SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter
Choices are slim for Cayley Wallace in 1889, in the boomtown of San Francisco. When she takes an unexpected opportunity to serve drinks at a bar on Market Street, she causes an uproar in her conservative Irish neighborhood, triggers a brutal outburst by her husband, and takes the first step toward becoming the city's most notorious, wealthiest and outspoken Madame. Across town, a gentle Chinese scholar joins a tong and dives deeper into the violent world of warring factions in "Little China". Wo Sam's idealism and naivete lead him to dangerous and thoughtless acts; he becomes a pariah to both whites and Chinese. These two outcasts find each other, creating a world for themselves and others who live beyond the strict boundaries of late Victorian society. But neither can ever be completely free: desperate attempts at "respectability", a badly chosen marriage, revenge, kidnapping, and a tragic murder shake up their lives. When San Francisco is broken and burned to the ground, can they hold on to what they've created? And can they hold on to each other in a world that strictly forbids any bond between them?
Shaketown is based on a real person, Theresa "Tess" Wall, who made the papers on a regular basis in the wide-open "Gilded Age" before the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Wo Sam's story is a conglomeration of tales from my Chinese relatives and other stories of Chinese immigrants to "Gold Mountain" at the turn of the century. As the author of nine non-fiction books and a life-long resident of the San Francisco bay area, I felt compelled to tell this story: I think you'll find these characters, their friends and enemies as captivating as I did. Reviewers have dubbed Shaketown "a page-turner" and " a thrilling mix of history, lively characters, and a firecracker plot". Happy reading!
"1122688275"
SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter
Choices are slim for Cayley Wallace in 1889, in the boomtown of San Francisco. When she takes an unexpected opportunity to serve drinks at a bar on Market Street, she causes an uproar in her conservative Irish neighborhood, triggers a brutal outburst by her husband, and takes the first step toward becoming the city's most notorious, wealthiest and outspoken Madame. Across town, a gentle Chinese scholar joins a tong and dives deeper into the violent world of warring factions in "Little China". Wo Sam's idealism and naivete lead him to dangerous and thoughtless acts; he becomes a pariah to both whites and Chinese. These two outcasts find each other, creating a world for themselves and others who live beyond the strict boundaries of late Victorian society. But neither can ever be completely free: desperate attempts at "respectability", a badly chosen marriage, revenge, kidnapping, and a tragic murder shake up their lives. When San Francisco is broken and burned to the ground, can they hold on to what they've created? And can they hold on to each other in a world that strictly forbids any bond between them?
Shaketown is based on a real person, Theresa "Tess" Wall, who made the papers on a regular basis in the wide-open "Gilded Age" before the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Wo Sam's story is a conglomeration of tales from my Chinese relatives and other stories of Chinese immigrants to "Gold Mountain" at the turn of the century. As the author of nine non-fiction books and a life-long resident of the San Francisco bay area, I felt compelled to tell this story: I think you'll find these characters, their friends and enemies as captivating as I did. Reviewers have dubbed Shaketown "a page-turner" and " a thrilling mix of history, lively characters, and a firecracker plot". Happy reading!
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SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter

SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter

by Joanne Orion Miller
SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter

SHAKETOWN: The Madam's Daughter

by Joanne Orion Miller

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Overview

Choices are slim for Cayley Wallace in 1889, in the boomtown of San Francisco. When she takes an unexpected opportunity to serve drinks at a bar on Market Street, she causes an uproar in her conservative Irish neighborhood, triggers a brutal outburst by her husband, and takes the first step toward becoming the city's most notorious, wealthiest and outspoken Madame. Across town, a gentle Chinese scholar joins a tong and dives deeper into the violent world of warring factions in "Little China". Wo Sam's idealism and naivete lead him to dangerous and thoughtless acts; he becomes a pariah to both whites and Chinese. These two outcasts find each other, creating a world for themselves and others who live beyond the strict boundaries of late Victorian society. But neither can ever be completely free: desperate attempts at "respectability", a badly chosen marriage, revenge, kidnapping, and a tragic murder shake up their lives. When San Francisco is broken and burned to the ground, can they hold on to what they've created? And can they hold on to each other in a world that strictly forbids any bond between them?
Shaketown is based on a real person, Theresa "Tess" Wall, who made the papers on a regular basis in the wide-open "Gilded Age" before the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. Wo Sam's story is a conglomeration of tales from my Chinese relatives and other stories of Chinese immigrants to "Gold Mountain" at the turn of the century. As the author of nine non-fiction books and a life-long resident of the San Francisco bay area, I felt compelled to tell this story: I think you'll find these characters, their friends and enemies as captivating as I did. Reviewers have dubbed Shaketown "a page-turner" and " a thrilling mix of history, lively characters, and a firecracker plot". Happy reading!

Product Details

BN ID: 2940186552604
Publisher: Quile Press
Publication date: 02/18/2023
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 981 KB

About the Author

Joanne Orion Miller has been a professional freelance writer since 1992, after training as an anthropologist and stints in corporate marketing and public relations. Her short stories have appeared in Carve Magazine ("Penance" received the Raymond Carver Award) and the anthology Ripe Fruit. She was one of 20 international writers chosen to attend and read at the Spoleto (Italy) Literary Conference.
Her soon to be published thriller, "Power Lessons" is set in California's eastern Sierras.
She wrote five comprehensive non-fiction books for Avalon Travel; each book featured detailed histories, with emphasis on the Revolutionary War and Civil War periods. Joanne is also the author of Best Places Marin (Sasquatch Press) and Little Black Book Maui/Kaua’i (Peter Pauper Press). She has contributed to numerous other books including This Land (UC Press), Eyewitness San Francisco, Eyewitness San Francisco and Northern California and DK USA (all Dorling Kindersley).
Her articles on the craft of writing and profiles/interviews with authors and agents such as Isabelle Allende and Arthur Golden have appeared in Writer’s Market, Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and Guide to Literary Agents (all F+W Press).
Joanne is a board member of California Writers Club Marin. www.joanneorionmiller.com
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