What do you think?
Rate this book
Madam: A Novel of New Orleans
When vice had a legal home and jazz was being born—the captivating story of an infamous true-life madam
Ìý
New Orleans, 1900. Mary Deubler makes a meager living as an “alley whore.â€� That all changes when bible-thumping Alderman Sidney Story forces the creation of a red-light district that’s mockingly dubbed “Storyville.â€� Mary believes there’s no place for a lowly girl like her in the high-class bordellos of Storyville’s Basin Street, where Champagne flows and beautiful girls turn tricks in luxurious bedrooms.Ìý But with gumption, twists of fate, even a touch of Voodoo, Mary rises above her hopeless lot to become the notorious Madame Josie Arlington.
Ìý
Filled with fascinating historical details and cameos by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and E. J. Bellocq, Madam is a fantastic romp through The Big Easy and the irresistible story of a woman who rose to power long before the era of equal rights.
Ìý
New Orleans, 1900. Mary Deubler makes a meager living as an “alley whore.â€� That all changes when bible-thumping Alderman Sidney Story forces the creation of a red-light district that’s mockingly dubbed “Storyville.â€� Mary believes there’s no place for a lowly girl like her in the high-class bordellos of Storyville’s Basin Street, where Champagne flows and beautiful girls turn tricks in luxurious bedrooms.Ìý But with gumption, twists of fate, even a touch of Voodoo, Mary rises above her hopeless lot to become the notorious Madame Josie Arlington.
Ìý
Filled with fascinating historical details and cameos by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and E. J. Bellocq, Madam is a fantastic romp through The Big Easy and the irresistible story of a woman who rose to power long before the era of equal rights.
326 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
65 people are currently reading
2,146 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
March 16, 2014
Late 1800's and Marie Dauber is an alley whore who remakes herself into Jessie Arnold a Madame at one of the most notable houses of prostitution in Storyville. I love New Orleans and have long been fascinated by this city's colorful history.
The red light district of New Orleans came about when Alderman Story, a staunch man who abhorred prostitution and wanted the women moved to the back of the city away from all the outstanding citizens of New Orleans. That the new district took his name, appalled him and amused me.
The novel is full of many of the notable personages of the time, highlights the social and political upheavals of the day, as well as the racial tension between whites and blacks. It has the wonderful flavor that is this cities mantra, from jazz and Buddy Bolden, to the notorious parties and spectacles that is the hallmark of this city and of course the voodoo and voodoo priestesses.
Yet this novel, which includes many wonderful pictures is mainly the story about a young Mary who becomes a power in the city and the talk of the town. It is well researched and well told. Upon her death, her grave became such a tourist attraction that it had to be moved.
The red light district of New Orleans came about when Alderman Story, a staunch man who abhorred prostitution and wanted the women moved to the back of the city away from all the outstanding citizens of New Orleans. That the new district took his name, appalled him and amused me.
The novel is full of many of the notable personages of the time, highlights the social and political upheavals of the day, as well as the racial tension between whites and blacks. It has the wonderful flavor that is this cities mantra, from jazz and Buddy Bolden, to the notorious parties and spectacles that is the hallmark of this city and of course the voodoo and voodoo priestesses.
Yet this novel, which includes many wonderful pictures is mainly the story about a young Mary who becomes a power in the city and the talk of the town. It is well researched and well told. Upon her death, her grave became such a tourist attraction that it had to be moved.
January 16, 2017
Background: I was looking for something with a good New Orleans vibe. Found this one, which is about a prostitute who rises from meager beginnings to become a prominent player in the so-called underground world. The story is based on the actual figure (Mary Deubler, dba Josie Arlington), as well as the events surrounding the formation of Storyville, New Orleans' then-red-light district.
This is a fun and entertaining read. Some scenes are funny, some are gritty, some are dire, and some are uplifting. There are sexual caricatures of prominent figures, sex and voodoo for petty revenge, and dirty dealing politicians who might resemble Tom Waits and John Goodman in real life. (At least that's how I picture them.) If you don't know much about Storyville, you can expect to learn a thing or two, although you get the impression that more is fiction than fact.
One drawback: The ending. It feels like it ends abruptly.
The prose is fairly simple. Don't expect postmodern writing or long passages describing one detail up close. This book is a much more casual stroll.
Recommended if you want something enjoyable, sexy, and mildly educational without being too wordy or serious.
This is a fun and entertaining read. Some scenes are funny, some are gritty, some are dire, and some are uplifting. There are sexual caricatures of prominent figures, sex and voodoo for petty revenge, and dirty dealing politicians who might resemble Tom Waits and John Goodman in real life. (At least that's how I picture them.) If you don't know much about Storyville, you can expect to learn a thing or two, although you get the impression that more is fiction than fact.
One drawback: The ending. It feels like it ends abruptly.
The prose is fairly simple. Don't expect postmodern writing or long passages describing one detail up close. This book is a much more casual stroll.
Recommended if you want something enjoyable, sexy, and mildly educational without being too wordy or serious.
February 19, 2014
In the 1890s and 1900s the city of New Orleans instituted boundaries for a place where there would be legalized prostitution and all the vices that go with it. Nicknamed Storyville, a reference to the man who proposed the idea, it became a notorious few blocks serving both Blacks and Whites as a prurient playground for lust. Its most remembered contribution to history was as a musical incubator where ragtime pianists and early jazz innovators like Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Louis Armstrong set the beginnings of Jazz. Contrary to the popular myth that Jazz began in Storyville, its real importance was how the musicians of Storyville spread the music throughout the country due to the large amount of sailors and other travelers who heard it in the whorehouses.
Madam is a fictional account loosely based on Mary Deubler who later became one of the leading madams under the name of Josie Arlington. It starts with Mary's low stature as a prostitute in a "crib", one of the lower settings of her trade, to the emergence of Storyville and her rapid ride to the role of Madam. In between we are given a few feuds and murders, a look at New Orleans style voodoo and other corrupt and decadent events. Authors Kari Lynn and Kellie Martin employ a number of historical characters in this novel including pianist Morton, photographer E. J. Bellocq and others. The authors attempt to evoke a feel for the era while telling a personal story of a woman at the bottom working her way up in the only way she was allowed.
But does it work? This is where I had some problems. The style of writing seems rather light and melodramatic for such a often bleak historical tale. I never really got a good grasp on who Mary was except that we should have sympathy for her plight and admire her gumption. None of the other characters really stood out and the historical "cameos" didn't really add much. Storyville never came alive for me partly because the novel ended at the first days of the district. The first task of a historical novel is make the era sound authentic and this never happened. Instead we get a soap operatic telling of a often told story that felt like the treatment for a TV mini-series.
Overall, despite my enthusiasm for that period of history and the important role it played in American music, the novel fell flat. It is a mildly entertaining novel that fails to give us anything new and inspiring. This book will appeal to those who like hard luck tales and "poor girl fight to the top" stories. But as an historical novel that gives you insight on the times and human nature, I just can't recommend it.
Two and a half stars.
Madam is a fictional account loosely based on Mary Deubler who later became one of the leading madams under the name of Josie Arlington. It starts with Mary's low stature as a prostitute in a "crib", one of the lower settings of her trade, to the emergence of Storyville and her rapid ride to the role of Madam. In between we are given a few feuds and murders, a look at New Orleans style voodoo and other corrupt and decadent events. Authors Kari Lynn and Kellie Martin employ a number of historical characters in this novel including pianist Morton, photographer E. J. Bellocq and others. The authors attempt to evoke a feel for the era while telling a personal story of a woman at the bottom working her way up in the only way she was allowed.
But does it work? This is where I had some problems. The style of writing seems rather light and melodramatic for such a often bleak historical tale. I never really got a good grasp on who Mary was except that we should have sympathy for her plight and admire her gumption. None of the other characters really stood out and the historical "cameos" didn't really add much. Storyville never came alive for me partly because the novel ended at the first days of the district. The first task of a historical novel is make the era sound authentic and this never happened. Instead we get a soap operatic telling of a often told story that felt like the treatment for a TV mini-series.
Overall, despite my enthusiasm for that period of history and the important role it played in American music, the novel fell flat. It is a mildly entertaining novel that fails to give us anything new and inspiring. This book will appeal to those who like hard luck tales and "poor girl fight to the top" stories. But as an historical novel that gives you insight on the times and human nature, I just can't recommend it.
Two and a half stars.
January 10, 2016
I think I would have liked this a bit more if it had shown more of Josie Arlington's life. Instead, it showed how Josie came to be, focusing on her days as a whore in Venus Alley; interesting reading, but something about her days as Madam of the Arlington would have been interesting, as well.
January 28, 2014
MADAM is an entertaining romp through the underbelly of New Orleans on the eve of the 20th century. This book is based on the true story of Mary Deubler, a poor “alley whore� who transforms herself into Madame Josie Arlington in the new vice district. When city officials realized that it was impossible to rid New Orleans of prostitution, an alderman named Sidney Story proposed moving all prostitutes to one area of the French Quarter, and thus Storyville was born.
Mary was a survivor who found the gumption to move forward in spite of her lot in life. She was an orphan left in the care of her despicable uncle, who began pimping her out as a prostitute when she was twelve. Experiencing the underworld of New Orleans through Mary’s eyes was amazing. The authors brilliantly captured the heady atmosphere of the era. Ragtime musicians, voodoo practitioners, eccentric madams, and shady politicians make an appearance in this book, all based on real historical figures.
