The Queen of Tuesday

by Darin Strauss

From the award-winning, bestselling author of Chang & Eng and Half a Life, a new novel about Lucille Ball, a thrilling love story starring Hollywood’s first true media mogul, and an epic multi-layered look at America’s most fascinating era.

This indelible romance begins with a daring conceit—that the author’s grandfather may have had an affair with Lucille Ball. Strauss offers a fresh view of a celebrity America loved more than any other.

Lucille Ball—the most powerful woman in the history of Hollywood—starred in America’s first big-time interracial marriage. She owned more movie sets than did any movie studio. And she more or less single-handedly created the modern TV business. And yet Lucille’s off-camera life was in disarray. While acting out a happy marriage for millions, in private she suffered. Her partner couldn’t stay faithful. She struggled to manage her fame with the demands of being a mother, a creative genius, an entrepreneur, and, most of all, a symbol.

The Queen of Tuesday—Strauss’s follow-up to the National Book Critics Circle Award winner Half a Life—mixes fact and fiction, memoir and novel, to imagine the provocative story of a woman we thought we knew.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adult Fiction, Marriage, Biographical Fiction, Adult

336 pages, Hardcover

First published August 18, 2020

About the author

A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and a winner of the American Library Association's Alix Award and The National Book Critics Circle Award, the internationally-bestselling writer Darin Strauss is the author of the novels Chang & Eng, The Real McCoy, and More Than It Hurts You, and the NBCC-winning memoir Half a Life. These have been New York Times Notable Books, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Amazon, Chicago Tribune, and NPR Best Books of the Year, among others. Darin has been translated into fourteen languages and published in nineteen countries, and he is a Clinical Associate Professor at NYU's creative writing program.

Reviews

[Adam Dalva · Rating 5 out of 5]

A weird, wonderful mash of genres, as Strauss dives into (as we'll eventually find out) his grandfather's life and the life of Lucille Ball, and concocts a fascinating relationship between them. The first chapter is incredibly dynamic and sets the stage on the line level for what's to come - reminiscent, perhaps, of Chabon's MOONGLOW, but with meditations on American celebrity and closely researched insights. Lucy crackles, as she should, and the book’s nuanced project becomes more apparent as it goes.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this book. But the truth is I didn't. As a huge fan of Lucille Ball, I've read every factual book there is about her, and in this novelization where its "imagined" that she had an affair with the authors grandfather, I just didn't buy any of it.

SO many "facts" were wrong, which to be fair, in the authors notes at the end, he admits he changed a lot. But he did more than change a lot in my opinion, he lied. He COULD have taken the truth about events in Lucille Ball's life and told a much better story, even with the imagined affair, but he didn't. Did he not bother to research?

For me the breaking point was at a supposed Q&A with the Arnaz's at the Desilu Ranch where Desi supposedly says to the reporters - "The only thing red about Lucy is her hair and even THAT'S not real". Except he didn't say that at the ranch in front of reporters. He said it to the packed 300 seat audience on the first night of shooting the 1st show of the 3rd season of I Love Lucy. WHY make something up, when the TRUTH was so much more full of drama? And this happened over and over. In one chapter he says she actually SAID the word "pregnant" in an episode because she was adamant no man was going to tell her what she could say on her own show. This too NEVER happened, and the TRUTH is much more dramatic. So again I had to ask, why lie when the truth will do?

For me, this book was ruined by that kind of writing. I find it lazy storytelling. If this is supposed to be fiction, but about a true person (or persons) and their lives, shouldn't the reader be able to expect factual information woven into the fiction? Lord knows, Lucy's life had more than enough actual drama than to have to change events around that never happened, yet are SO well documented.

Yes, people will read this book and like it - and those will overall be folks that dont know the REAL story, which is MUCH more interesting than this turned out to be. The man who had the "affair" with Lucy, I found to be unlikable and with a number of chapters at the end devoted to his poor wife (who I really didn't give a damn about at that point, since she was rarely brought up at all with any meaning during the course of the book itself) seemed wasted. I dont see Lucille Ball ever having an affair with this type of man, and we DO know she did date and have at least two affairs.

