enter in to a sexy murder mystery set in San Fransisco during the smallpox epidemic in 1876 where tensions are high and morals are low. However, as much as I liked the plot I feel that the mystery behind the murder comes second to the character studies that Donoghue conducts throughout the book. Usually I would prefer a murder mystery to be filled with twists and turns but I thoroughly enjoyed this approach, which is probably mainly down to the story being based on a real-life murder, and thought that all of the characters painted in this book were intriguing and infuriating in equal measure.
The main character is Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer living and working in San Fransisco with her lover, Arthur, and his best friend, Ernest. Blanche is happy enough performing at the city's most infamous brothel night after night to adoring fans and taking home some extra post-show money (nudge nudge, wink wink) until one evening she is literally knocked over by a woman wearing men's clothes who is riding a high wheeler. This is Miss Jenny Bonnet and, unfortunately, the person at the centre of the murder (this isn't a spoiler, she gets killed about two pages in!) Jenny is a whirlwind and completely turns Blanche's life upside down, forcing her to ask herself questions that she has been avoiding for a very long time. The story flits between the month before the murder and the days after it, which means that the plot is constantly moving and we aren't bogged down by the characters' back stories as they are neatly interwoven in to the narrative and become important to the events surrounding the murder. As I mentioned, I think that the characters in this book are great, even the ones I despise, because they have been so well formed that at points I wanted to jump into the book and strangle them for the way they behave. I believe this shows just how good a writer Donoghue is. Jenny is without doubt my favourite character in this book; she marches to the beat of her own drum in a time when simply wearing men's trousers can land you in jail. She isn't afraid to speak her mind and do as she pleases, which is why it is so sad that things turn out the way they do. I really wish I could discuss the story more because I think that Donoghue is not only presenting us with a whodunnit but also a commentary on how women found it impossible to escape the roles they were forced in to, even when they realise they have done wrong and try to rectify the situation. But if I did that I would be spoiling a splendid book for you all so please pick up a copy and then we can talk and dissect it to our heart's content!
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