Overall, MADAM was an enjoyable read, though at the end I thought Mary’s story felt unfinished, and there were a couple loose ends that needed tying up. The book opens with a letter from Mary’s niece in 1997, then it moves back very briefly to 1907, and shows what Mary’s life had become as Madam Josie Arlington. Then it moves back again to 1897, and tells us about Mary from her alley whore days to the creation of Storyville, but what happened during the missing 10 years? What happened to her relationships and rivalries? I’m a greedy reader � I wanted more!
MADAM paints a vivid portrait of New Orleans and the colorful characters who made its red-light district infamous. Highly recommended for fans of American historical fiction. I also enjoyed the vintage photographs throughout the book.
Source: Review copy from the publisher
Mary was a survivor who found the gumption to move forward in spite of her lot in life. She was an orphan left in the care of her despicable uncle, who began pimping her out as a prostitute when she was twelve. Experiencing the underworld of New Orleans through Mary’s eyes was amazing. The authors brilliantly captured the heady atmosphere of the era. Ragtime musicians, voodoo practitioners, eccentric madams, and shady politicians make an appearance in this book, all based on real historical figures.
Overall, MADAM was an enjoyable read, though at the end I thought Mary’s story felt unfinished, and there were a couple loose ends that needed tying up. The book opens with a letter from Mary’s niece in 1997, then it moves back very briefly to 1907, and shows what Mary’s life had become as Madam Josie Arlington. Then it moves back again to 1897, and tells us about Mary from her alley whore days to the creation of Storyville, but what happened during the missing 10 years? What happened to her relationships and rivalries? I’m a greedy reader � I wanted more!
MADAM paints a vivid portrait of New Orleans and the colorful characters who made its red-light district infamous. Highly recommended for fans of American historical fiction. I also enjoyed the vintage photographs throughout the book.
Source: Review copy from the publisher
September 7, 2024
Rating: 3.5 rounded up for GRs
April 21, 2014
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 because of how quickly I finished it.
"Madam" follows several characters throughout one year in New Orleans -- the year when prostitution became legalized and regulated within the "Storyville" district. And when this book says it's a "novel of New Orleans," it means it -- although Mary Deubler is set up as the main character, this book follows several different characters throughout the book. While that's not a bad thing, because the book is relatively short, the time period (one year) is relatively short, and the number of main characters is [relatively - it's no Game of Thrones or anything] large, you don't necessarily feel like you get to know any of them terribly well. And to me the biggest flaw is the compressed time period; the book ends right when it feels like it's beginning.
That said, I read it in about 36 hours and enjoyed myself, and the authors (2 are listed on the main cover) have a note in the back explaining the historical accuracies and inaccuracies, which I always appreciate.
Recommended for anyone interested in a small slice of American history that is not often talked about.
"Madam" follows several characters throughout one year in New Orleans -- the year when prostitution became legalized and regulated within the "Storyville" district. And when this book says it's a "novel of New Orleans," it means it -- although Mary Deubler is set up as the main character, this book follows several different characters throughout the book. While that's not a bad thing, because the book is relatively short, the time period (one year) is relatively short, and the number of main characters is [relatively - it's no Game of Thrones or anything] large, you don't necessarily feel like you get to know any of them terribly well. And to me the biggest flaw is the compressed time period; the book ends right when it feels like it's beginning.
That said, I read it in about 36 hours and enjoyed myself, and the authors (2 are listed on the main cover) have a note in the back explaining the historical accuracies and inaccuracies, which I always appreciate.
Recommended for anyone interested in a small slice of American history that is not often talked about.
February 19, 2014
Madam is based on the true story of Mary Deubler and her transformation to become Madam Josie Arlington. This story is about New Orleans at the turn of the century. The description of the city, people and times transports you there. Mary becomes an orphan at the age of 12. She and her brother are "looked after" by their nasty uncle who "pimps" Mary out to make money. The authors tell of Mary's struggle to make some money to survive and provide for her brother.
Some of the officials of New Orleans and people are tired of having the Red Light District near their homes and corrupting their children by the site of them. One Alderman, Sidney Story, comes up with the idea of moving these "working" women to the back of the city. This becomes a legalized district known as Storyville, after the Alderman.
This is a very interesting book about the life and times of the people of New Orleans and also mentions some of the famous people who were involved in music during that time, i.e. Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong.
A great read!
Some of the officials of New Orleans and people are tired of having the Red Light District near their homes and corrupting their children by the site of them. One Alderman, Sidney Story, comes up with the idea of moving these "working" women to the back of the city. This becomes a legalized district known as Storyville, after the Alderman.
This is a very interesting book about the life and times of the people of New Orleans and also mentions some of the famous people who were involved in music during that time, i.e. Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong.
A great read!
June 8, 2014
I love New Orleans and really thought this could have been good- but it wasn't.
If your subject matter is going to be sexual trauma, death, incest, etc. then you had better be able to write. Unfortunately, these two really can't.
How did it take 2 people to write a depressing soap opera in clunking, forgettable prose?
If your subject matter is going to be sexual trauma, death, incest, etc. then you had better be able to write. Unfortunately, these two really can't.
How did it take 2 people to write a depressing soap opera in clunking, forgettable prose?
January 24, 2016
All right! I'm going to have fun eviscerating this book. I only finished it, because I am one of those people where I *have* to know what happens. But if you want a compelling, original story, do not look here for it. There were sooooo many things wrong with this book, starting from the very beginning. What follows are SPOILERS, so if you want to muddle through all 300 pages to find them yourself, stop reading.
There are numerous problems with this novel, including: awkward, forced dialogue; little character development; "telling" the reader motivations and conflict and not "showing;" cliche after cliche, plot holes, and unsatisfying endings.
OK, the prologue starts off in 1907 New Orleans. We see who will become "Josie Arlington," born Mary Deubler. She is obviously very jaded, hates her birthday, and feels as though she "has nothing," even in the midst of expensive, materialistic goods. So, cliche #1: Protagonist has achieved all that she wanted but now feels empty inside. But how did she come to be this way? What made her so jaded?
Cut to ten years previous, 1897. Mary is just a lowly "Alley whore." She shares a crib with Beulah, a black prostitute with about as much depth as a puddle.
There are many examples of pitiful dialogue, but one of the most obvious is when we first meet Beulah. She chides Mary, '"Just that you been late three times already this week," Beulah said with a wag of her finger. "Always actin' like you're above your raising."
Mary let out a sigh. "We're all just tryin' to earn a living."
Beulah snorted. So the bossman can pour your livin' down his throat?"'
Ok, first of all, never does Mary "act above her station," in the entire novel. She is a mostly nervous and scared character.
The novel notes that Mary and Beulah resent each other, but it never says why. Is it because of the difficult divide of race? Did something happen in the past? Never says.
Then, her pimp is pretty much a stereotype: alcoholic, abusive, low-life who takes advantage of Mary. When we first meet him, he pops out of a bush and startles Mary. What the f***? What pimp plays a practical joke on his prostitute?
Next, we meet the family, Peter and Charlotte. Even though Mary has apparently been a prostitute for seven years, they don't talk about it because "they all knew her work was crude, and there was no reason to go and speak outrightly about it." That's basically a metaphor for this entire book; even though it's supposed to be about "the underworld," the book describes prostitution, murder, alcoholism, drug use, and family abuse in sterile language. For example, Mary "waits until her john finishes." Another example can be found below in the development of Ferdinand's (the pianist) nickname.
All right, everyone, remember this: The cardinal sin of novel writing is to tell the reader something and not show them. The authors continually tell character's motivations and dreams, instead of depicting the details for the reader. For example, the authors literally list off what some of Mary's fantasies are.
""I want to ride on a train someday.
I want to get all dressed up with a corset and velvet gloves and have my picture taken and put in a fancy frame.
I want to sit in the balcony at the French Opera House and feel shivers from the beautiful voices.""
At least have Mary daydream about some of these things instead of literally telling the reader what she wants.
The second egregious example is Tom Anderson's character motivation. "But all the while, Tom silently ached. He yearned for what he would never have: his mother's affection and his father's acceptance."
Ok, but don't we ALL want that, in some way or other? No flashback of him trying to please his father or earn his mother's affection. No scene of Tom interacting with his parents at all. Just a shallow explanation. Apparently, Tom's mother had "taken ill during his birth and never recovered." What disease do you contract during childbirth, NOT DIE FROM IT, and apparently stay sick for the remainder of your child's development? It's (nearly) the cliche of the mother dying in childbirth and the father remaining resentful for the rest of the child's life. OH, and all the plantation mammies apparently banded together to raise this poor, white child, as if they had loads of time to take care of a child *not* their own? And he is supposed to have this connection with black people that transcends race and class, just by growing up eating "grits, barbecue brisket, and hoecakes with honey," and going to a black church to sing spirituals? Hmmmm....... Oh, and Tom supposedly went "outdoors with their own children where, in the fields, they'd play for hours."
Excuse me, but poor, black children did not "play" in the fields "for hours," in the late nineteenth century, especially with a lone, white, rich child. Poor, white children didn't even play! No one played! Everyone was too poor to play; they worked! Children as young as four and five were out toiling in the sun, working in agricultural fields picking cotton or fruit in the South.
