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Muskrat Ramble
Seamlessly threaded into the emerging hot jazz music scene that captured the hearts of music lovers in 1913 New Orleans, are the themes of the tightening Jim Crow era, World War I and its aftermath of economic ills, political upheavals and epidemics, and the choices, heartbreaks and ultimate decisions of women of all races... at its heart, however, "Muskrat Ramble" is the saga of a young woman's unwavering devotion to the child she was forced to abandon at birth. The much-anticipated sequel to "A Sparrow Alone"!
363 pages, Paperback
Published March 23, 2021
About the author
Mim Eichmann
5 books169 followersA graduate from the Jordan College of Music at Butler University, in Indianapolis, IN, Chicago-based author Mim Eichmann has found that her creative journey has taken her down many exciting, interwoven pathways as an award-winning published lyricist, short story author and songwriter, professional folk musician, choreographer, by-lined journalist, and now, bestselling historical fiction author. Her debut historical fiction novel, “A Sparrow Alone”, published by Living Springs Publishers in April 2020, has met with extremely enthusiastic reviews and was a semi-finalist in the 2020 Illinois Library Association's Soon-to-be-Famous Project. Its much-anticipated sequel, “Muskrat Ramble” was published by LSP in March 2021 and has garnered equally enthusiastic high ratings. Both novels are bestsellers. www.mimeichmann.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 18, 2021
Hannah moves to New Orleans in 1913 which is already buzzing with jazz. Shortly upon arriving in the city, she meets Kid Ory, a Creole jazz trombonist and bandleader.
Through her story we get to experience some social issues and some historical events. As this story spans through a few decades, it presents a rich spectrum of events. There are some readers who will certainly appreciate how much this story has to offer and in detail. However, I prefer more focused stories with a shorter span of time period as they tend to be sharper in its depiction.
I found the style of writing descriptive, which makes it difficult for me to connect with the main character and makes the pace slow.
I did enjoy getting to know Kid Ory, but I didn’t feel that jazzy atmosphere. It felt like it was lost within this complex story. Also, the writing is more of telling than showing. And I think that was the biggest part that didn’t make the feel of jazz come alive.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Through her story we get to experience some social issues and some historical events. As this story spans through a few decades, it presents a rich spectrum of events. There are some readers who will certainly appreciate how much this story has to offer and in detail. However, I prefer more focused stories with a shorter span of time period as they tend to be sharper in its depiction.
I found the style of writing descriptive, which makes it difficult for me to connect with the main character and makes the pace slow.
I did enjoy getting to know Kid Ory, but I didn’t feel that jazzy atmosphere. It felt like it was lost within this complex story. Also, the writing is more of telling than showing. And I think that was the biggest part that didn’t make the feel of jazz come alive.
Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 20, 2021
Mim Eichmann has written a good historical fiction about the jazz age in New Orleans.
The story is told from the POV of Hannah Owens Barrington. She is a widow; she is a mother. After losing her job teaching in Kansas City MO, she and her daughter move to NO. A former student, Emma, lives there with her mother.
Emma has a BIG voice. She is 13 but aspires to be a singer. An opera singer takes Emma under her wing. Many jazz greats of the era are included: Kid Ory, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. She does become a professional but her life is far from sweetness and light.
Kid Ory takes Emma under his wing too. He calls Emma La Petite Musquette. He writes The Muskrat Ramble in her honor.
Hannah's life is fleshed out as well. Needing a job, she works at a cigar factory until the tobacco dust does her in. She then finds a job refurbishing opera gowns for use in England. Her relationship with Alice AND Emma changes drastically.
The backdrop of these vignettes is 1913 New Orleans. As the stories progress, we experience WWI, a hurricane, the Spanish flu epidemic and the effects of war. The book spans the years 1913 to the 1960's. .
A worthy historical fiction.with MANY touches of surprise and suspense.
4 stars
The story is told from the POV of Hannah Owens Barrington. She is a widow; she is a mother. After losing her job teaching in Kansas City MO, she and her daughter move to NO. A former student, Emma, lives there with her mother.
Emma has a BIG voice. She is 13 but aspires to be a singer. An opera singer takes Emma under her wing. Many jazz greats of the era are included: Kid Ory, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. She does become a professional but her life is far from sweetness and light.
Kid Ory takes Emma under his wing too. He calls Emma La Petite Musquette. He writes The Muskrat Ramble in her honor.
Hannah's life is fleshed out as well. Needing a job, she works at a cigar factory until the tobacco dust does her in. She then finds a job refurbishing opera gowns for use in England. Her relationship with Alice AND Emma changes drastically.