If I had to say anything to this author, it would be - "You should have stuck with the truth, it would have been a better book."

[Ron Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

While reading Darin Strauss’s new novel about Lucille Ball, the memories start rolling in faster than chocolates at the candy factory.

Lucy stomping on the grapes!

Lucy baking bread!

Lucy mirroring Harpo Marx!

Such reverie is more intoxicating than a tall glass of Vitameatavegamin.

In our era of fractured audiences and time-shifted viewing, it’s staggering to recall the immensity of Ball’s presence in the 1950s. The vast majority of Americans who owned televisions watched “I Love Lucy” every week. So many people stayed stuck on their sofas during those hilarious 30 minutes that telephone calls and water usage dropped across the country. Marshall Field’s gave up and closed early that night.

And by rebroadcasting episodes to accommodate her pregnancy, Ball gave birth to TV reruns, ensuring that generations of people would fall in love with her. Indeed, for millions of us fans, Lucy’s antics feel as familiar as our own. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a historical novel that, based on the subtitle and the description, is about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. I am a big fan of this couple and so was looking forward to an entertaining, factual/fictional look at their lives. I was disappointed when I realized that most of the book involves a fictional affair between Lucy and the author's grandfather, an affair that early in the book is described in almost pornographic detail, images that are unfortunately now ingrained in my head. The writing is odd and disjointed and confusing, jumping around haphazardly between Lucy and Desi's lives and the paramour's life. Very disappointing. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing an ARC.

[Candace Worrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

The tight language felt almost like being shot by an old fashioned machine gun, with occasional pauses where the language evokes an image while the author reloads only to destroy any sense of scene or sense that was created. This was unreadable.

[rianna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let my preface my thoughts by saying that Lucille Ball has been my favorite famous person since I was nine – I’ve read every book, watched every documentary, and read just about every article or interview on her, down to the recollections offered by her secretary and chauffer. It’s likely that others who know little about Lucy’s life will have the detachment necessary for better enjoying this story. But as for myself, The Queen of Tuesday only left me disappointed and slightly upset that this kind of distortion is even enabled: what right do we really have to write books like this, to so aggressively reshape other people’s lives?

To begin with – Strauss’s characterization of Lucy, Desi, and their marriage is absolutely horrific. His portrayal of Lucy is not unflattering, but it seems as if he dismissed whatever he may have gleaned about her in research for this book to assign her the characteristics that best serve his narrative; she is perpetually melancholy and wry here. In many ways, Strauss’s “Lucille” is the inverse of the true woman. This “Lucille” slightly resents the TV Lucy and savors the opportunities opened up by the business end of Desilu, whereas Lucille Ball actually felt exactly opposite. His rendering of Desi is glaringly worse. For many years racist and xenophobic sentiment has led to the persistent myth that Desi was a buffoon who rode his wife’s coattails to success. Recent revisiting of Desi’s contributions to the television industry have attempted to debunk that; though he battled his personal demons, Desi was regardless a brilliant businessman and producer, which Lucy herself stressed her whole life. Yet, Strauss largely reverts to that old fallacy here; his description of Desi hems very closely to magazine articles from the fifties (!) which teasingly construed him as a “Latin American dictator.” Strauss often writes him lines in broken English (for all the ribbing about his accent, Desi actually graduated from high school in the US) and portrays him as arrogantly bumbling his responsibilities on set, while in reality Desi was largely beloved by Desilu employees. Moreover, while Desi was absolutely guilty of being a less than stellar husband, he was not for his twenty years of marriage to Lucy the cartoonish tyrant Strauss makes him out to be. It’s just frustrating how entirely stripped of nuance “Desi” in The Queen of Tuesday appears.