So he's supposed to have this avuncular connection with Snitch, because of his upbringing or whatever. "Snitch," lives up to his moniker and acts as the eyes and ears of Venus Alley. But he's a caricature of a little "scamp" who's always underfoot and looking out for money.
One of the scenes that made me roll my eyes the worst was one of Tom Anderson's interactions with Snitch. Snitch tells him information about the raid on the Alley, and Tom says,
'"Snitch, you just might have enough gumption to be mayor of New Orleans one day."'
Snitch nearly burst with excitement. "Ya mean it, Mistah Anderson? Ya really mean it?"
Anderson reached into his pocket and took out a fifty-cent piece.
"Now get on outta here," he said, tossing the coin.
So you're telling me that a member of the white, "aristocratic" Southern society tells a little black boy, who is quite probably the offspring of one of the prostitutes on the Alley, that he could possibly be mayor one day? (Never mind that the first black mayor in the U.S. was elected in 1967.)
I found other white/black interactions problematic (other than virtually every interaction Mary has with Beulah.) Take for example when Ferdinand (who will eventually become Jelly Roll Morton) plays for the party of Judge Beares. The authors try to show that Ferdinand is unfairly kicked out of the party because a white woman was drunkenly flirting with him in front of other party guests. Now, I know that the book mentions that New Orleans has sort of "blurry vision" when it comes to matters of race, but black men who flirted with white women (perceived flirting or otherwise) in the nineteenth century weren't paid for the night and sent along with a farewell drink. They were lynched. And Judge Beares is also supposed to be mostly sympathetic towards blacks (or mixed race/ Creoles) because "Creoles had European heritage after all, just the same as he." Noooooooooooo, they were not "just the same." Just because he's f***ing a woman with mocha-colored skin does not make him not-a-racist. Men could be and were terribly racist and still had sex with women of color, violently or otherwise; that's what makes history interesting, because there are contradictions in how people thought and behaved. The authors are trying to put history into a neat little box, when it doesn't fit.
When Ferdinand goes to Eulalie to talk about having been kicked out of the party because he was black, he's upset that they, called him "'a Negro.'" His jaw tightened at the words."
Ok, Ferdinand is LIGHT-SKINNED not WHITE-SKINNED. The book says he's used to "passin'," but passing for what? Being white? Being lighter-skinned was not the same as being white; Ferdinand has probably always been called a "Negro," or worse. And the authors can write in the racial slur for Chinese people ("Chinaman") but not stick with historical accuracy and do the same with black people? Everyone knows which word I mean. It's a tricky thing to include the "n-word," but if you're going to write about historical racism, it's best to look that racism in the face and present things as they were.
(I will say this: good job to the authors of including Ferdinand's superiority over Eulalie, because she was Haitian. The relationship between light-skinned and dark-skinned blacks was often tangled and complicated historically.)
The next cliche of a character is the Countess. The Countess Lulu is a cliche of the irrationally jealous, shallow antagonist with a flock of dumb girls surrounding her. This books is supposed to show prostitutes in a more sympathetic light, but characters like Poodle and the rest of her ilk are annoying and vapid. She's supposed to speak four or five languages and know all about art but that is never addressed how she came to be that way; she's supposed to be the daughter of a slave and a wealthy plantation owner; how did she become a prostitute?
Countess Lulu's interaction with Mary is cliche-filled and groan-worthy:
"You have no place here," Lulu said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Please," Mary begged. "There were men downstairs eyeing me. Let me show you what I've got. Please, don't I deserve a chance?"
"Deserve?" Lulu said with a biting laugh. "I chose my path very carefully. You choose to debauch yourself to anyone who'll throw a picayune your way."
Mary cast her eyes down. In a tiny voice she said, "It was never my choice."
There is no nuance to the dialogue in the novel! This dialogue could easily be put in any situation. "Let me show you what I got" is trite and overused. And does Mary really think that she "deserves" a chance just to be a fancier prostitute?
Oh, and Mary is then supposed to intimidate the Countess by just staring at her? Because Mary just maintains eye contact with Lulu, she "flinches?" Come on.
And Mary is supposed to have gotten up on a piano and do a little strip-tease after having smoked opium, which, "she has never smoked in her life"?? Smoking opium is the equivalent of doing morphine or heroin. As much as it lowers inhibitions, (which is how the authors try to show that Mary was brave enough to stand up to the Countess) it would have knocked Mary on her ass for the rest of the evening.
The authors clumsily let the reader know that Lobrano is Mary's uncle:
"You ingrates," hissed Lobrano. "I took pity on you pissants. That whore who was my sister couldn't keep herself from gettin' indisposed. Thank the Lord the next little brat didn't make it, but curse the Lord for taking my sister at the same time. And curse him for leaving me to deal with the both of yous!"
So a low-life, uneducated alcoholic like Lobrano is supposed to know and use words like "pissant" and "indisposed?" Why not just say that she was knocked up? "Indisposed" is a "nice" way of saying "pregnant" but just in case the reader hasn't noticed, Lobrano isn't "nice!"
So after Lobrano threatens Mary, Peter tells him off and Lobrano leaves. WHY did Peter go after him then?! If Lobrano is drunk and angry and has a known tendency for violence, then LEAVE HIM ALONE! Peter's death was so random. (Historically, Lobrano did in fact kill Peter, and he claimed it was self-defense.) But the authors don't even show Peter's death! They just stay with Mary until, oops, Lobrano killed Peter even though he stutters, "Mary...Mary, I didn't mean...you gotta believe..."
Oh, and this is the scene were Eulalie's prediction comes true that Lobrano will be on his knees, asking for forgiveness? BUT HE NEVER DOES. That's all he says: "Mary...you gotta believe..." So we're supposed to believe that Lobrano "accidentally" killed Peter and he's somehow sorry for it?
Ok, fast forward some. Tom Anderson has supposedly been watching Mary and thinks that she is a person with "an open mind and a high degree of intelligence."
But Mary does nothing in the book to prove that she has intelligence! Sure, she tricked Sheep-Eye/Tater into paying off her crib, but Tater/Sheep-Eye have already been classified as dumb, so there's not a whole lot of effort that goes into tricking a dumb, barely literate person.
Finally, the ending was so unsatisfying. The last time the reader sees Countess Lulu, a character who's supposed to have more depth than "just a whore" goes to Eulalie Echo's place to put a voodoo spell on Mary, so she wouldn't be the most successful Madame. But Eulalie basically says "No." And that is the end of that.
And Lobrano, who has been drinking absinthe, which was traditionally up to 140 proof alcohol, quits drinking cold turkey and is fine after a week? Not buying it. And after he has firmly decided to commit suicide (because of the guilt he feels for mistreating the family for so long?) he changes his mind on the OFF CHANCE that he will find buried gold somewhere on the bayou?
Ferdinand basically becomes "Jelly Roll Morton," although the authors imply throughout the novel that he takes this name because he's always munching on a roll covered in jelly, but "jelly roll" was actually African American (vulgar) slang for a woman's vulva. Mary suggests that Ferdinand needs a stage name. As he is putting marmalade on a roll and taking a bite, he wonders what suits him. Mary says, "Aw, it'll come to you, Mistah Jelly Roll," Mary said.
He cocked an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk. "What?" Mary asked. Then it hit her. "Oh! I didn't mean that!"
They both broke into bashful giggles. "Sure you didn't," Ferd teased. "But you know, it is my favorite. I'm speaking of the marmalade."
So basically, Mary accidentally calls Ferd the equivalent of "snatch" or "pussy" and he says that "it" (obviously meaning having sex with a woman and/or her vagina) is his favorite thing, even though the authors stated that Ferd had never seen a woman's breasts before playing in the clubs. So believable... This is just a great example of how the book glosses over the gritty, the nasty, and the human elements of a story and just replaces it with couched, "nice" language. So that's the end of Ferd.
So, after all the drama, Mary ascends her position as Josie Arlington and takes her place as head Madame.
SO WHY WAS SHE SO JADED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL?!
IT NEVER EXPLAINS.
Sure, the reader can guess that a life of materialism isn't fulfilling. But what about her dreams, so carefully outlined at the beginning? Did she ever go to the French Opera House? Did she ever ride a train? Or was the only thing accomplished on her list was that she got her picture taken? As "feminist" as this book is supposed to be, it's pretty damn sexist that her only dream that she achieved was to have her damn picture taken.
WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 1897 AND 1907?
I give this book 2 stars and not 1, because at least it's trying to present a more balanced, feminist view of history, but the execution fell very, very short.
There are numerous problems with this novel, including: awkward, forced dialogue; little character development; "telling" the reader motivations and conflict and not "showing;" cliche after cliche, plot holes, and unsatisfying endings.
OK, the prologue starts off in 1907 New Orleans. We see who will become "Josie Arlington," born Mary Deubler. She is obviously very jaded, hates her birthday, and feels as though she "has nothing," even in the midst of expensive, materialistic goods. So, cliche #1: Protagonist has achieved all that she wanted but now feels empty inside. But how did she come to be this way? What made her so jaded?
Cut to ten years previous, 1897. Mary is just a lowly "Alley whore." She shares a crib with Beulah, a black prostitute with about as much depth as a puddle.
