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Jazz Baby
In the gritty underbelly of 1920s Sydney, a fresh-faced country girl is about to arrive in the big, dark city – and risk everything in the pursuit of her dreams.
Sydney is no place for the fainthearted – five shillings for a twist of snow, a woman for not much more, and a bullet if you look sideways at the wrong person.
Dolly Bowman is ready and willing to take on all the brash, bustling city has to offer. After all it is the 1920s, a time for a girl to become a woman and fulfil her dreams. Turning her back on her childhood, she takes up a position working as a housemaid while she searches for her future.
World War I flying ace Jack Dalton knows he’s luckier than most. He’s survived the war with barely a scratch, a couple of astute business decisions have paid off, and he’s set for the high life.
But a glimpse of a girl that he had forgotten, from a place he’s tried to escape suddenly sets all his plans awry. Try as he might he can’t shake the past, and money isn’t enough to pay the debts he’s incurred.
Sydney is no place for the fainthearted – five shillings for a twist of snow, a woman for not much more, and a bullet if you look sideways at the wrong person.
Dolly Bowman is ready and willing to take on all the brash, bustling city has to offer. After all it is the 1920s, a time for a girl to become a woman and fulfil her dreams. Turning her back on her childhood, she takes up a position working as a housemaid while she searches for her future.
World War I flying ace Jack Dalton knows he’s luckier than most. He’s survived the war with barely a scratch, a couple of astute business decisions have paid off, and he’s set for the high life.
But a glimpse of a girl that he had forgotten, from a place he’s tried to escape suddenly sets all his plans awry. Try as he might he can’t shake the past, and money isn’t enough to pay the debts he’s incurred.
- GenresHistorical Romance
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2014
2 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
About the author
Tea Cooper
28 books945 followersTea Cooper writes Australian contemporary and historical fiction. In a past life she was a teacher, a journalist and a farmer. These days she haunts museums and indulges her passion for storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 26, 2015
The year is 1923 when Dolly Bowman, aged twenty decides it's time to leave her hometown of Wollombi in NSW and stand on her own two feet. With her father passing away six months ago and her much loved brother, Ted, who never returns from the war, Dolly felt very alone, but it was time for making a new start, so she headed for Sydney.
Dolly arrives on the doorstep of Mrs Mack's where she gets a cleaning job in her boarding house. It may not have been the most glamorous of occupations, but Dolly didn't care as it was a step forward and that was all that mattered. Not long after arriving at Mrs Mack's Dolly runs into a childhood friend, Jack Dalton, who she hasn't seen since he and her brother, Ted went off to war together. Jack is concerned that Dolly has turned up in a place like Mrs Mack's and expresses his concerns to Dolly, but Dolly knows what she desires and she won't be deterred by Jack. As time passes Mrs Mack's discovers that Dolly can sing, so as well as her cleaning job, she also takes on singing for patrons at night. Determined that this is no place for Dolly Jack tries to make Dolly see there are more respectable places to work, but Dolly can sense that Jack is hiding something from her, but what is it?
I truly enjoyed this book and I especially liked the setting of the 1920's. Aussie author Téa Cooper really has a way with words and whilst you are reading along you can certainly picture all the glitz and glam from that era. A delightful and entertaining read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
Dolly arrives on the doorstep of Mrs Mack's where she gets a cleaning job in her boarding house. It may not have been the most glamorous of occupations, but Dolly didn't care as it was a step forward and that was all that mattered. Not long after arriving at Mrs Mack's Dolly runs into a childhood friend, Jack Dalton, who she hasn't seen since he and her brother, Ted went off to war together. Jack is concerned that Dolly has turned up in a place like Mrs Mack's and expresses his concerns to Dolly, but Dolly knows what she desires and she won't be deterred by Jack. As time passes Mrs Mack's discovers that Dolly can sing, so as well as her cleaning job, she also takes on singing for patrons at night. Determined that this is no place for Dolly Jack tries to make Dolly see there are more respectable places to work, but Dolly can sense that Jack is hiding something from her, but what is it?
I truly enjoyed this book and I especially liked the setting of the 1920's. Aussie author Téa Cooper really has a way with words and whilst you are reading along you can certainly picture all the glitz and glam from that era. A delightful and entertaining read which I have no hesitation in recommending.