Then, to aid his attempt in centering the Lucy/Isidore romance, Strauss sidelines Lucy and Desi’s marriage, painting it as loveless, tedious, perpetually cruel. Even while their marriage was sometimes toxic and dysfunctional, Lucy and Desi had an intensely passionate relationship – and by many accounts of their family and friends, they remained deeply in love with one another till their deaths. Yet, Strauss does not attempt to accurately convey their bond, and that becomes clear even by the way in which they address one another in the story. Desi calls Lucy “Lucille,” though he was the one who initially nicknamed her Lucy and began exclusively calling her that shortly after they met; Lucy frequently calls Desi “Dez,” but in actuality she always pronounced his name with a soft s sound. Now, I know this may seem like a nitpicky complaint, however it precisely reflects Strauss’s much broader bastardization of Lucy and Desi’s relationship. Most inexplicable to me is Strauss’s decision to write this “affair” into the early 50s, a phase both Lucy and Desi deemed as their marriage at its happiest and healthiest, having finally achieved their long-wished-for dream of creating a family and enjoying the enormous professional success of I Love Lucy – even Desi’s rampant infidelity was largely alleviated during this time. The challenge that this fact presents to Strauss’s fictionalizing is perhaps best exemplified by how outrageously he alters the circumstances of Desi Jr.’s birth. If anything, this book would have been more readable and perhaps satisfying if Strauss had primarily set it in the late fifties, when their marriage was actually disintegrating; instead, it feels as if he’s intruding upon the one consistently good chapter they enjoyed together.

This subgenre of literature has become somewhat controversial, raising ethical questions about casting a fictional light on the lives of very much real individuals. Books in this subgenre seem to take one of two trajectories: a deliberately faithful, novelized adaption of the subject’s biography (much like And They Called it Camelot, which charts Jackie Kennedy’s life) or an alternative take on history wherein the author meddles with the course of events, often introducing fictional characters in the process. The latter route is much more deserving of scrutiny, and Strauss’s book fits easily into that category (while Isidore Strauss was not truly a fictional person, for all intents and purposes he was one in Lucy’s life story). I’ve read other books that have taken the same approach (The Hollywood Daughter, A Touch of Stardust, All the Stars in Heaven to name a few that also center on Old Hollywood actresses) and Strauss, by far, fares the worst in his attempt to mesh reality with fiction, real people with imaginary protagonists. Perhaps I’ll admit an increased sensitivity given my affection for Lucille Ball, but Strauss’s efforts to inject Isidore into Lucy’s life are so forced that this work almost reads like an invasive act. The only other book in this subgenre – that I’ve read – in which I think the author employs as much creative license as Strauss does with The Queen of Tuesday is Curtis Sittenfield’s Rodham, released earlier this summer. I didn’t much enjoy that book either, however, there does seem to be speculative merit to the query that launched Sittenfield’s hypothetical exploration of a world where Hillary Clinton didn’t marry Bill; that possibility leaves open interesting implications for American culture, politics, and feminism. But where is the justification for Strauss to so boldly and brashly rearrange Lucille Ball’s life? A haphazard probe of his personal family trauma?

Ultimately, Strauss screws around with Lucy’s life SO egregiously that one wonders what was even the point of placing her in this novel. It’s understandable that any author writing a novelized version of a celebrity’s life story will have to apply some artistic discretion, but Strauss intervenes to the point that his “Lucille” is shockingly detached from the Lucille Ball of reality. Strauss defends this in his afterward, writing, “This is my Lucille Ball, an imagined Lucille Ball who makes no claim to the Lucille who thrived outside these hard covers.” Yet, selecting to write a real person into a fictional story inherently creates the expectation that the author will attempt to capture that individual with some correctness. The fact that Lucille Ball is such an illustrious American icon – “Mt. Lucille,” as Strauss puts it – still does not give Strauss warrant to run roughshod with her personhood, in my view.