There are many examples of pitiful dialogue, but one of the most obvious is when we first meet Beulah. She chides Mary, '"Just that you been late three times already this week," Beulah said with a wag of her finger. "Always actin' like you're above your raising."
Mary let out a sigh. "We're all just tryin' to earn a living."
Beulah snorted. So the bossman can pour your livin' down his throat?"'
Ok, first of all, never does Mary "act above her station," in the entire novel. She is a mostly nervous and scared character.
The novel notes that Mary and Beulah resent each other, but it never says why. Is it because of the difficult divide of race? Did something happen in the past? Never says.
Then, her pimp is pretty much a stereotype: alcoholic, abusive, low-life who takes advantage of Mary. When we first meet him, he pops out of a bush and startles Mary. What the f***? What pimp plays a practical joke on his prostitute?
Next, we meet the family, Peter and Charlotte. Even though Mary has apparently been a prostitute for seven years, they don't talk about it because "they all knew her work was crude, and there was no reason to go and speak outrightly about it." That's basically a metaphor for this entire book; even though it's supposed to be about "the underworld," the book describes prostitution, murder, alcoholism, drug use, and family abuse in sterile language. For example, Mary "waits until her john finishes." Another example can be found below in the development of Ferdinand's (the pianist) nickname.
All right, everyone, remember this: The cardinal sin of novel writing is to tell the reader something and not show them. The authors continually tell character's motivations and dreams, instead of depicting the details for the reader. For example, the authors literally list off what some of Mary's fantasies are.
""I want to ride on a train someday.
I want to get all dressed up with a corset and velvet gloves and have my picture taken and put in a fancy frame.
I want to sit in the balcony at the French Opera House and feel shivers from the beautiful voices.""
At least have Mary daydream about some of these things instead of literally telling the reader what she wants.
The second egregious example is Tom Anderson's character motivation. "But all the while, Tom silently ached. He yearned for what he would never have: his mother's affection and his father's acceptance."
Ok, but don't we ALL want that, in some way or other? No flashback of him trying to please his father or earn his mother's affection. No scene of Tom interacting with his parents at all. Just a shallow explanation. Apparently, Tom's mother had "taken ill during his birth and never recovered." What disease do you contract during childbirth, NOT DIE FROM IT, and apparently stay sick for the remainder of your child's development? It's (nearly) the cliche of the mother dying in childbirth and the father remaining resentful for the rest of the child's life. OH, and all the plantation mammies apparently banded together to raise this poor, white child, as if they had loads of time to take care of a child *not* their own? And he is supposed to have this connection with black people that transcends race and class, just by growing up eating "grits, barbecue brisket, and hoecakes with honey," and going to a black church to sing spirituals? Hmmmm....... Oh, and Tom supposedly went "outdoors with their own children where, in the fields, they'd play for hours."
Excuse me, but poor, black children did not "play" in the fields "for hours," in the late nineteenth century, especially with a lone, white, rich child. Poor, white children didn't even play! No one played! Everyone was too poor to play; they worked! Children as young as four and five were out toiling in the sun, working in agricultural fields picking cotton or fruit in the South.
So he's supposed to have this avuncular connection with Snitch, because of his upbringing or whatever. "Snitch," lives up to his moniker and acts as the eyes and ears of Venus Alley. But he's a caricature of a little "scamp" who's always underfoot and looking out for money.
One of the scenes that made me roll my eyes the worst was one of Tom Anderson's interactions with Snitch. Snitch tells him information about the raid on the Alley, and Tom says,
'"Snitch, you just might have enough gumption to be mayor of New Orleans one day."'
Snitch nearly burst with excitement. "Ya mean it, Mistah Anderson? Ya really mean it?"
Anderson reached into his pocket and took out a fifty-cent piece.
"Now get on outta here," he said, tossing the coin.
So you're telling me that a member of the white, "aristocratic" Southern society tells a little black boy, who is quite probably the offspring of one of the prostitutes on the Alley, that he could possibly be mayor one day? (Never mind that the first black mayor in the U.S. was elected in 1967.)
I found other white/black interactions problematic (other than virtually every interaction Mary has with Beulah.) Take for example when Ferdinand (who will eventually become Jelly Roll Morton) plays for the party of Judge Beares. The authors try to show that Ferdinand is unfairly kicked out of the party because a white woman was drunkenly flirting with him in front of other party guests. Now, I know that the book mentions that New Orleans has sort of "blurry vision" when it comes to matters of race, but black men who flirted with white women (perceived flirting or otherwise) in the nineteenth century weren't paid for the night and sent along with a farewell drink. They were lynched. And Judge Beares is also supposed to be mostly sympathetic towards blacks (or mixed race/ Creoles) because "Creoles had European heritage after all, just the same as he." Noooooooooooo, they were not "just the same." Just because he's f***ing a woman with mocha-colored skin does not make him not-a-racist. Men could be and were terribly racist and still had sex with women of color, violently or otherwise; that's what makes history interesting, because there are contradictions in how people thought and behaved. The authors are trying to put history into a neat little box, when it doesn't fit.
When Ferdinand goes to Eulalie to talk about having been kicked out of the party because he was black, he's upset that they, called him "'a Negro.'" His jaw tightened at the words."
Ok, Ferdinand is LIGHT-SKINNED not WHITE-SKINNED. The book says he's used to "passin'," but passing for what? Being white? Being lighter-skinned was not the same as being white; Ferdinand has probably always been called a "Negro," or worse. And the authors can write in the racial slur for Chinese people ("Chinaman") but not stick with historical accuracy and do the same with black people? Everyone knows which word I mean. It's a tricky thing to include the "n-word," but if you're going to write about historical racism, it's best to look that racism in the face and present things as they were.
(I will say this: good job to the authors of including Ferdinand's superiority over Eulalie, because she was Haitian. The relationship between light-skinned and dark-skinned blacks was often tangled and complicated historically.)
The next cliche of a character is the Countess. The Countess Lulu is a cliche of the irrationally jealous, shallow antagonist with a flock of dumb girls surrounding her. This books is supposed to show prostitutes in a more sympathetic light, but characters like Poodle and the rest of her ilk are annoying and vapid. She's supposed to speak four or five languages and know all about art but that is never addressed how she came to be that way; she's supposed to be the daughter of a slave and a wealthy plantation owner; how did she become a prostitute?
Countess Lulu's interaction with Mary is cliche-filled and groan-worthy:
"You have no place here," Lulu said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Please," Mary begged. "There were men downstairs eyeing me. Let me show you what I've got. Please, don't I deserve a chance?"
"Deserve?" Lulu said with a biting laugh. "I chose my path very carefully. You choose to debauch yourself to anyone who'll throw a picayune your way."
Mary cast her eyes down. In a tiny voice she said, "It was never my choice."
There is no nuance to the dialogue in the novel! This dialogue could easily be put in any situation. "Let me show you what I got" is trite and overused. And does Mary really think that she "deserves" a chance just to be a fancier prostitute?
Oh, and Mary is then supposed to intimidate the Countess by just staring at her? Because Mary just maintains eye contact with Lulu, she "flinches?" Come on.
And Mary is supposed to have gotten up on a piano and do a little strip-tease after having smoked opium, which, "she has never smoked in her life"?? Smoking opium is the equivalent of doing morphine or heroin. As much as it lowers inhibitions, (which is how the authors try to show that Mary was brave enough to stand up to the Countess) it would have knocked Mary on her ass for the rest of the evening.
The authors clumsily let the reader know that Lobrano is Mary's uncle:
"You ingrates," hissed Lobrano. "I took pity on you pissants. That whore who was my sister couldn't keep herself from gettin' indisposed. Thank the Lord the next little brat didn't make it, but curse the Lord for taking my sister at the same time. And curse him for leaving me to deal with the both of yous!"
So a low-life, uneducated alcoholic like Lobrano is supposed to know and use words like "pissant" and "indisposed?" Why not just say that she was knocked up? "Indisposed" is a "nice" way of saying "pregnant" but just in case the reader hasn't noticed, Lobrano isn't "nice!"
So after Lobrano threatens Mary, Peter tells him off and Lobrano leaves. WHY did Peter go after him then?! If Lobrano is drunk and angry and has a known tendency for violence, then LEAVE HIM ALONE! Peter's death was so random. (Historically, Lobrano did in fact kill Peter, and he claimed it was self-defense.) But the authors don't even show Peter's death! They just stay with Mary until, oops, Lobrano killed Peter even though he stutters, "Mary...Mary, I didn't mean...you gotta believe..."
Oh, and this is the scene were Eulalie's prediction comes true that Lobrano will be on his knees, asking for forgiveness? BUT HE NEVER DOES. That's all he says: "Mary...you gotta believe..." So we're supposed to believe that Lobrano "accidentally" killed Peter and he's somehow sorry for it?
Ok, fast forward some. Tom Anderson has supposedly been watching Mary and thinks that she is a person with "an open mind and a high degree of intelligence."
But Mary does nothing in the book to prove that she has intelligence! Sure, she tricked Sheep-Eye/Tater into paying off her crib, but Tater/Sheep-Eye have already been classified as dumb, so there's not a whole lot of effort that goes into tricking a dumb, barely literate person.
Finally, the ending was so unsatisfying. The last time the reader sees Countess Lulu, a character who's supposed to have more depth than "just a whore" goes to Eulalie Echo's place to put a voodoo spell on Mary, so she wouldn't be the most successful Madame. But Eulalie basically says "No." And that is the end of that.