November 8, 2014
Dolly Bowman was nervous, no she was terrified; newly arrived in Sydney from the little town of Wollombi in NSW she stood in front of No. Fifty Four – she had to keep up her courage to knock on the door – she had a job interview and she needed to be independent and make her own way. It was the early 1920s, her father had died six months previously, and her beloved brother Ted hadn’t returned from the war. She was alone now and ready to make her way into the big wide world.
Her job as housemaid in the big boarding house was a busy one, full of excitement and bustle; when Mrs Mack discovered Dolly could sing she found cleaning by day and singing to the patrons by night, dressed glamorously and wowing the audience was exciting. But childhood friend Jack Dalton seemed set to upset things for Dolly. He didn’t want her working in Mrs Mack’s boarding house, and she couldn’t work it out, but there was something strange and secretive about his manner...
Another fabulous historical romance from Aussie author Tea Cooper! I really enjoyed this light hearted novel set in the seedy suburbs of early 1900s Sydney, Australia. Dolly was a naïve but loveable character, while Ted and Jack both filled their roles to perfection. I have no hesitation in recommending this author’s work, and especially Jazz Baby, highly.
With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
Her job as housemaid in the big boarding house was a busy one, full of excitement and bustle; when Mrs Mack discovered Dolly could sing she found cleaning by day and singing to the patrons by night, dressed glamorously and wowing the audience was exciting. But childhood friend Jack Dalton seemed set to upset things for Dolly. He didn’t want her working in Mrs Mack’s boarding house, and she couldn’t work it out, but there was something strange and secretive about his manner...
Another fabulous historical romance from Aussie author Tea Cooper! I really enjoyed this light hearted novel set in the seedy suburbs of early 1900s Sydney, Australia. Dolly was a naïve but loveable character, while Ted and Jack both filled their roles to perfection. I have no hesitation in recommending this author’s work, and especially Jazz Baby, highly.
With thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
October 24, 2014
Find this and other reviews at: http://flashlightcommentary.blogspot....
I'm not much of a romance reader, but I rolled the dice on Téa Cooper's Jazz Baby. The WWI reference caught my attention and I was more than a little intrigued by the setting. Unfortunately, the novel didn't work for me and I admit, I'd be hard pressed to recommend it.
For one, I felt the jacket description incredibly misleading. The blurb paints Dolly Bowman as an adventurous and determined young woman, but her character is neither. Exceedingly naive and prone to making brash assumptions, Dolly is much more of a Dumb Dora. Her romantic interest, Jack Dalton, had potential, but he's far too pure of heart for a Lounge Lizard.
I was similarly turned off by Cooper's highly coincidental plot twists. I wont ruin the story for anyone, but Jack and Number Fifty-Four, the man he meets at Susie's, Cynthia's sudden change of heart, all of it left me rolling my eyes. There is no tension here and very little mystery, just a drawn out chain of events leading to one inevitable conclusion and forgive me, but that's not the kind of literature that appeals to me.
It was a crap shoot going in and this time fortune failed me. I wanted something historically authentic, characters who radiated the attitudes and conscience of the jazz age, but I afraid Jazz Baby missed the mark and left me wanting.
I'm not much of a romance reader, but I rolled the dice on Téa Cooper's Jazz Baby. The WWI reference caught my attention and I was more than a little intrigued by the setting. Unfortunately, the novel didn't work for me and I admit, I'd be hard pressed to recommend it.
For one, I felt the jacket description incredibly misleading. The blurb paints Dolly Bowman as an adventurous and determined young woman, but her character is neither. Exceedingly naive and prone to making brash assumptions, Dolly is much more of a Dumb Dora. Her romantic interest, Jack Dalton, had potential, but he's far too pure of heart for a Lounge Lizard.
I was similarly turned off by Cooper's highly coincidental plot twists. I wont ruin the story for anyone, but Jack and Number Fifty-Four, the man he meets at Susie's, Cynthia's sudden change of heart, all of it left me rolling my eyes. There is no tension here and very little mystery, just a drawn out chain of events leading to one inevitable conclusion and forgive me, but that's not the kind of literature that appeals to me.
