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Valaida
Candace Allen
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Valaida listened hard. After the melody's intro and Earl's left-hand-to-right-hand cascades of piano sound, her space opened, and Valaida jumped in. She blew. She entered the music, saw the chords, embellishes, the references to other songs as plain as day behind her eyeballs, and she used them. She jumped from bar to bar like a benzine-fueled billy goat. She didn't miss. She hit her peaks and whinnied in triumph. In the nebular light of the Terrace's mirror ball, she flew with the men who had backed Louis Armstrong at his best.'
From a childhood in Chattanooga, to a debut at one of the swankiest clubs in Harlem in its heyday; from touring in the Jim Crow south, to showcasing in Shanghai and London in the 30s, the story of Valaida Snow is breathtaking. With a storyteller's ear and a blessed ability to transport her reader, Candace Allen has written a sweeping tale of love, degradation, laughter and longing - with a trumpet accompaniment you swear you can hear.
Read MorePraise for Valaida
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Allen's detailed biographical research gives her novel an authenticity that only the very best historical novelists can achieve - Waterstones Books QuarterlyA very well researched story about a real-life character set in a fascinating period of time.' Tim Manderson, Publishing News - Memorable ... as it darts between episodes in stream-of-consciousness style, impressionistic details build up into a convincing picture of the heroineMusic, love, addiction and imprisonment ensue in this deeply moving tale Eve Magazine - Fascinating novel Image MagazineThe often raw but remarkable story of the Harlem Lady know as Little Louis, Queen of the Trumpet - Mojo
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