And Lobrano, who has been drinking absinthe, which was traditionally up to 140 proof alcohol, quits drinking cold turkey and is fine after a week? Not buying it. And after he has firmly decided to commit suicide (because of the guilt he feels for mistreating the family for so long?) he changes his mind on the OFF CHANCE that he will find buried gold somewhere on the bayou?
Ferdinand basically becomes "Jelly Roll Morton," although the authors imply throughout the novel that he takes this name because he's always munching on a roll covered in jelly, but "jelly roll" was actually African American (vulgar) slang for a woman's vulva. Mary suggests that Ferdinand needs a stage name. As he is putting marmalade on a roll and taking a bite, he wonders what suits him. Mary says, "Aw, it'll come to you, Mistah Jelly Roll," Mary said.
He cocked an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk. "What?" Mary asked. Then it hit her. "Oh! I didn't mean that!"
They both broke into bashful giggles. "Sure you didn't," Ferd teased. "But you know, it is my favorite. I'm speaking of the marmalade."
So basically, Mary accidentally calls Ferd the equivalent of "snatch" or "pussy" and he says that "it" (obviously meaning having sex with a woman and/or her vagina) is his favorite thing, even though the authors stated that Ferd had never seen a woman's breasts before playing in the clubs. So believable... This is just a great example of how the book glosses over the gritty, the nasty, and the human elements of a story and just replaces it with couched, "nice" language. So that's the end of Ferd.
So, after all the drama, Mary ascends her position as Josie Arlington and takes her place as head Madame.
SO WHY WAS SHE SO JADED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL?!
IT NEVER EXPLAINS.
Sure, the reader can guess that a life of materialism isn't fulfilling. But what about her dreams, so carefully outlined at the beginning? Did she ever go to the French Opera House? Did she ever ride a train? Or was the only thing accomplished on her list was that she got her picture taken? As "feminist" as this book is supposed to be, it's pretty damn sexist that her only dream that she achieved was to have her damn picture taken.
WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN 1897 AND 1907?
I give this book 2 stars and not 1, because at least it's trying to present a more balanced, feminist view of history, but the execution fell very, very short.
March 28, 2022
I honestly read this to fulfill a prompt for the 2022 PopSugar challenge. But I'm glad that I did, because it was really interesting.
It's a historical fiction based on the life of a true person, Mary Deubler aka Madame Josie Arlington. I was intrigued by who this woman was before she became a madam, and that is exactly what this book provides. We get to know Mary and the various struggles that she deals with, taking care of her family and working as an alley whore. But she isn't the only character we have insight into, since we also learn about the politics that led to the creation of the notorious Storyville, and Alderman Sidney Story, who was behind this.
I found it intriguing to see how Mary was, and found that this book was very sensitive towards sex workers at all levels. This book also talks about racism, class, and social issues of the time, and thought that was all done beautifully, although it was rather abrupt at the end. The narrator, Hillary Huber, did a great job.
If I could have changed one thing, it would have been to learn more about Madam Josie Arlington, since the book doesn't really get into her life as a madame, only really her rise to that position. But otherwise, this was a great story and easy to listen to.
It's a historical fiction based on the life of a true person, Mary Deubler aka Madame Josie Arlington. I was intrigued by who this woman was before she became a madam, and that is exactly what this book provides. We get to know Mary and the various struggles that she deals with, taking care of her family and working as an alley whore. But she isn't the only character we have insight into, since we also learn about the politics that led to the creation of the notorious Storyville, and Alderman Sidney Story, who was behind this.
I found it intriguing to see how Mary was, and found that this book was very sensitive towards sex workers at all levels. This book also talks about racism, class, and social issues of the time, and thought that was all done beautifully, although it was rather abrupt at the end. The narrator, Hillary Huber, did a great job.
If I could have changed one thing, it would have been to learn more about Madam Josie Arlington, since the book doesn't really get into her life as a madame, only really her rise to that position. But otherwise, this was a great story and easy to listen to.
November 19, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this fun romp through the past.
September 12, 2016
Historical Fiction at Its Most Riveting
Based on the life of Marie Deubler, eventually known as Josie Arlington, a famed brothel madam in the infamous 1900’s turn of the century Storyville, New Orleans, ‘Madam� starts the young Marie’s story when she is working as a prostitute carrying her mattress on her back and earning quarters while alternating shifts with another prostitute in a broken down shack each day in Venus Alley as she attempts to simply survive. The book ties in the creation of Storyville, intended by city alderman Sydney Story to separate the wicked women who tempt the fine upstanding men of the time by herding them into a designated area of the city where they would work at licensed brothels and not be allowed to work outside those limits. Marie is one of the few women working in Venus Alley who realizes this back alley of shacks where she works will be torn down as soon as Storyville opens across town and there is no provision made for where these broken down women will go. Under the dirt and malnutrition Marie is a smart and attractive young woman who is kept down by fate and circumstance but she is also determined and will not give up on trying to improve her life. Marie isn’t trying to fly too high she just wants to make her life better using her intelligence and grabbing at any opportunity she can get. Along the way other real life historical figures appear such as Tom Anderson, saloon owner, Josie’s backer in Storyville and eventually a two time state legislator, E. J. Bellocq, the eccentric photographer who left the only pictorial legacy of the women of Storyville and cameos by Jelly Roll Morton and a young Louis Armstrong. The book is an engrossing look at the time. The biased attitude between Creoles and Negros then. The political corruption that ran the city. The importance of the incoming railroad and the placement of its station. The pulsing life as jazz was making its way into the culture. It’s a harsh world for those at the bottom but there is still a vibrancy running through it. This is an amazing look into a changing time and one woman who made an impact in her time. This book is written with such respect for the women who were forced to sell the only thing they had; their bodies, and it gives an engrossing look into their world. The book and its characters are well written and well developed and it is very much a compelling read. This is their debut novel and I look forward to reading more by these authors.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
Based on the life of Marie Deubler, eventually known as Josie Arlington, a famed brothel madam in the infamous 1900’s turn of the century Storyville, New Orleans, ‘Madam� starts the young Marie’s story when she is working as a prostitute carrying her mattress on her back and earning quarters while alternating shifts with another prostitute in a broken down shack each day in Venus Alley as she attempts to simply survive. The book ties in the creation of Storyville, intended by city alderman Sydney Story to separate the wicked women who tempt the fine upstanding men of the time by herding them into a designated area of the city where they would work at licensed brothels and not be allowed to work outside those limits. Marie is one of the few women working in Venus Alley who realizes this back alley of shacks where she works will be torn down as soon as Storyville opens across town and there is no provision made for where these broken down women will go. Under the dirt and malnutrition Marie is a smart and attractive young woman who is kept down by fate and circumstance but she is also determined and will not give up on trying to improve her life. Marie isn’t trying to fly too high she just wants to make her life better using her intelligence and grabbing at any opportunity she can get. Along the way other real life historical figures appear such as Tom Anderson, saloon owner, Josie’s backer in Storyville and eventually a two time state legislator, E. J. Bellocq, the eccentric photographer who left the only pictorial legacy of the women of Storyville and cameos by Jelly Roll Morton and a young Louis Armstrong. The book is an engrossing look at the time. The biased attitude between Creoles and Negros then. The political corruption that ran the city. The importance of the incoming railroad and the placement of its station. The pulsing life as jazz was making its way into the culture. It’s a harsh world for those at the bottom but there is still a vibrancy running through it. This is an amazing look into a changing time and one woman who made an impact in her time. This book is written with such respect for the women who were forced to sell the only thing they had; their bodies, and it gives an engrossing look into their world. The book and its characters are well written and well developed and it is very much a compelling read. This is their debut novel and I look forward to reading more by these authors.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
May 13, 2014
The world's oldest profession
1897 New Orleans, we travel the labyrinthine of the Underworld as we follow the story of one plucky, determined 'alley whore' metamorphosizing into the infamous madam of Storyville - the red light district.
This isn't just the story of Mary Deubler aka Madam Josie Arlington this is the story of New Orleans and its colorful facets. All the intricacies are explored - the Voodoo and spirit world - Mary even procures a treatment for Gonorrhea via Voodoo, the ever popular music scene mentioning some of the greatest musicians of the time - Buddy Holden, Ferdinand LaMenthe, not to mention the very young Louis Armstrong, and of course the red light district. Portrait photographer E.J. Bellocq also mentioned.
Reading the sharp details of this city you feel the experience, the taste of beignets, the bitterness of coffee with chicory, the smell of jambalaya, the burn of the liquor. You hear the music and laughter in the air from the bordellos, you inhale the scent of cigar smoke and perfume. You are on a grand tour of days gone by in the Big Easy.
Josie Arlington was a woman falling into her line of work by default and desperation. She was determined to pave her own way and the underdog was victorious on her terms. Despite her chosen career she plucks at the readers heartstrings, a woman with ghosts, lonely, attaining her goal, Josie was a victim turned survivor in the only way she knew how, using her intelligence as best she could on her harrowing journey.
A wonderfully fun historical fiction of New Orleans and Arlington, you will want to add to your reading list. Great vintage photographs in the book add to the narrative and senses. An array of characters including politicians (fancy that huh?) and another fascinating madam of color and more. All around lively read.
