The Jewel of the Blues - by Monica Chenault-Kilgore Paperback

About the Book

"Billed as the Little Girl with the Big Voice, blues singer Lucille Arnetta Love always dreamed of life under the lights. From traveling family gospel band to lead singer in a riotous vaudeville troupe, Lucille is on the rise. But a devastating family secret, one that's poised to shatter every dream she's ever had, casts an inescapable shadow over Lucille's career. Decades ago, a botched robbery ended in a suspicious death--and all signs point to Lucille's own father as the culprit. It's a secret that Lucille's family is determined to keep buried--even from Lucille herself. For a time, a fresh start feels possible, especially when Marcus Williams, Lucille's manager--and sometimes paramour--sets her up with a band to tour the country: Miss Lucille's Black Troubadours. Lucille's dream of seeing her name in the bright lights of Broadway may happen yet, if she and the Troubadours can endure the highly competitive, rocky road to fame. Beneath the dazzling glamour of the vaudeville scene lies a wicked underbelly, as drinking, gambling, salacious love affairs and racial tensions compete to dim Lucille's shining star. And when shady figures from her father's past emerge, their thirst for revenge threatens to silence Lucille's career--and the sultry singer herself--for good"--

Book Synopsis

Set in the sparkling 1920s jazz era, The Jewel of the Blues pulls back the curtain on all the romance, danger and drama in the bustling backstage life of a young performer.

Billed as the Little Girl with the Big Voice, blues singer Lucille Arnetta Love always dreamed of life under the lights. From traveling family gospel band to lead singer in a riotous vaudeville troupe, Lucille is on the rise. But a devastating family secret, one that's poised to shatter every dream she's ever had, casts an inescapable shadow over Lucille's career.

Decades ago, a botched robbery ended in a suspicious death--and all signs point to Lucille's own father as the culprit. It's a secret that Lucille's family is determined to keep buried--even from Lucille herself. For a time, a fresh start feels possible, especially when Marcus Williams, Lucille's manager--and sometimes paramour--sets her up with a band to tour the country: Miss Lucille's Black Troubadours. Lucille's dream of seeing her name in the bright lights of Broadway may happen yet, if she and the Troubadours can endure the highly competitive, rocky road to fame.

Beneath the dazzling glamour of the vaudeville scene lies a wicked underbelly, as drinking, gambling, salacious love affairs and racial tensions compete to dim Lucille's shining star. And when shady figures from her father's past emerge, their thirst for revenge threatens to silence Lucille's career--and the sultry singer herself--for good.

Review Quotes

SheReads, Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of Fall 2024
NetGalley, Most Anticipated Book Releases of November 2024
BookBub, Exciting November 2024 Releases

"[An] immersive Jazz Age tale. Both the glamour and the dark side of a musician's life are well-covered, as is the pervasive racism of 1920s America...Fans of Diane Richards and Phyllis R. Dixon will be hooked." --Booklist

"The Jewel of the Blues is a gem. Starry-eyed Lucille Love is a girl with a big voice and bigger dreams, hoping to get off the small-time vaudeville circuit where she travels with her parents, and become the next Josephine Baker singing in Paris. When a sharp new manager rebrands Lucille as the star of the Black Troubadours, she's convinced her chance has come--but an ugly secret lurking in the past rears its head to threaten everything she has worked for. Monica Chenault-Kilgore brings the world of Prohibition jazz in Jim Crow America to vivid life, gritty and unforgettable." --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author

"With The Jewel of the Blues, Chenault-Kilgore brings to life a rich and soulful tale of ambition, vengeance, and yearning. Through her harmonic assembling of characters, we experience the ins and outs of life on the road for performers in the Midwest during the 1920s, where we witness the burgeoning of the story's talented heroine, Lucille. At the book's heart is a rhythmic portrayal of love, family, and friendship. A sparkling jewel, indeed." --Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women

"The Jewel of the Blues is a jewel of a novel! Monica Chenault-Kilgore brings the stage to life in her latest historical tale, capturing the big voice of Lucille Love, and the fabulous cast of characters that surround her lyrical life. I thoroughly enjoyed traveling right beside the melodic Loves in this story of music, family, love, loss, redemption, and dreams." --Eliza Knight, USA Today and international bestselling author of Starring Adele Astaire

"The Jewel of the Blues is a dazzling Jazz-Age novel that propels the reader onstage alongside Lucille Love as she sets her sights on stardom. Vivid detail and page-turning drama make this a fascinating read." --Chanel Cleeton, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The House on Biscayne Bay

"Chenault-Kilgore's latest is an ode to the Black musicians of the Jazz Age who risked everything to follow their dreams, as well as a taut drama bursting with intrigue. In Lucille, she's conjured up a heroine who practically leaps off the page with her passion and spark. Enthralling, fearless, and joyful." --Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular

"A vivid and captivating tale of the glamorous Lucille Love, as she navigates the Jazz era with courage and dignity, in spite of a family secret that threatens to unravel the brilliant career she's created." --Joshunda Saunders, author of Women of the Post