It was a crap shoot going in and this time fortune failed me. I wanted something historically authentic, characters who radiated the attitudes and conscience of the jazz age, but I afraid Jazz Baby missed the mark and left me wanting.
October 23, 2014
Téa Cooper, I really enjoyed your story-telling. Dolly is brave and independent, but innocent of the wicked ways of the world - she is a lovely mix of soft and tough. The boys, Jack and Ted, are dashing pilots but horribly bruised by the war. The story moves fast and is completely unpredictable - barring the HEA - I would have hated it if it had ended any other way! The scenes are well done, with smells and sounds and colors that make them evocative. A lovely read!
November 7, 2014
What a wonderful period in which to set a book. The 1920’s were a time of innovation in film, radio, music, dance, fashion and technology. It was a time for frenetic post-war entertainment and women began to see they could have careers of their own. With dreams of a new life in the big city, the delightful and vulnerable Dolly Bowman barges, unwittingly, into the seedy underworld of Sydney where she learns to stand up for herself and grab opportunities as they come.
Dolly is surprised to discover Jack Dalton, her childhood hero, in the brothel where she has secured a cleaning position. Dolly hasn’t seen Jack since he and Dolly’s brother, Ted, marched off to war filled with fire and bravado. But only Jack returned. Ted was reported missing in action, believed dead. Despite this shared sadness, the years have not dulled Dolly’s adoration of Jack – except now, she realises, her feelings are very different from when she was a kid.
Dolly’s story is one of humour, danger, heart-break and joy as we accompany her on her roller-coaster ride to realise her career as a jazz singer and to find love with the dashing hero, Jack.
I am a fan of Tea Cooper’s writing which is mostly set in or near her hometown of Wollombi. I love her descriptive metaphors and vibrant scene setting, and always loveable characters. The clothes, surroundings, language and behaviours transported me to the 1920’s and the author’s skilled story-telling kept me there. This is a heart-warming read for lovers of romance.
Dolly is surprised to discover Jack Dalton, her childhood hero, in the brothel where she has secured a cleaning position. Dolly hasn’t seen Jack since he and Dolly’s brother, Ted, marched off to war filled with fire and bravado. But only Jack returned. Ted was reported missing in action, believed dead. Despite this shared sadness, the years have not dulled Dolly’s adoration of Jack – except now, she realises, her feelings are very different from when she was a kid.
Dolly’s story is one of humour, danger, heart-break and joy as we accompany her on her roller-coaster ride to realise her career as a jazz singer and to find love with the dashing hero, Jack.
I am a fan of Tea Cooper’s writing which is mostly set in or near her hometown of Wollombi. I love her descriptive metaphors and vibrant scene setting, and always loveable characters. The clothes, surroundings, language and behaviours transported me to the 1920’s and the author’s skilled story-telling kept me there. This is a heart-warming read for lovers of romance.
October 29, 2014
3.5 stars. I'm a little torn by this book. While reading about Sydney at in the early 1920s was very interesting, the story moved a little too slowly for my taste. The chapters were short, and a fair number of the plot twists were a little on the predictable side. The climax was over all too quickly, and the resolution was over even faster, with no real sense of closure at all.
August 13, 2018
This book drew me in and I just loved it.
So much action going on - a lot of it I didn't realise would have been going on at that time but ..... obviously it must have been.
I loved Dolly (the main character) but sometimes her country upbringing showed with her innocence and naïve expectations.
Great story, good characters - a good book to read.
So much action going on - a lot of it I didn't realise would have been going on at that time but ..... obviously it must have been.
I loved Dolly (the main character) but sometimes her country upbringing showed with her innocence and naïve expectations.
Great story, good characters - a good book to read.
May 24, 2020
Although this was an earlier book of hers hence more romance than mystery. I really liked the story and the characters
November 12, 2014
I was engaging serious thoughts of DNF'ing it, even after I hot the 80% mark. So fluffy a stiff wind could blow it away. I think the wind already blew away all of the characters' brains. Full review to come.