Penguin provided a copy in exchange for an honest review
1897 New Orleans, we travel the labyrinthine of the Underworld as we follow the story of one plucky, determined 'alley whore' metamorphosizing into the infamous madam of Storyville - the red light district.
This isn't just the story of Mary Deubler aka Madam Josie Arlington this is the story of New Orleans and its colorful facets. All the intricacies are explored - the Voodoo and spirit world - Mary even procures a treatment for Gonorrhea via Voodoo, the ever popular music scene mentioning some of the greatest musicians of the time - Buddy Holden, Ferdinand LaMenthe, not to mention the very young Louis Armstrong, and of course the red light district. Portrait photographer E.J. Bellocq also mentioned.
Reading the sharp details of this city you feel the experience, the taste of beignets, the bitterness of coffee with chicory, the smell of jambalaya, the burn of the liquor. You hear the music and laughter in the air from the bordellos, you inhale the scent of cigar smoke and perfume. You are on a grand tour of days gone by in the Big Easy.
Josie Arlington was a woman falling into her line of work by default and desperation. She was determined to pave her own way and the underdog was victorious on her terms. Despite her chosen career she plucks at the readers heartstrings, a woman with ghosts, lonely, attaining her goal, Josie was a victim turned survivor in the only way she knew how, using her intelligence as best she could on her harrowing journey.
A wonderfully fun historical fiction of New Orleans and Arlington, you will want to add to your reading list. Great vintage photographs in the book add to the narrative and senses. An array of characters including politicians (fancy that huh?) and another fascinating madam of color and more. All around lively read.
Penguin provided a copy in exchange for an honest review
March 4, 2014
Book Review
Madame by Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin is biographical novel based on the life of Marie Deubler, aka Josie Arlington, the madam of a notorious brothel in Storyville, New Orleans. The story takes place is the late 1800’s and begins with a young Marie working as a lowly street prostitute earning mere coins. She shares quarters and works shifts with another prostitute in Venus Alley, a run-down alley of shacks and crates where whores lay for the poorest dregs of society. She struggles to survive and keep her brother and his wife supported. When she learns the street where she works will be torn down, and a new red light district will open called Storyville, she works hard to re-establish herself there.
Meticulously researched, the book includes important personages of the times, and emits a strong flavour of turn of the century New Orleans. It deals with the political and social climate of the time including racial conflict between whites, blacks, ad Creoles, political corruption, and the modernization caused by the coming of the railroad. Of course there is a strong sense of New Orleans culture with Jazz and food and vibrant life.
From the harsh life on the lowest rungs of social ladder, to the opulence of the rich and wealthy, this novel is sure to entertain. Colorful characters, vivid descriptions, and a compelling storyline kept me turning the pages at a furious pace. And just because this book is about prostitution, in no way does this book disrespect women. Rather, it makes one sympathetic to their plight. I hope to read more books by these authors!
Madame by Cari Lynn and Kellie Martin is biographical novel based on the life of Marie Deubler, aka Josie Arlington, the madam of a notorious brothel in Storyville, New Orleans. The story takes place is the late 1800’s and begins with a young Marie working as a lowly street prostitute earning mere coins. She shares quarters and works shifts with another prostitute in Venus Alley, a run-down alley of shacks and crates where whores lay for the poorest dregs of society. She struggles to survive and keep her brother and his wife supported. When she learns the street where she works will be torn down, and a new red light district will open called Storyville, she works hard to re-establish herself there.
Meticulously researched, the book includes important personages of the times, and emits a strong flavour of turn of the century New Orleans. It deals with the political and social climate of the time including racial conflict between whites, blacks, ad Creoles, political corruption, and the modernization caused by the coming of the railroad. Of course there is a strong sense of New Orleans culture with Jazz and food and vibrant life.
From the harsh life on the lowest rungs of social ladder, to the opulence of the rich and wealthy, this novel is sure to entertain. Colorful characters, vivid descriptions, and a compelling storyline kept me turning the pages at a furious pace. And just because this book is about prostitution, in no way does this book disrespect women. Rather, it makes one sympathetic to their plight. I hope to read more books by these authors!
January 7, 2014
Madam: A Novel of New Orleans, is a wonderfully narrated tour of New Orleans' more sordid past; as seen through the eyes of some of its most note worthy and notorious citizens.
This is a story of a New Orleans living in the shadow of Jim Crow, and nod the cusp of change.
The waning of the 1800's and the dawn of the 1900's brought many changes to New Orleans. While the Jazz culture was in its infancy, the long and storied history of the bawdy girl or "crib prostitute" was at an end. What rose in her place was a "respectable whore" from a house in the "legal red light district of Storyville."
Young Mary Deubler is doing all that she can to survive her drunkard of a pimp, Lobrano, her johns, and life as a low brow prostitute amid the filth and crime of Venus Alley. Viewed by most as nothing but a worthless piece; Mary knows that she is destined for greater things. What she doesn't know is how a combination of tragedy, intelligence, ingenuity, luck, and law will come together to make her one of the most famous and infamous madams of her time.
Mary is someone whose success one is glad of given all that she had to go through in order to achieve it.
This tale is so well crafted that it is hard to know what parts of it are fiction and what parts are fact. The colorful cast of heroes and villains that populate this tale really make this story all that much more real to the reader. This is a tale of a person, a legend, a city, and a way of life.
This is a story of a New Orleans living in the shadow of Jim Crow, and nod the cusp of change.
The waning of the 1800's and the dawn of the 1900's brought many changes to New Orleans. While the Jazz culture was in its infancy, the long and storied history of the bawdy girl or "crib prostitute" was at an end. What rose in her place was a "respectable whore" from a house in the "legal red light district of Storyville."
Young Mary Deubler is doing all that she can to survive her drunkard of a pimp, Lobrano, her johns, and life as a low brow prostitute amid the filth and crime of Venus Alley. Viewed by most as nothing but a worthless piece; Mary knows that she is destined for greater things. What she doesn't know is how a combination of tragedy, intelligence, ingenuity, luck, and law will come together to make her one of the most famous and infamous madams of her time.
Mary is someone whose success one is glad of given all that she had to go through in order to achieve it.
This tale is so well crafted that it is hard to know what parts of it are fiction and what parts are fact. The colorful cast of heroes and villains that populate this tale really make this story all that much more real to the reader. This is a tale of a person, a legend, a city, and a way of life.
February 13, 2014
Madam: A Novel of New Orleans was just that; a story of New Orleans. From the first page I felt as if I was transported back to New Orleans at the turn of the century. Back to Venus Alley where Mary Deubler turns tricks on her kip which she must carry back and forth from her humble home to the shack in the Alley. Mary tries to make the best of her situation, scrimping and saving money for something better for herself, her brother and his wife who is with child. We are there for Mary's struggles as she goes to "work" everyday with hopes and dreams unrealistic of someone in her position.
The book was very well written and as I said, transported me back. I felt as if I was on the streets with Mary. As the story progressed Mary gets her chance to change her fate. Did Voodoo help her or her prayers? My only disappointment in the story was that it ended when it did. I wish we could have seen the transformation that took place when Mary got her dream.
I was excited to have some pictures, expecially of Mary to go along with my reading journey. A true historical fiction novel. So grateful I was one of the Early Reviewers to get a copy.
The book was very well written and as I said, transported me back. I felt as if I was on the streets with Mary. As the story progressed Mary gets her chance to change her fate. Did Voodoo help her or her prayers? My only disappointment in the story was that it ended when it did. I wish we could have seen the transformation that took place when Mary got her dream.
I was excited to have some pictures, expecially of Mary to go along with my reading journey. A true historical fiction novel. So grateful I was one of the Early Reviewers to get a copy.
September 10, 2016
I saw this as an ad on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.com.
I have given Madam: A Novel of New Orleans 5 stars. I LOVED it!
Cari Lynn and Kelli Martin did such a fabulous job incorporating factual research into this novel, I really didn't want it to end.
We also get to know not just Mary, but, the other characters that were a part of Storyville such as Tom Anderson, Countess Lulu White and her girls, Mayor Flower, Snitch, Alderman Sidney Story, Charlotte and Peter, Ferd LeMenthe( Jelly Roll Morton), Eulalie Echo, a quick introduction with EJ Bellocq, and 'ol Uncle Lobrano who I hope turned into a croc's dinner.
It was just wonderfully put together and flowed well page by page.
If you are looking for explicit sex, you won't find it here. Although it is a book about prostitution, Ms. Lynn keeps the integrity intact and does not smut it up with unneeded raunchiness.
I did learn a few things.... I thought it was a joke about prostitutes with "her mattress strapped to her back", nope, it's true and it's was called a "kip"!
Good job on the book Ms. Lynn!
I have given Madam: A Novel of New Orleans 5 stars. I LOVED it!
Cari Lynn and Kelli Martin did such a fabulous job incorporating factual research into this novel, I really didn't want it to end.
We also get to know not just Mary, but, the other characters that were a part of Storyville such as Tom Anderson, Countess Lulu White and her girls, Mayor Flower, Snitch, Alderman Sidney Story, Charlotte and Peter, Ferd LeMenthe( Jelly Roll Morton), Eulalie Echo, a quick introduction with EJ Bellocq, and 'ol Uncle Lobrano who I hope turned into a croc's dinner.
It was just wonderfully put together and flowed well page by page.
If you are looking for explicit sex, you won't find it here. Although it is a book about prostitution, Ms. Lynn keeps the integrity intact and does not smut it up with unneeded raunchiness.
I did learn a few things.... I thought it was a joke about prostitutes with "her mattress strapped to her back", nope, it's true and it's was called a "kip"!
Good job on the book Ms. Lynn!
December 22, 2013
I opened this book, only looking to skim the first page, as I was currently in the middle of reading another book. Well, the authors got me hooked on the very first paragraph. Before I knew it, the book was finished. This story, which is actually mostly non- fiction is about Mary Deubler, who works as a prostitute in New Orlean's "alley" to support her brother, sister-in-law, and soon to be niece. This story brings the reader into Mary's world to New Orleans in the late 1800's. The story also features a Creole piano player, and shares his experiences in an era filled with racism. I highly recommend this book, and I am so sad that it is over. It really takes you into another time, allowing you to see the world through different people's eyes.
January 8, 2014
I received this book as an Early Reviewer. I have a fascination with New Orleans and its amazing history. Madam is based on the true story of Mary Deubler, also known as Madam Josie Arlington, head of The Arlington House bordello in Storyville. This book tells the mostly-true story of her rise from orphaned 12-year-old to a queen of The District. I wish it were longer, to be honest. I loved getting lost in the streets and traditions of the city- voodoo, political corruption, music, and letting the good times roll. This is not a scandalous book in it's content- nothing salacious or offensive. It made me want to read more about the history of NOLA. I finished the book in a matter of a few hours- very easily readable. Loved it!
May 14, 2015
The writing does well in evoking images of the French Quarter and other areas of New Orleans, but I have to wonder why the author chose to focus on this area of Mary Deubler's life. We don't see her rise to power as much as we see her played as a pawn in other people's games (that even in the long run aren't fulfilled plot-wise). It's just, here's this chick, she's dirt poor. And then she's in the right place at the right time, gets noticed due to magic conjurings, and now she's the most illustrious madam in all of New Orleans. And then the book cuts off -- we don't even get to see her reign. All in all, the book is the start of an interesting idea, but definitely needed a lot more development.
March 21, 2014
I read this book in four days and very much enjoyed it. I didn't want to put the book down because I was absorbed into the world of 1897 New Orleans and the story of Mary, a common prostitute who rises to become the Madame of the red light district. I felt attached to the main character and enjoyed the entire cast of characters, and I especially enjoyed all the New Orleans voodoo.
August 6, 2014
I enjoyed this book - so much, in fact, I would like to find more scholarly books about this period of New Orleans history. I think the authors did a fine job and I would definitely read more of their work.
September 6, 2015
It would take some work to make the history of Storyville dull. Having spent considerable time in NOLA, this was an enjoyable way to get the history and some of the ambience. The perfect gift for the NOLA fan living far away.
June 3, 2015
A light, quick read. It encouraged me to seek out some meatier nonfiction about these characters to get more of the story.
May 21, 2014
The history included in this story was more interesting than the characters.
October 25, 2018
Not really feeling this, unsure if it's the writing or if it's the concept.
December 27, 2017
I gave this 2 stars because it was just OK. Three chapters in and I was already annoyed by the writing but I decided to finish it only because it was short enough and easy enough to read to finish before the year was over. The dialogue was cheesy in its efforts to be bawdy and in a way, like a caricature of what a teenage girl might think 1897 New Orleans people might talk like. Harsh, I know.
The book spends a huge amount of time showing the reader different characters and their particular role as Storyville began and then suddenly the story is over. The last sentence of the book description on the back cover says "Madam is a spirited romp through the Big Easy, and the irresistible tale of a real woman's rise to influence and infamy in a world ruled by men". While the beginning of the book shows the main character 10 years after Storyville began in a brief chapter, the book ends just as she's taking the reins as a Madam in Storyville. We hardly get to see her life as a Madam (even though we are exposed to the life through another character Countess Lulu) or why she says she has "nothing" in that first chapter. There are so many other characters, some of whom feel like they were just added to the story as a wink to history and others where I'm not sure why they were even in the book.
Her uncle, Lobrano, at one point goes off to find some buried pirate treasure before he plans to kill himself and says he's going to give it to her . . .we see him off on a raft looking for gum trees and then we never hear from him again. The Voodoo Queen Eulalie Echo who has had several scenes in the book with the main character Mary/Josie has been asked to put a seal on the new Madam Josie Arlington, and yet we never see what happens here. Much of the book just felt like unfinished business. I think this could be a fascinating subject but the execution of this particular book just fell flat for me.
The book spends a huge amount of time showing the reader different characters and their particular role as Storyville began and then suddenly the story is over. The last sentence of the book description on the back cover says "Madam is a spirited romp through the Big Easy, and the irresistible tale of a real woman's rise to influence and infamy in a world ruled by men". While the beginning of the book shows the main character 10 years after Storyville began in a brief chapter, the book ends just as she's taking the reins as a Madam in Storyville. We hardly get to see her life as a Madam (even though we are exposed to the life through another character Countess Lulu) or why she says she has "nothing" in that first chapter. There are so many other characters, some of whom feel like they were just added to the story as a wink to history and others where I'm not sure why they were even in the book.
Her uncle, Lobrano, at one point goes off to find some buried pirate treasure before he plans to kill himself and says he's going to give it to her . . .we see him off on a raft looking for gum trees and then we never hear from him again. The Voodoo Queen Eulalie Echo who has had several scenes in the book with the main character Mary/Josie has been asked to put a seal on the new Madam Josie Arlington, and yet we never see what happens here. Much of the book just felt like unfinished business. I think this could be a fascinating subject but the execution of this particular book just fell flat for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2016
Let me first say, I'm an author of historical fiction and lived in New Orleans most of my adult life. I've also done extensive research for my own book of fiction, set in Storyville. Madam was a disappointment in light of all the research I've done and all I learned about Josie and Storyville in the process.
Though touted as based on Mary Deubler's (Josie Arlington's) life, Madam is generally a book of fiction itself, populated by people who lived at the time and manipulated facts, too many skewed for no apparent reason.
Madam starts with a letter from her niece, Anna Deubler Brady, supposedly written in 1997, in her 90th year. Anna was born in 1884, which would have made her 113 years old at the time of writing. While I haven't found a definitive death date for Anna, we can assume she didn't live to 113 years old.
The letter indicates she's waiting for a storm to bring the Ponchartrain to her door, that being 225 Basin Street, the site of the brothel run by Josie Arlington. Two things there - The Ponchartrain is nowhere near Basin Street, and 225 Basin Street, along with all the other brothels in Storyville, was destroyed in the 1940s to make way for the Iberville Housing Project.
Neither did Anna come from a long line of whores, as the letter indicates. Mary/Josie's one desire was that Anna live the life she herself couldn't live and she funded Anna's travels and education. Anna never learned how Josie had earned her money until shortly before Josie's death in 1914.
Josie lived with John Thomas Brady for some time before 1903, when she had her will drawn up, and until her death. She was not alone, nor without blood relatives. She had two brothers, one died in 1890, leaving another and his sons and daughter, Anna, to whom Josie was devoted, declaring her the love of her life.
In the 1890s, Mary had a brothel on Custom House Street, before the formal dedication of boundaries for Storyville in 1897. That same year, she had the Arlington built. From an early age, she earned her living and that of her family, through whoring, yes, but she wasn't an "alley whore" in 1900 as the blurb indicates and I've never read anything that said she ever was. Josie aspired to a grand life.
In 1907, we're told it's Josie's 30th birthday. Josie was born in 1864, which would have made her 43. After the 1905 fire ravaged a good deal of the Arlington at 225 Basin Street, she had the place restored but she never again resided at the brothel. Instead, she took up residence in her Esplanade Ave. mansion, still with J.T. Brady. Her prostitutes worked above Tom Anderson's place at Basin and Iberville, and was dubbed Arlington Annex.
Upon completion of the repairs, Josie leased the Arlington to one of her prostitutes. When Josie retired in 1909, many of her assets were bought by Tom Anderson and not passed on to her niece. The niece and Josie's lover, J.T. Brady, who became Anna's eventual husband within days of Josie's death, got the Esplanade Avenue house, the courts said through the machinations of Josie. Since she could bequeath no more than ten percent of her wealth to Brady, Brady married Anna and as her husband, was co-owner of the house and other assets.
The Arlington was never in the possession of Anna Deubler, her niece. Josie became a recluse and died in 1914, at age 50, after battling dementia for some years. This was three years before the formal closure of Storyville in November 1917.
Black professors (piano players) were common in all Storyville brothels, essential to the revenues engendered. The lull between introduction and climbing the stairs to paradise was used to get the clients sauced. The client paid the professor to play and he'd dance with his "date" before they went upstairs for the finale. The general rule was the customers never left with the money they came in with.
We're told that Josie was a rebel about about having a black professor in her establishment. All brothels had them, down to the smallest. Many photographs by E.J. Belloqc show these musicians in the parlors of the brothels. Storyville came alive with ragtime, jazz, and the more earthy rhythm and blues. Jazz was born in Storyville. Black men couldn't partake of the prostitutes charms, even in the octoroon palaces like Lulu White's, but black musicians were not an anomaly in Storyville. Quite the opposite.