I believe Strauss wrote Lucy into his grandfather’s story for two reasons: firstly, his grandfather did actually have a brief encounter with her and secondly, the literary potential of her career arc. From a strictly narrative perspective, I can see the appeal of the latter motivation; the intimacy of the television medium makes the fleeting love affair between an ordinary man and a glamorous star especially poignant. That plays well in some scenes, like when Isidore must endure a viewing of I Love Lucy with his wife and their friends after previously consummating his relationship with Lucy. That is why I believe this novel would have been far more effective had Strauss written a fictional character in Lucille Ball’s place, much as Taylor Jenkins Reid did with her title character in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Though Reid borrowed from the life stories of a variety of Old Hollywood stars to create Evelyn Hugo, and it’s quite discernible where she plucked parts from the biographies of Rita Hayworth or Ava Gardner or Elizabeth Taylor, because she ultimately created an autonomous character it’s impossible to be disappointed by her characterization of a real individual. The Queen of Tuesday would have been a much stronger novel had Strauss done the same – crafting a fictional character, roman a clef style, would have given him the latitude to appropriately do what he inevitably does here, which is cribbing what he finds valuable about Lucy’s life (her path to stardom) and then dispensing with the rest. If he had, I would likely have bumped my rating up one star, because he does display some talent as a writer, particularly when he sketches intensely emotional highs and lows. With that being said, Strauss does overwrite a lot of his prose and frequently peppers it with so many riddles that it can sometimes be a struggle to get through the language; essentially, he overuses a tactic that could have been effectual in smaller doses.

In press for this book, Strauss has described The Queen of Tuesday as a kind of feminist reclamation of Lucy’s life. He has basically explained that Desi’s rampant womanizing led him to believe Lucy deserved a tale like this, her own chance to seek extramarital pleasure. But I’m left with the feeling that he did quite the opposite: he expunged a compelling female pioneer of agency to twist her into a paramour for his grandfather. He disregarded her true emotions and depreciated her lived experiences so she could perform as a conduit for a story about a man, and a far less intriguing man at that (seriously, Isidore’s long internal monologues are a slog to read). Lucy, Desi, and the relationship they shared, both in a professional and personal sense, deserve so much better than what Strauss has cobbled together here. He missed the opportunity to tell the true, fascinating story – complete with drama, historical consequence and a genuinely complex romance – to spin a yarn so ridiculous it’s almost impossible to suspend belief enough to swallow it.

[Sara Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Queens of Tuesday by Darin Strauss is an interesting book that is part historical fiction part family memoir.

The author states in his “Instead of Afterword” that Lucille Ball as a character was part of the inspiration of the novel, but that it was also written with the thoughts of his own torrid and dramatic family history as well. To me, he uses the plot and concept of “there is more then meets the eye” and what you see is merely “the tip of the iceberg” concept in regards to his family’s history and uses Lucille as his character face and muse.

It is an interesting and bold concept, and for that I give him props, as well as the time frame of the 1950s (of which I am a huge fan of anything 1950-1960s). However, the blending of the two concepts sometimes can be confusing, and for some readers who may not read the afterword, or understand the author’s thought process, it could disappoint them to see that a lot of what he depicts is not in fact anything of the great actress that we know so well.

I am a huge fan of Ms. Lucille Ball, and I had hoped to read a book about her, however this was not that kind of book. As someone else mentioned, if you remove the concept of her from this book and just imagine it as another women and family in this time frame and situation, you do have yourself a more interesting book. I just wish that Ms. Ball would have not been used in this fictional novel.

3/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

[Jodie (That Happy Reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz indisputably changed the landscape of television with their megahit “I Love Lucy”. The first television show to be recorded before a live audience, this beloved show can still be introduced to new generations today as it continues on TV in syndication nearly 70 years from its original run. The Queen of Tuesday is a fictional read about this time in history with a storyline that combines Lucille’s professional and home life with Desi Arnaz and the author’s Grandfather’s suggested romance with the famous redhead.