FULL REVIEW
I do not normally branch out past the USA for my contemporary authors (classics are a different story), but occasionally I'll find myself testing out an Australian, Canadian or British author because the book synopsis appeals to me too much to ignore. This was one such case. I know next to nothing about Australia in the 1920s Jazz Era, but I've loved learning about America during that time. This book promises a strong, independent heroine and a somewhat emotionally scarred hero with a past romantic connection (at least it alludes to it in the blurb I read). How can you loose with a brash, ex-WWI pilot and a gutsy jazz singer falling in love? Well, apparently it's a possible outcome as I found out from this particular read.
Dolly IS NOT who the blurb makes her out to be. She only left home so she wouldn't have to get married, as that's all that was left for her at home after her father died and her brother never came home from the War. She is timid, lets people talk to her like she's a doormat and is extremely naive about the real world. Upon getting a job at a "boardinghouse" it takes her almost two days to realize that it's really a high-class brothel!!! She spends a lot of time fighting the fact that the Madam of the house wants her to sing for entertainment and at first has almost crippling stage fright. Jack Dalton is the boy next door, who served in the Air Corps with her brother, Ted, who was killed in action. He sees Dolly at the brothel in Sydney and immediately tries to control her life on behalf of her dead brother. He tells himself it's out of guilt, because he was unable to save Ted. But he spends an awful lot of time staring at Dolly, basically drooling over her, for that to be true.
There are a lot of plot "twists" in this short romance, each of them more eye-rollingly predictable than the last one. Who the owner of the "boardinghouse" actually is, the identity of the mysterious boxer that Jack runs into, whether or not Cynthia (Jack's prostitute friend and occasional bed-mate from what I understood) could manage to keep Jack and Dolly apart. It ended the way I thought it would and fact of how short it is and just how much is supposed to have happened in only a couple of days, is another thing that makes me unable to suspend my disbelief. Plus, there is a whole thing at the end with another madam and some drug runners that is caused by Dolly's absolute inability to think that was ridiculous.
VERDICT: 1/5 Stars (Only because I finished it and it was pretty readable)
*I received this book from Escape Publishing, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. The expected publication date is October 22nd, 2014.*
FULL REVIEW
I do not normally branch out past the USA for my contemporary authors (classics are a different story), but occasionally I'll find myself testing out an Australian, Canadian or British author because the book synopsis appeals to me too much to ignore. This was one such case. I know next to nothing about Australia in the 1920s Jazz Era, but I've loved learning about America during that time. This book promises a strong, independent heroine and a somewhat emotionally scarred hero with a past romantic connection (at least it alludes to it in the blurb I read). How can you loose with a brash, ex-WWI pilot and a gutsy jazz singer falling in love? Well, apparently it's a possible outcome as I found out from this particular read.
Dolly IS NOT who the blurb makes her out to be. She only left home so she wouldn't have to get married, as that's all that was left for her at home after her father died and her brother never came home from the War. She is timid, lets people talk to her like she's a doormat and is extremely naive about the real world. Upon getting a job at a "boardinghouse" it takes her almost two days to realize that it's really a high-class brothel!!! She spends a lot of time fighting the fact that the Madam of the house wants her to sing for entertainment and at first has almost crippling stage fright. Jack Dalton is the boy next door, who served in the Air Corps with her brother, Ted, who was killed in action. He sees Dolly at the brothel in Sydney and immediately tries to control her life on behalf of her dead brother. He tells himself it's out of guilt, because he was unable to save Ted. But he spends an awful lot of time staring at Dolly, basically drooling over her, for that to be true.
There are a lot of plot "twists" in this short romance, each of them more eye-rollingly predictable than the last one. Who the owner of the "boardinghouse" actually is, the identity of the mysterious boxer that Jack runs into, whether or not Cynthia (Jack's prostitute friend and occasional bed-mate from what I understood) could manage to keep Jack and Dolly apart. It ended the way I thought it would and fact of how short it is and just how much is supposed to have happened in only a couple of days, is another thing that makes me unable to suspend my disbelief. Plus, there is a whole thing at the end with another madam and some drug runners that is caused by Dolly's absolute inability to think that was ridiculous.
VERDICT: 1/5 Stars (Only because I finished it and it was pretty readable)
*I received this book from Escape Publishing, on NetGalley. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. The expected publication date is October 22nd, 2014.*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2016
Jazz Baby by Tea Cooper takes us back to the glitzy and glamour filled 1920s. Dolly Bowman is twenty when she decides that she needs to stand on her feet. With her father dead and her brother never returning from the war, she is alone. She travels to Sydney where she gets work as a maid. Soon with the help of her sweet voice, she is singing but her childhood friend whom she meets in Sydney is always warning her against the place where she works and sings. Is he hiding something?