Despite the note saying the authors commandeered Countess from Willie Piazza and assigned it to Lulu White, there was no reason to do so. Makes no sense whatsoever. Lulu was a rough, ill-spoken uneducated scrabbler of a woman who had no head for business, though she ran one of the most successful brothels. She often trusted the wrong people and lost a fortune because of it. I've never read of the rivalry between Lulu and Josie. The premise seems silly.
We're told the city was so ashamed of Storyville that they changed the names of the streets. Not true. All the street names remain today, save Custom House Street, which was renamed Iberville in 1901, three years after Storyville's inception.
For a book said to be historically researched and based on a real person, giving the impression of a biography, this book is packed with egregious errors. Many more than I can list here. Authors shouldn't fictionalize the lives of real people to this extent. Josie lived an interesting life without embellishment or falsehoods.
By the time Ferdinand appears in 1907, he, as Jelly Roll Morton, had already declared himself the inventor of jazz. His fellows didn't think much of the boast and historians question the accuracy, though he did contribute significantly to the genre. Ferd took the name Jelly Roll Morton at age 14, and Josie had nothing to do with it.
Craft-wise, Madam is filled with passive voice, filters, telling instead of showing, stiff cardboard dialogue that is often used to dump information from improbable lips, and POV switches to distraction - omniscient, Josie, Ferd, and everyone else. In 2014, the year of publication, these simple craft issues should have been edited out. Instead, the book reads much like a first draft, with little editing at all, and certainly no historical content fact-checking.
We are led to believe by the authors' notes, the use of the main character's given/adopted name, and certain facts about her life that somewhat parallel Josie's life, that Madam is a biographical work, with a few fudges for expediency. It is not. Had the names been changed to fictitious ones, the story fleshed out with equal doses of narrative and exposition, and had been edited properly, this might have been a more enjoyable fictional read, but given that we're told it is based on Josie's life (not inspired by it,) and that it was researched for years, to anyone with a modicum of knowledge of New Orleans and Storyville, the glaring errors make for a disappointing read.
Though touted as based on Mary Deubler's (Josie Arlington's) life, Madam is generally a book of fiction itself, populated by people who lived at the time and manipulated facts, too many skewed for no apparent reason.
Madam starts with a letter from her niece, Anna Deubler Brady, supposedly written in 1997, in her 90th year. Anna was born in 1884, which would have made her 113 years old at the time of writing. While I haven't found a definitive death date for Anna, we can assume she didn't live to 113 years old.
The letter indicates she's waiting for a storm to bring the Ponchartrain to her door, that being 225 Basin Street, the site of the brothel run by Josie Arlington. Two things there - The Ponchartrain is nowhere near Basin Street, and 225 Basin Street, along with all the other brothels in Storyville, was destroyed in the 1940s to make way for the Iberville Housing Project.
Neither did Anna come from a long line of whores, as the letter indicates. Mary/Josie's one desire was that Anna live the life she herself couldn't live and she funded Anna's travels and education. Anna never learned how Josie had earned her money until shortly before Josie's death in 1914.
Josie lived with John Thomas Brady for some time before 1903, when she had her will drawn up, and until her death. She was not alone, nor without blood relatives. She had two brothers, one died in 1890, leaving another and his sons and daughter, Anna, to whom Josie was devoted, declaring her the love of her life.
In the 1890s, Mary had a brothel on Custom House Street, before the formal dedication of boundaries for Storyville in 1897. That same year, she had the Arlington built. From an early age, she earned her living and that of her family, through whoring, yes, but she wasn't an "alley whore" in 1900 as the blurb indicates and I've never read anything that said she ever was. Josie aspired to a grand life.
In 1907, we're told it's Josie's 30th birthday. Josie was born in 1864, which would have made her 43. After the 1905 fire ravaged a good deal of the Arlington at 225 Basin Street, she had the place restored but she never again resided at the brothel. Instead, she took up residence in her Esplanade Ave. mansion, still with J.T. Brady. Her prostitutes worked above Tom Anderson's place at Basin and Iberville, and was dubbed Arlington Annex.
Upon completion of the repairs, Josie leased the Arlington to one of her prostitutes. When Josie retired in 1909, many of her assets were bought by Tom Anderson and not passed on to her niece. The niece and Josie's lover, J.T. Brady, who became Anna's eventual husband within days of Josie's death, got the Esplanade Avenue house, the courts said through the machinations of Josie. Since she could bequeath no more than ten percent of her wealth to Brady, Brady married Anna and as her husband, was co-owner of the house and other assets.
The Arlington was never in the possession of Anna Deubler, her niece. Josie became a recluse and died in 1914, at age 50, after battling dementia for some years. This was three years before the formal closure of Storyville in November 1917.
Black professors (piano players) were common in all Storyville brothels, essential to the revenues engendered. The lull between introduction and climbing the stairs to paradise was used to get the clients sauced. The client paid the professor to play and he'd dance with his "date" before they went upstairs for the finale. The general rule was the customers never left with the money they came in with.
We're told that Josie was a rebel about about having a black professor in her establishment. All brothels had them, down to the smallest. Many photographs by E.J. Belloqc show these musicians in the parlors of the brothels. Storyville came alive with ragtime, jazz, and the more earthy rhythm and blues. Jazz was born in Storyville. Black men couldn't partake of the prostitutes charms, even in the octoroon palaces like Lulu White's, but black musicians were not an anomaly in Storyville. Quite the opposite.
Despite the note saying the authors commandeered Countess from Willie Piazza and assigned it to Lulu White, there was no reason to do so. Makes no sense whatsoever. Lulu was a rough, ill-spoken uneducated scrabbler of a woman who had no head for business, though she ran one of the most successful brothels. She often trusted the wrong people and lost a fortune because of it. I've never read of the rivalry between Lulu and Josie. The premise seems silly.
We're told the city was so ashamed of Storyville that they changed the names of the streets. Not true. All the street names remain today, save Custom House Street, which was renamed Iberville in 1901, three years after Storyville's inception.
For a book said to be historically researched and based on a real person, giving the impression of a biography, this book is packed with egregious errors. Many more than I can list here. Authors shouldn't fictionalize the lives of real people to this extent. Josie lived an interesting life without embellishment or falsehoods.
By the time Ferdinand appears in 1907, he, as Jelly Roll Morton, had already declared himself the inventor of jazz. His fellows didn't think much of the boast and historians question the accuracy, though he did contribute significantly to the genre. Ferd took the name Jelly Roll Morton at age 14, and Josie had nothing to do with it.
Craft-wise, Madam is filled with passive voice, filters, telling instead of showing, stiff cardboard dialogue that is often used to dump information from improbable lips, and POV switches to distraction - omniscient, Josie, Ferd, and everyone else. In 2014, the year of publication, these simple craft issues should have been edited out. Instead, the book reads much like a first draft, with little editing at all, and certainly no historical content fact-checking.
We are led to believe by the authors' notes, the use of the main character's given/adopted name, and certain facts about her life that somewhat parallel Josie's life, that Madam is a biographical work, with a few fudges for expediency. It is not. Had the names been changed to fictitious ones, the story fleshed out with equal doses of narrative and exposition, and had been edited properly, this might have been a more enjoyable fictional read, but given that we're told it is based on Josie's life (not inspired by it,) and that it was researched for years, to anyone with a modicum of knowledge of New Orleans and Storyville, the glaring errors make for a disappointing read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
Here are my two main issues with this book:
1) it feels slightly unfair to Madam as this is a complaint I have with most books like this one - far too many books that are set in New Orleans fail to convey the richness of their setting. When I read a book about NOLA, I want to hear about the city as well and not just the people in it. I think I can count on one hand the books I've read about my favorite city that describe it justly. If you have New Orleans as a setting, also treat it like a character, but I didn't get much at all about the city itself in this novel.
2) this really should have been written differently. I don't necessarily think it was written poorly, but I would have been happy to read a 500-600 page book about the ascension of Josie Arlington as a notorious Madam of New Orleans. Instead, I only got the back story leading up to the moment where she becomes a madam. This novel would have been miles better had the authors dove more deeply into character development and stretched the story over a lifetime, similar to one of my favorite books, "Queen of the Night" by Alexander Chee.
For what this book claimed to be, overall it was lackluster. I expected a little more literary historical fiction, and this did not live up to that. That being said, it was a quick read right before I head back to NOLA myself this week and it scratched a small itch.
1) it feels slightly unfair to Madam as this is a complaint I have with most books like this one - far too many books that are set in New Orleans fail to convey the richness of their setting. When I read a book about NOLA, I want to hear about the city as well and not just the people in it. I think I can count on one hand the books I've read about my favorite city that describe it justly. If you have New Orleans as a setting, also treat it like a character, but I didn't get much at all about the city itself in this novel.
2) this really should have been written differently. I don't necessarily think it was written poorly, but I would have been happy to read a 500-600 page book about the ascension of Josie Arlington as a notorious Madam of New Orleans. Instead, I only got the back story leading up to the moment where she becomes a madam. This novel would have been miles better had the authors dove more deeply into character development and stretched the story over a lifetime, similar to one of my favorite books, "Queen of the Night" by Alexander Chee.
For what this book claimed to be, overall it was lackluster. I expected a little more literary historical fiction, and this did not live up to that. That being said, it was a quick read right before I head back to NOLA myself this week and it scratched a small itch.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 202 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.