- Author : Gail Godwin
- Binding : Paperback
- EAN : 9780345483195
- Edition : Reprint
- ISBN : 0345483197
- Label : Ballantine Books
- List Price : CDN$ 19.95 (CAD)
- Manufacturer : Ballantine Books
- Number Of Pages : 368
- Package Dimensions : 0.90 inches (Height) x 7.90 inches (Length) x 0.25 pounds (Weight) x 5.00 inches (Width)
- Publication Date : 2007-01-30
- Publisher : Ballantine Books
- Release Date : 2007-01-30
- Studio : Ballantine Books
Customer Reviews:
Customers rated Queen of the Underworld: A Novel 4.5 stars out of 5.0 based on 2 reviews:VOICE PERFORMANCE IS PURE PLEASURE - ENJOY!
by Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - 2006-01-22
While many recognize the name of actress Stephanie Zimbalist, few may know that she studied acting and singing at Julliard. This training stands her in good stead, whether she's appearing on stage, TV, in film, or reading audio books. Perhaps best known for her role of a smart, stylish sleuth on TV's Remington Steele opposite Pierce Brosnan, Zimbalist has a history of playing strong, intelligent women and she does it again in her narration of "Queen of the Underworld." The setting is Miami in 1959, the time of the Cuban Revolution. Emma Gant, a very recent graduate of the university at chapel Hill, has arrived after accepting a job as a reporter with the Miami Star (Not the Charlotte Observer, much to her step-father's dismay). She's convinced she's on her way up - she'll become a famous novelist and being a reporter will buy bread, butter and blouses until that time comes. Keeping her company during her ascent is Paul Nightingale, owner of a private club and her married lover. Peopling her new life are a gaggle of Cuban refugees as well as the comely woman of the title, a madam with a Mafia beau. As fans of Gail Godwin know one of her greatest attributes is characterization and she has a ball with the group she brings to "Queen of the Underworld." She has spun an engaging story (perhaps in part based on her years as a young journalist in Florida?). Stephanie Zimbalist is delicious as she eases from the Spanish speaking Cubans to the eyes-wide-open learning every minute Emma. Pure pleasure - enjoy! - Gail CookeFinding Oneself in a Time of Chaos
by Janelle Martin (Waterloo, Ontario Canada) - 2005-10-17
Emma Gant, fresh out of college, has set her feet firmly on her own path. Leaving behind an impossible family situation, she charts her course for Miami to take her place on the staff of the Miami Star and by the side of her married lover. It is the summer of 1959, Cuba has been betrayed by Castro and floods of Cuban refugees are arriving in Miami. Emma is quickly enmeshed in the lives of those sharing her hotel. Her predetermined plans for her life quickly falter as different views on life make inroads into her consciousness. With her lively intelligence and curiosity, Emma is determined to keep control of her own situation.Gail Godwin helps the reader experience Emma's search for her essential "Emma-ness", set against a background of chaos, both historical and physical. The concept of "usurpation" is one on which Emma spends a great deal of time. All around her is a physical reminder of this, displaced Cubans now calling the hotel home. However, Godwin draws out this theme in Emma's work, relationships and in the relationship with her married lover.The use of language in this work also operates on several levels. Emma's neophyte status in the world means that, despite her desire to be seen as a woman of the world, she is continually faced with concepts, history and words she does not know. Daily she is reminded that she can't understand the spoken word around her in her new home and wonders how she would react if she not only had to face a new life but also one where she could not speak the language. Godwin has plotted her story in a way to show the similarities between Emma's life and those of the Cubans around her, using this mirror to reflect to Emma how she is both the usurper and the usurped.Emma is an engaging heroine drawn vividly to life by an author of great talent. The passion and questioning exhibited by Emma mesmerizes the reader, drawing you into a life beginning surrounded by utter change.
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