What is so wrong with the place?
I enjoyed reading this book. Tea Cooper has a way with words and she beautifully sketched that era with all its glitz and glam and I was able to visualize the world as if I was there.
The characters are admirably developed and I could not help feeling impressed by Dolly. She is strong and independent. She is ready to work hard to realise her dreams in the big city. Jack is a mysterious character and I enjoyed the development in his character.
All in all, Jazz Baby by Tea Cooper is an entertaining historical romance that had me transported to the Sydney of 1920s. 4 out of 5 to it and recommended to everyone.
I received the book from the publishers via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
Read this review and others on: http://www.njkinnysblog.com/
What is so wrong with the place?
I enjoyed reading this book. Tea Cooper has a way with words and she beautifully sketched that era with all its glitz and glam and I was able to visualize the world as if I was there.
The characters are admirably developed and I could not help feeling impressed by Dolly. She is strong and independent. She is ready to work hard to realise her dreams in the big city. Jack is a mysterious character and I enjoyed the development in his character.
All in all, Jazz Baby by Tea Cooper is an entertaining historical romance that had me transported to the Sydney of 1920s. 4 out of 5 to it and recommended to everyone.
I received the book from the publishers via Netgalley and I am very thankful to them. The above review is my honest and unbiased opinion and in no way influenced.
Read this review and others on: http://www.njkinnysblog.com/
November 10, 2014
Upon picking up Jazz Baby I was immediately struck by the 1920’s-themed cover: the typeface, colouration, and simplicity oozing art-deco inspiration which is of course very appropriate when thinking about 1920’s Sydney.
Tea Cooper has such a magical way with words that when reading Jazz Baby, you’re instantly transported to 1920’s Sydney. With ease, Cooper paints an enthralling picture of a seedy, almost heartlessly dangerous, Sydney and the associated challenges for women of the time.
Jazz Baby explores complex themes of social classing, post-war heartbreak and challenges, and gender inequality in a manner that exudes impeccable research and great tact. These topics are weaved seamlessly into the storyline making it them interesting and intrinsic aspects of the story.
I highly recommend Jazz Baby.
Tea Cooper has such a magical way with words that when reading Jazz Baby, you’re instantly transported to 1920’s Sydney. With ease, Cooper paints an enthralling picture of a seedy, almost heartlessly dangerous, Sydney and the associated challenges for women of the time.
Jazz Baby explores complex themes of social classing, post-war heartbreak and challenges, and gender inequality in a manner that exudes impeccable research and great tact. These topics are weaved seamlessly into the storyline making it them interesting and intrinsic aspects of the story.
I highly recommend Jazz Baby.
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March 10, 2015Gave up on it 30% into the story. It takes the heroine over 24 hours to realize the "boardinghouse" she gets a job in is really a bordello (the gaudy furnishings, RED WALLPAPER and single women who work all night long apparently didn't give it away). Then she gets annoyed with the hero for interfering by talking to her boss when in reality he was just making sure the boss didn't put her to work on her back. The nerve!
Then revelation that her father used to use her as a punching bag seemed to come out of left field and when the hero stumbles across her long lost brother in a seedy bar my suspension of disbelief snapped. It just wasn't working for me, and I'm moving on.....
Then revelation that her father used to use her as a punching bag seemed to come out of left field and when the hero stumbles across her long lost brother in a seedy bar my suspension of disbelief snapped. It just wasn't working for me, and I'm moving on.....
November 4, 2014
I definitely enjoyed this. Historical romance is rapidly becoming one of my more favourite subgenres, and I love getting to get glimpses of different historical time periods.
I loved watching Dolly grow, and become more confident. The love story between her and Jack was sweet and gentle, and never rushed. 1920s Sydney certainly provides for some interesting stories, and I love how Tea weaves this history through the book.
I loved watching Dolly grow, and become more confident. The love story between her and Jack was sweet and gentle, and never rushed. 1920s Sydney certainly provides for some interesting stories, and I love how Tea weaves this history through the book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews