A trip to small-time vaudeville

• Book: Telling Sonny
• Location: Vermont
• Author: Elizabeth Gauffreau

Review Author: Donnastram

I finished this book in record time, trying (and failing) to slow down so the story would last longer. This novel transported me to the whimsical world of the vaudeville show circuit. During this journey of the young Faby Gauthier and her new husband Louis, author Elizabeth Gauffreau artfully unveils the personality of each, and the relationship between the two.

Gauffreau takes the readers on a well-paced journey, delivering emotive language to revel towns small and large, which Faby captures with her Brownie camera; and the acts of the small time, which Faby reviews in her journal with the care and thoughtfulness of a professional.

I found myself caring deeply for Faby, constantly craving more than reality provided. Equally, I started each chapter hoping Louis would give his young, naive wife the love she craved.

The last chapter left me surprised and more emotional than I expected. Gauffreau’s first novel shows a deep level of story and character development, and I look forward to her next book.

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