Customer Review

A Writer
4.0 out of 5 stars A great idea, wildly imaginative with brilliant phrasing, but long
Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2024
What if a mild strain of smallpox had given indigenous populations of North America immunity such that they had been able to resist European settlement, leaving room for a different kind of city near what is today St. Louis, MO? That's the premise, and an old-fashioned murder investigation set in this city takes so many different directions in so many wonderful ways it's impossible (and far less satisfying for anyone reading this) to explain. There is too much beautiful phrasing ("His windpipe was filled with a phantom of Flanders earth,"--describing a WWI veteran-- "and it could not be coughed free.") not to read this book, but beware that is is a big commitment, and feels over-long and plodding at points. Still, worthwhile.
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Product Details

Cahokia Jazz: A Novel
byFrancis Spufford
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
604 global ratings
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