There were several aspects of the book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The author has done a great job in his research of Lucille and recounts several episodes of the show which I was able to recall vividly. I also appreciated the romantic story between Lucille and Hold-on (Lucille’s nickname for the author’s Grandfather) although this was very little of the actual book. What I didn’t like about the book is that I felt at times that the writing felt awkward. I found the first chapters to be particularly challenging to read. Moreover, I really wasn’t that engaged to all the history of his Grandparent’s lives.

Overall, I found the book to be entertaining in several points but also difficult to read at times. I think this book tried to be too much with combining the author’s Grandparents lives, I Love Lucy history, and a romance between Lucille and Hold-on. The flow of the book was impacted as a result.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

[Dianne · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars rounded up simply because we cannot use half stars. LOL!

I realize that this book is fiction, and most l likely, I am not of the age group that this book is probably being recommended to since I am 63, so I practically grew up with Lucy and Ricky. The re-runs at least! So I was genuinely thrilled to be allowed to preview this book and voice my opinion.

Unfortunately, my opinion is that if you 'grew up' with Lucy stay away from this book or at least learn about what you are getting into first.

This book is mainly about sex -obsessing about it, talking about it, thinking about it, performing it. It is gritty, and in this book, unpleasant, at least for me.

So much artistic license was taken with this book, the mistakes in Mr. Strauss's research, having the main story about an affair that Mr. Strauss's grandfather had (this was most of the fictional part) and the coarseness of the writing, language, and the stalker/obsessor theme. The fact that Mr. Strauss tried to make this a literary masterpiece and, in my opinion, that he has woefully fallen short of the mark adds to my dissatisfaction with this novel.



I might suggest that you try taking this out from your local library if you choose to read The Queen of Tuesday.

There were some quotes in the back of the book that explains why the author wrote this the way he did, but I am not allowed to use them. Too bad because you will understand by those quotes, the hubris of the author.


ARC supplied by the publisher and author.

[Meredith Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! "Queen of Tuesday" is compelling and beautifully written. I was sucked into the story from page one! Unfortunately there's a deliberate campaign to lower the ratings for this fantastic novel by some angry childish people. Don't pay attention to those reviews made out of spite. Most of them never read it, they're just jumping on a mean and spiteful bandwagon. Strauss is an award winning author and "The Queen of Tuesday" does not disappoint!

[Lynne Perednia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if? That's the story of life.

What if I had done this? What if he had done that? What if someone knew this about her? What if no one knew? What if no one cared?

What if a man entering middle age, who wanted to be a writer but went into the family real estate business, had kissed Lucille Ball at a Coney Island party one evening? What if that led to another encounter? What if these things showed that man how his own life had become a series of What if? scenarios in which everything seems hollow, even though that man realizes his good fortune?

That's the story of Isidore Strauss. In Darin Strauss's new novel, The Queen of Tuesday, a character who may or may not be the author's grandfather may or may not have kissed the famous star before she became Lucy and everyone fell in love with her. If it happened, what might have happened next? What turns did his life take?

And what if Isidore, now an old man, had told his grandson about what may have happened? And that there is a chance that he may have written something that may yet be seen in the world? The novel goes meta with this part of the narrative, as the author breaks the fourth wall.

The other side of "What if?" in this novel is "Hold on". That's the nickname Lucille gives Isidore at that party on the beach, one held by Fred Trump. What if someone holds on to what she knows is dear, even if there is heartache? What if someone holds on and gives a second, third and fourth thought to the idea of flinging caution out?

Amidst all the yearning and desires for other things in life throughout The Queen of Tuesday, the sections centered on Lucille Ball are outstanding. Both the difficulties in dealing with an unfaithful husband and with a career that is on the brink of being a Hollywood has-been are clearly conveyed. The success of "I Love Lucy" is both something that no one imagined happening and something that leads to more "What if?" scenarios.

