This is an audiobook for people who want to know who was Beyoncé before Beyoncé, or Madonna before Madonna. Josephine Baker led a life that sounds more like that of a character in great literature than a groundbreaking entertainer, civil rights champion, and possible spy. But Baker was all of this and more. She was an international star, and Jones’s fictionalized account of her life, as narrated expertly by Adenrele Ojo, is certain to enthrall and possibly inspire. Ojo’s pacing and passion for the story of Baker’s life come shining through. Listeners will be left with a deep appreciation for a woman whose life began in tragedy, included countless trials of the spirit, and ended in triumph. This is a riveting listen. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Josephine Baker's Last Dance
Narrated by Adenrele Ojo
Sherry JonesUnabridged — 13 hours, 0 minutes
Josephine Baker's Last Dance
Narrated by Adenrele Ojo
Sherry JonesUnabridged — 13 hours, 0 minutes
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Overview
In this illuminating biographical novel, Sherry Jones spans Josephine's early years in servitude and poverty in America, to her rise to fame as a showgirl in her famous banana skirt, to her activism against discrimination, and her many loves and losses. From 1920s Paris to 1960s Washington, to her final, triumphant performance, one of the most extraordinary lives of the twentieth century comes to stunning life on the page.
With intimate prose and comprehensive research, Sherry Jones brings this remarkable and compelling public figure into focus for the first time in a joyous celebration of a life lived in technicolor, a powerful woman who continues to inspire today.
Editorial Reviews
"Heloise is the sort of heroine you cannot help rooting for: brilliant and naïve, vulnerable and tough. The Sharp Hook of Love will have you up all night holding your breath as you turn each page."
Praise for Josephine Baker's Last Dance
“Sherry Jones takes us on a remarkable journey of heartbreak and empowerment. Josephine Baker’s Last Dance is a bold and beautiful book about a bold and beautiful life. This book left its mark on me.
[An] entertaining portrait of a groundbreaking woman. Hand this to fans of Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife (2011), Liza Klaussman’s Villa America (2015), and other tales of Jazz Age artists.”
"Passion and treachery mingle in Sherry Jones's explosive novel The Sharp Hook of Love. Wrenching and erotic, this is a grand romance in every sense of the word."
"If you loved The Paris Wife, you're going to love this... Sherry Jones's new Fall release is an inspiring novel that women everywhere will find to be an important piece of literature in helping to bring about total equality in our current world."
Praise for The Sharp Hook of Love
"A fresh re-imagining of a legendary romance that breathes insight into the passionate and forbidden relationship between Heloise and Abelard. Jones beautifully evokes the era. Readers will feel as though they are walking the streets of Paris and experiencing the joy that eventually leads to heartbreak."
"A sensual journey into twelfth century Paris. With a sharp eye for historical detail, Jones weaves an unforgettable, compelling tale about enduring love."
The mesmerizing chanteuse who shattered race barriers and hearts across the world is brought to vivid, unstoppable life in Josephine Baker's Last Dance. The champagne swirl of the Jazz Age fuels this amazing, untold story of a defiant woman who fought her way from poverty to become the toast of Europe, infamous for her bawdy act and banana-peel-barely-there skirt. Jones’s Josephine is complicated and human: a courageous artist on a quest for freedom under the haunting legacy of race inequality; she emerges as not only a fantastic icon from the past in her own right, but also as a mirror and example for today. “
[An] entertaining portrait of a groundbreaking woman. Hand this to fans of Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife (2011), Liza Klaussman’s Villa America (2015), and other tales of Jazz Age artists.
03/01/2019
This fictionalized biography of Josephine Baker (1906–75), told in the first person, adds plausible private reflections, inside motivations, and secret reactions to the well-known facts of her life. Always believing in herself despite the odds, Josephine rose above her heartbreaking childhood in St. Louis to find not only acceptance but adulation in Paris. She used her prominence, intelligence, and survival skills during World War II as an agent of the French Resistance and later to influence integration in the United States. A courageous woman always, Baker chose optimism over despair and action over passivity. Adenrele Ojo portrays via adroit modulation and pacing the pathos of the youthful woman as well as her determination to succeed. As Josephine matures, Ojo's pitch deepens to depict the self-confidence and sophistication of a woman in her prime. VERDICT Recommended for historical fiction fans and those with an interest in Baker.—Juleigh Muirhead Clark, Williamsburg, VA
This is an audiobook for people who want to know who was Beyoncé before Beyoncé, or Madonna before Madonna. Josephine Baker led a life that sounds more like that of a character in great literature than a groundbreaking entertainer, civil rights champion, and possible spy. But Baker was all of this and more. She was an international star, and Jones’s fictionalized account of her life, as narrated expertly by Adenrele Ojo, is certain to enthrall and possibly inspire. Ojo’s pacing and passion for the story of Baker’s life come shining through. Listeners will be left with a deep appreciation for a woman whose life began in tragedy, included countless trials of the spirit, and ended in triumph. This is a riveting listen. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
2018-09-18
The extraordinary story of a unique and unrivaled icon.
In a word, Josephine Baker's life was unbelievable. When she was born in poverty in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1906, that Baker would become a famous singer, dancer, actress, and one of Paris' most beloved stars was the remotest of possibilities. Yet that's exactly what happened. What's more, Baker's remarkable life coincided with some of the most significant events and epochs that shaped the 20th century—Jim Crow, World War II, and the civil rights movement—and she was there in the center of it all. That, combined with the gaps that remain in Baker's story, makes her an ideal subject for a novel. Indeed, with an engrossing and generally well-paced book, Jones (The Sharp Hook of Love, 2014, etc.) fills in the blanks and offers a corrective to some of Baker's fabrications about her own life. Jones is solid as she reimagines Baker's early years, delineating the life of a young woman who refused to give up her dream despite a lack of support from her family, and is at her absolute best when she takes a sustained look at Baker's greatest performance: her work for the French Resistance. Jones convincingly describes the danger of Baker's work as a spy, crafting an outwardly confident and coquettishly cool woman who is actually afraid but willing to risk it all. In fact, Jones' deft juxtaposition of Baker's internal and external worlds throughout the novel is what readers will appreciate most—and they'll wish she had done that for the final act of Baker's life instead of offering a rushed ending.
Despite the quick ending, Jones delivers a satisfying life of one endlessly fascinating person.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170215485 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HighBridge Company |
| Publication date: | 12/04/2018 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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