Waiting in the Wings by Geene Reese
Waiting in the Wings, by Geene Reese
Even though I’ve lived in San Francisco for 35 years, I never tire of its physical beauty, architecture, diverse culture, and most of all, this city’s colorful, and often, disreputable history.
So, I was very excited to receive Waiting in the Wings, a historical novel set in prohibition-era San Francisco and based on the true story of the author’s great aunt.
From the introduction: Hidden in a compartment of my grandmother’s bottom dresser drawer was an old scrapbook. Pressed inside were photographs of a beautiful young woman and hundreds of newspaper clippings about vaudeville shows and the movie industry. This, is how I learned about my great aunt Ruby Adams.
This is no dry historical biography, in just the first pages, both Ruby, a beautiful, spunky vaudeville performer, and 1920’s era San Francisco sparkle to life. For a San Franciscan, the opening chapter is pure delight as we walk the sidewalks of the city with Ruby — leaving the original St. Francis Hotel, crossing street-car-crowded Market Street, and into the historic Strand theater. On our way, doormen greet her and others smile in delight –everyone knows Ruby and her delightful vaudeville review.
This is a time of transition for vaudeville theater, as the moving picture industry is starting to encroach. Ruby, with her striking looks, is contemplating a move to moving pictures, but still gaily performs her vaudeville routine in the historic theater where she practically grew up.
We join Ruby as she prepares for her nightly performance, observing both the back stage workings and the show performance itself. We are also with Ruby, that fateful evening, when she is injured in a back stage accident.
Ruby’s injuries are extensive and the accident, upon investigation, reveals negligence. Her career over, Ruby files a lawsuit…and here Waiting in the Wings takes a compelling turn. Ms. Reese takes us into the corruption and prevailing attitudes of the time, with unscrupulous lawyers and shady dealings behind the scenes.
At this point in the novel, some non-San Franciscans may get bogged down with the name dropping. And yes, there are numerous names to keep track of — greedy politicians, questionable judges, and shady lawyers. Many of these names are still famous here today — Spreckles, Newsom, Davis –and, while I found it rough going at times, it was still fascinating.
Throughout it all, Ruby is resilient and carries on with unflagging spirit. There is romance as Ruby is buoyed through the ordeal by the affection of quirky, but lovable, speakeasy owner “Coffee Dan”.
This story of legal shenanigans and “death by a thousand delays” moves ahead with the help of actual newspaper clippings (with photos) and snippets of court documents. I won’t spoil the outcome, except to say, the case ends up in Superior Court. I found Waiting in the Wings fascinating and compulsive. I had to keep reading to find out what happens to our brave Ruby Adams.
It is clear that Ms. Reese did an enormous amount of research. This gives Waiting in the Wings pitch perfect realism — from the jargon and dialogue of the era, to the weather, the newspapers of the time, even the popular boxed candy gifts of the era (some still in business today).
But, most strikingly, this realism allows the reader a time capsule view of 1920’s San Francisco — with lovingly re-created scenes that pull from our city’s rich history, buildings, diverse neighborhoods and the never-ending, conga line of eccentric and questionable characters — nothing much has changed.
A copy of the book was provided by the author, in exchange for a honest review.
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