The breakthrough sitcom, which apparently is being shown somewhere in the world every minute, lends another "what if?" layer to the narrative. What if Lucille Ball had not been beloved as Lucy when HUAC came calling? Or would they have come calling at all had she not become famous as Lucy? What if Lucille was more like Lucy and Desi was like Ricky? How would their own marriage have been different? What if we viewed "I Love Lucy" as an extended playing out of Lucille not wanting to break into show business, like Lucy, but instead wanting to be close to her husband? What if we viewed Ricky Ricardo not as a bandleader, but as the man Desi turned out to be -- successful at running the business side even while being an unfaithful husband? Is Lucy's attempt to be on Ricky's stage nothing more than Lucille's attempt to have the TV show as a way to keep her marriage to Desi?

The Queen of Tuesday is the kind of book people could chat about with large glasses of a preferred beverage, wondering aloud various "what if?" ideas.

[Julie Failla Earhart · Rating 1 out of 5]

With the tagline of “A Lucille Ball Story,” I was under the impression that this novel would be a factual/fictional account of the Lucy and Desi’s rocky marriage, their triumph of making television history, and what it was like to co-own a television production company in a male-dominated industry. I’ll admit that while I’m not the hugest fan of Lucy’s comedy, but I have always admired her shrewd business acumen.
But upon getting my hands on this novel, I quickly learned that it, really, has nothing to do Lucy’s real life. It is a smash-up of memoir and fantasy based on a “what if” scenario. Granted that is what writing fiction is based on, but author Strauss takes such liberties with timelines (Desi Jr’s birth year is wrong) and events that the whole concept is outlandish.
The novel is based on a Strauss family myth that the author’s grandfather had a torrid affair with Miss Ball. The writing is convoluted, with multiple plot lines showing up in almost every paragraph. I was looking for some shred of evidence that Strauss’ ancestor’s story was true, but found none.
Avoid this novel at all costs. “The Queen of Tuesday” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up for a pop-up online book group, especially after Bill Goldstein of Today in New York fame talked about it. This seems to be a very autobiographical novel about Darin Straus' grandfather Isidore. I enjoyed it, it was very New York and I liked that part. I read it on the day of and day after the 2020 Presidential election and I think I was very distracted while reading. I am eager to hear the author speak this evening, and then I may like it better.

[Patricia Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of you who don't know anything about icon, Lucille Ball, you should.
She became one of the most, if not the most, powerful woman in Hollywood as she created the way comedic TV was filmed--in front of a live audience and three camera angles all while juggling motherhood and a husband who couldn't stay faithful.
Despite her amazing talent, intelligence, and creativity, there were many times her behind the scenes world stayed out of balance with Ms. Ball always attempting to keep things in order.
Darin Strauss mixes fact with fiction as it starts with the idea that his grandfather may have had an affair with Lucille and moves the story from there.
Just like her multiple TV camera angles, this brings the reader another possibility of how her life would have been without the world watching.
Strauss still emphasizes Lucille Ball's ingenuity and amazing success, but gives us all another version of the star's life if things had been slightly different.
For anyone who loves Lucy, this is an amazing read.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. The writing style is too choppy. Sometimes I was lost as to what time frame the characters were in. Too much talking about cheating and guilt.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this. As it is, I'm not finishing it. Choppy, loopy writing, stream of consciousness to the point of obscuring the action, and Lucy's internal dialogue is pervasive but not all that interesting -- just never engaged me.

[Bookreporter.com Historical Fiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I Love Lucy.” Fiery red hair, big blue eyes and an unparalleled comic sensibility. What’s not to love? America adored Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the housewife and the bandleader who came into our homes once a week and made us forget our troubles with their hilarious portrayal of familiar marital squabbles. Lucy embroiled herself in the impossible: commercials for the fictitious alcoholic Vitameatavegamin, grape-stomping for an Italian movie, and --- my personal favorite --- a job working a conveyor belt in a chocolate factory. And Desi was her straight man. A match made in heaven. Or Hollywood.

To the world, they were the idyllic screen couple who loved each other and embraced each other’s faults. However, history tells us that off the screen they had more than their share of troubles.

