Vera: A Novel
Written by Carol Edgarian
Narrated by Kathe Mazur
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Meet Vera Johnson, fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello. Vera has grown up straddling two worlds—the madam’s alluring sphere, replete with tickets to the opera, surly henchmen, and scant morality, and the quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her.
On the morning of the great quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned, and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Disregarding societal norms and prejudices, Vera begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors, navigating through the disaster together.
“A character-driven novel about family, power, and loyalty, (San Francisco Chronicle), Vera brings to life legendary characters—tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted mayor Eugene Schmitz and boss Abe Ruef, tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels. This “brilliantly conceived and beautifully realized” (Booklist, starred review) tale of improbable outcomes and alliances takes hold from the first page, with remarkable scenes of devastation, renewal, and joy. Vera celebrates the audacious fortitude of its young heroine, who discovers an unexpected strength in unprecedented times.
Carol Edgarian
New York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian’s novels include Vera, Three Stages of Amazement, and Rise the Euphrates. Her essays and articles regularly appear in national magazines and anthologies, and she is editor of The Writer’s Life: Intimate Thoughts on Work, Love, Inspiration, and Fame. She is cofounder and editor of Narrative, a leading digital publisher of fiction, poetry, essays and art, and Narrative in the Schools, which provides free reading and writing resources to students and teachers in nineteen countries. She lives in San Francisco with her family.
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Reviews for Vera
113 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enjoyed the story, didn’t want it to end. Good narration.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A story of a teenage girl who discovers who her real mother is and the heartache of not getting her mother’s love. Set during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fires, Vera has to take charge of her sister and others who become dependent on her for their survival. Loved this story immensely.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5 stars Good story although slow at the beginning.
I didn’t care for the narrator1 person found this helpful