"Monica Chenault-Kilgore has gifted readers with a journey of the heart that travels along the backroads of the vaudeville-era Chittlin' Circuit. I don't think I've ever read a book that made me smell the red clay dust of an old country back road before. She made the sweat, the frustration, and the joy of her characters my own. I hope to see The Jewel of the Blues on my television screen as well as on my bookshelf." --Kaia Alderson, Author of Sisters in Arms

"Lucille, Marcus and the musicians are drawn with depth, and many scenes are memorable as they experience the highs of performing and the lows of existing as impoverished, hand-to-mouth entertainers. The writing shines when Lucille "sings with grace" and "swings those hips" and comes alive on stage. The reader is immersed in vivid period detail like pomade and fancy hairstyles, gold-beaded costumes, rhinestone bracelets, feathers and klieg lights...The Jewel of the Blues is author Chenault-Kilgore's second historical novel and will be relished by her readers who are interested in the early 20th century jazz era." --Historical Novel Society

"If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love Monica Chenault-Kilgore's latest. Vivid imagery and a kaleidoscopic heroine make this Jazz Age story one to savor. It has drama, romance, glamour, secrets and redemption all wrapped up in Chenault-Kilgore's lyrical prose." --Ms. Magazine

"Readers are transported back to the 1920s jazz era in this rich and sparkling page-turner rich and sparkling page-turner." --Woman's World, 10 Best Historical Fiction Books About Music

PRAISE FOR LONG GONE, COME HOME
GoodReads, Time Travel with Summer's Biggest Historical Fiction Novels
The Root, June 2023 Books By Black Authors We Can't Wait to Read
Ms. Magazine, June 2023 Reads for the Rest of Us
88 Upcoming Books the Goodreads Editors Can't Wait to Read
SheReads, Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of Summer 2023
Thoughts from a Page, Most Anticipated Historical Fiction of Summer 2023
BookBub, Best Historical Fiction of Summer 2023
Audiofile's Best Audiobooks of July 2023 and Earphones Award Winner

"Monica Chenault-Kilgore's Long Gone, Come Home is a big-hearted story of perseverance, family, and ambition set against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the racial intolerances of the early 20th century. In Birdie, Chenault-Kilgore has created an unforgettable heroine whose resilience and determination will resonate long after you finish reading." --Bryn Turnbull, international bestselling author of The Last Grand Duchess

"Long Gone, Come Home is a heart-filled tale about a young woman willing to sacrifice it all for love and family. Set against the background of the Great Depression and Jim Crow, Chenault-Kilgore's debut tugs every emotion as Birdie fights to make a way out of no way." --Kaia Alderson, author of Sisters in Arms

"Long Gone, Come Home is a poignant and powerful debut novel set against the backdrop of the 1930s jazz era, Great Depression, and civil rights movement. Monica Chenault-Kilgore has penned a sweeping, poetic story of love and family told through the eyes of a courageous and unforgettable heroine." --Chanel Cleeton, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of Our Last Days in Barcelona

"An extraordinary tale of resilience and determination, Monica Chenault-Kilgore's Long Gone, Come Home takes us on a journey of the 1930s jazz era and civil rights movement through the eyes of a tenacious and unforgettable heroine. Birdie's enduring story is one of love, loss, family and survival. Despite the unexpected twists her life path took, when tragedy and fear could have prevailed, Birdie never forgot her dream, nor did she stop fighting for it. I was blown away by this powerful, heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful debut!" --Eliza Knight, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Mayfair Bookshop

"Monica Chenault-Kilgore's heartfelt debut, Long Gone, Come Home, vividly captures its setting and era through the trials and triumphs of a heroine readers will root for. Nuanced and atmospheric, this is a story of people pursuing big dreams amid great injustice, and ultimately realizing the value of family and the enduring power of love." --Kristin Beck, author of The Winter Orphans

"A remarkable story wonderfully told, Long Gone, Come Home, by Monica Chenault-Kilgore, is a historical novel with a wealth of captivating characters in a story about relationships, identity, struggles, and the heartbreak and joys of a Black woman and her family, over a decade, beginning in 1936 Kentucky. Chenault-Kilgore's main character Birdie is unforgettable--from page one, this complicated young woman grabs hold and doesn't let go until the last sentence." --Denny S. Bryce, Bestselling Author of Wild Women and the Blues

"Long Gone, Come Home is part adventure, romance, historical fiction, mystery, and coming of age, which Kilgore deftly develops into a tense, emotional, and inspiring read.... a masterpiece of literary fiction." --The Gloss, 5-star review

"It's one of those books you don't want to put down." --Red Carpet Crash

"[A] compelling debut... [a] powerful story of love, jazz, courage and home." --Ms. Magazine

"An effective and emotional novel, populated with big characters and vibrant settings... Chenault-Kilgore gives us a sweep of Black experiences in a thoughtful and vivid narrative." --Historical Novel Society