In THE QUEEN OF TUESDAY, Darin Strauss has penned a story that highlights those troubles. From the struggles to truly make her mark in the fledgling television business to Desi’s legendary infidelities, little is kept under wraps in Strauss’ reimagining of Lucy’s rise to fame and her troubled union. “Reimagining” is the key word here because what he has done in this book is to take those realities and inject another story that may or may not be true.

Strauss’ grandfather, Isidore Strauss, was an actual real estate giant in Manhattan who hung with the likes of Fred Trump (yes, that Fred Trump). In THE QUEEN OF TUESDAY, Izzy --- or “Hold On,” as Lucy calls him --- meets the iconic redhead at a Coney Island demolition party for the Pavilion of Fun and is instantly smitten with the starlet. Whether family lore passed down a fiction that Strauss latched onto or the story of what commences is an entire fabrication, a love affair in print begins that transcends time and bypasses marriage vows on both sides. It’s an unsolved mystery to be sure, but an engaging one.

Lucy’s comic genius, uncanny quirks and business acumen play out as we witness her build the Desilu empire that would rival and then exceed the other Hollywood studios. She created history in many ways: first interracial marriage on television, first female executive to lead a studio, and more. Throughout all of this, running in the background is desire: Lucy for Isidore and Isidore for Lucy. Plagued with guilt (to the point that she wonders about the paternity of her unborn son, until she gives birth), Lucy keeps herself from calling Isidore. Even when her marriage to Desi finally unravels in the face of his constant cheating and substance abuse, she feels torn about Isidore. On the other side of the country, Isidore also longs for Lucy. His own marriage begins to fall apart.

If you liked the Netflix miniseries “Hollywood,” the story of would-be stars and starlets who are willing to do anything for fame and celebrity, you will enjoy this story of Lucy’s rise from struggling B-movie star to studio head. Both tales take large liberties with the facts around beloved performers and history, but both set their stories in the alluring world of screen stages, makeup chairs and dressing rooms. Both portray the sometimes unseemly side of cracking into the business (but more so in "Hollywood"). Both share the frailties and foibles of the glitterati, the humanity hidden behind the tabloid photos.

Told with reverence for Lucy and much admiration for the author's grandfather, THE QUEEN OF TUESDAY is comprised of multiple love stories: Lucy for Desi, Desi for Lucy, Isidore for Lucy, and finally Strauss for his grandfather.

Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara

[Bram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family myth-making at it's most wildly, hilariously inventive, The Queen of Tuesday is a masterclass in nuanced fabricated autofiction. A sheer delight to read.

[Annie Mondesir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cover! It is one of my favorite’s this year!

Darin Strauss has written a novel that not only brought me back to my childhood years, but resurrected Lucille Ball into the 21st-century because I saw this story in vivid colors! It was truly riveting!

“The Queen of Tuesday” reminded me of how I felt watching the “I love Lucy” show. Thoroughly engrossing! Never mind the entertainment!

Darin’s vision and delivery is Exemplary! I am in awe of his writing style! I was enamored with his mix of fiction and memoir! He has left me wanting to know more!

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

5 Stars.

I’m addicted again, I now own I Love Lucy Tee-Shirts, A Mug and a Bobble-Head! All because of this book! This is how much I loved it!

[Linda Haas · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Queen of Tuesday is a novel about Lucille Ball having an affair with the author’s grandfather, Isadore Strauss. When I found out that I won this book from Goodreads I was so excited. I Love Lucy! I’ve always been a fan so I couldn’t wait for this book to arrive. When it finally did, I started reading it right away. What a disappointment! The author switches from telling the reader about how Lucille and his grandfather met to an episode of the show I Love Lucy with Lucy and Ethel. These episodes were very familiar because I’ve seen them many times but the affair of Lucille and Isadore just doesn’t come across. I admit I DNF this book. After 100 pages, I wasn’t enjoying it so I moved on.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Queen of Tuesday was somewhat difficult to dive into and become absorbed by the story. The book lacks character development. It is presented as more of a shallow narrative that is disjointed. The author may have preferred this type of writing, but I found it lacking substance. Thank you to the publisher.

