Rodgers & Hart's "Ten Cents a Dance" has been in my cabaret repertoire for years without me really thinking about the lyrics or connecting that it was about a taxi dancer. So when I saw this book I instantly wanted to read it.The book is incredibly detailed and real feeling for historical fiction without being pedantic (no characters pause to explain slang or pop culture references of the times, thank goodness). It reminded me in slight ways of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn with the vivid descriptions of poverty in early 20th century big city slums. It's interesting to compare the fates of the two heroines- one saved by education and meeting a respectable boy to fall in love with and another slipping into a highly shady career by falling for the wrong kind of boy.
I also love the author's website; it has so much fascinating information on her research.
I definitely plan to read her other book, Tallulah Falls. And to reread A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