[Maddie Gleeson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a lot of trouble getting thru this book and ended up not finishing after reading about 65%. I didn't like the storyline. I had trouble deciding what was Fiction and what wasn't. I didn't like any of the characters and wasn't rooting for anyone. I found myself doing things so I wouldn't read.

[Rae Choins · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was stupidly mediocre.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book, all I could think was that it was a missed opportunity. I was expecting a historical fiction book centered around Lucille Ball. That's not really what this book is at all. It does have Lucille Ball as a main character, but this book is mostly about the men in her life- a man that she had a strange relationship with and her husband. I kept wanting the book to be about her life- her ground breaking successes and her struggles. After I finished the disappointing book, I read the afterword where the author explains how he fictionalized his grandfather. I wish I had read about his background and motivations first so that my expectations of this book were better aligned. I would hope other readers can have a better understanding of what this book is going in so that they might like it more than I did.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy.

[Suzann · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is truly one of the strangest books I've ever read. I don't understand the purpose of it, I don't know where truth ends and fiction begins, I don't understand how the author can fictionalize himself writing this very book within the book, and I don't understand why any of this had to happen.

[Denise Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: The Queen of Tuesday~ a Lucille Ball Story by author, Darin Strauss

ARC/eGalley

We all love Lucy~ A comedian, a mother, a wife.... A Star!

With her more than dramatic home life, and her tenacity within the male-driven industry of movies and television during the 1950's, Lucille Ball made her mark as one of the most beloved women of her time. But behind the scenes, a struggle in holding her life together leads her on an alleged, uncharted journey, the very same path her beloved Desi has walked for far too long. As Lucy continues to feel her value within her marriage decreasing, based on her own husband's inability to see her worth, she dabbles in the flirtatious that inevitably leads her to an uncertain, dangerous place.

Author Darin Strauss has taken the liberty in creating a novel based on his own family history with a cross-genre of part fiction, part memoir, which blends mystery, stardom, and the supposed but unsubstantiated affair between the author's grandfather, Isidore Strauss, and none other than Ms. Lucille Ball-Arnaz. Isidore was her beautiful little secret, but was he truly? Did this affair actually happen?

I personally found this narrative based largely on the imaginative~ the "what ifs" rather than the "what was" and found it to be boldly descriptive as to its sexual elements throughout the storyline, as well as conceptually confusing at times.

Although written with distinct purpose, this particular combination of fact and fiction, for me, didn't add-to, but diminished what I believe this novel was intended to be, and described as~ "A Thrilling Love Story."

I do thank Town Crier Book Publicity along with Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Queen of Tuesday~ A Lucille Ball Story.

3 Stars

#DarinStrauss
#thequeenoftuesday
#RandomHouse

Wild Sage Book Blog

[Whitney Vario · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went in to this book not expecting it to be more than an entertaining, fun read. I was under no impression that this would be a great work of literature. I am a huge Lucille Ball fan and thought this would be a fun mood read. It wasn't. The first 25 percent of the book was truly a chore to get through. From there, the story picked up pace a bit but never enough to keep my attention long. Additionally I had trouble following the timeline as it jumped back and forth. The best parts for me came at the end when there was a little more story written from Harriet's perspective. I also enjoyed one of the parts that described the pilot of I Love Lucy, as it was nostalgic and fun to read.

I think the premise of this book was interesting, I just could not get in to the author's execution of it.

[Lindsey Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes a brave man to write a completely imagined love story between his grandfather and Lucille Ball inspired by the seed of a possibility. An even braver man to write their sex scenes. I struggled the most with this fiction/memoir hybrid and the shifting second person omniscient narrator. That being said, the book made me think a lot about fame and how secrets were possible at one point that will probably never be uncovered.

[lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book confused me, I loved it and didn't at the same time. I loved the complexity of the character's feelings but looking back at the whole book, nothing happened. it felt like we were in these character's heads feeling what they felt. i would def recommend if you want to opposite of a love story