The backdrop of these vignettes is 1913 New Orleans. As the stories progress, we experience WWI, a hurricane, the Spanish flu epidemic and the effects of war. The book spans the years 1913 to the 1960's. .
A worthy historical fiction.with MANY touches of surprise and suspense.
4 stars
November 24, 2020
(This review first appeared on Windy City Reviews)
Muskrat Ramble is the ambitious story of a woman’s journey through the first half of the Twentieth Century. The novel follows Hannah Barrington, a woman damaged by racial prejudice, constricting social mores, and tumultuous changes in American Society as she tries to navigate the world with two small girls in tow, one white, one bi-racial.
Picking up after her first book, “A Sparrow Alone,” Hannah flees Missouri for New Orleans in hopes of finding a better life for herself and her girls. She arrives in a confusing world where race is divided into fractions, a single woman is at the mercy of unimaginable constraints, and a new style of music—Jazz—provides the soundtrack.
The book’s title comes from a ground-breaking recording by Creole jazz pioneer Edward (Kid) Ory. Hannah meets Ory when he’s still a young, unknown trombonist and their relationship intertwines again and again over forty years. The true story of his rollercoaster musical career provides touchpoints for Hannah’s own story, and he’s one of many real-life characters Hannah encounters.
The novel also chronicles the heroine’s encounters with the biggest events of the century such as life on the home front during the Great War, the outbreak of Spanish Influenza, and the migration of African Americans north to Chicago.
The author’s personal musical passion and expertise shines through in the way she documents the music and its characters. The intersection of jazz, classical music, and vaudeville is lovingly detailed. Hannah’s is not a simple story, and you’ll learn more about opera costuming, the music business in the Twenties, and the horrifying treatment (or lack thereof) for autoimmune diseases like encephalitis than you may expect. People who enjoy historical fiction for the details and to learn something they didn’t know will be richly rewarded.
This tale of one woman’s harrowing personal odyssey through half a century is not a breezy read, but worth the journey.
Muskrat Ramble is the ambitious story of a woman’s journey through the first half of the Twentieth Century. The novel follows Hannah Barrington, a woman damaged by racial prejudice, constricting social mores, and tumultuous changes in American Society as she tries to navigate the world with two small girls in tow, one white, one bi-racial.
Picking up after her first book, “A Sparrow Alone,” Hannah flees Missouri for New Orleans in hopes of finding a better life for herself and her girls. She arrives in a confusing world where race is divided into fractions, a single woman is at the mercy of unimaginable constraints, and a new style of music—Jazz—provides the soundtrack.
The book’s title comes from a ground-breaking recording by Creole jazz pioneer Edward (Kid) Ory. Hannah meets Ory when he’s still a young, unknown trombonist and their relationship intertwines again and again over forty years. The true story of his rollercoaster musical career provides touchpoints for Hannah’s own story, and he’s one of many real-life characters Hannah encounters.
The novel also chronicles the heroine’s encounters with the biggest events of the century such as life on the home front during the Great War, the outbreak of Spanish Influenza, and the migration of African Americans north to Chicago.
The author’s personal musical passion and expertise shines through in the way she documents the music and its characters. The intersection of jazz, classical music, and vaudeville is lovingly detailed. Hannah’s is not a simple story, and you’ll learn more about opera costuming, the music business in the Twenties, and the horrifying treatment (or lack thereof) for autoimmune diseases like encephalitis than you may expect. People who enjoy historical fiction for the details and to learn something they didn’t know will be richly rewarded.
This tale of one woman’s harrowing personal odyssey through half a century is not a breezy read, but worth the journey.
March 23, 2021
A captivating read, jam-packed with wonderful details!
This is almost a saga of one woman's life, mainly in the deep south and encompassing everything and everyone she cares about. Set during and after WWI, this story includes all that affected Americans during this period; the emergence of the popularity of music new to the population, the crippling poverty and the terrible differences with race, sanctioned by the legislation of the day and having a horrific effect on many.
I was invited to read and review this novel and convinced it was one I really wouldn't want to miss. Even though this is a sequel (to A Sparrow Alone), it is an excellent standalone read and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Quite a heart-wrenching read in places, it clearly demonstrates the awful reality of racism during this period alongside the abundance of love and friendships. It's quite difficult to give a flavour of this one without revealing all but please, take my word for it, this is a terrific read. However, I would say that, left to my own devices I would never have read this novel; neither the cover nor the blurb do it justice and a little attention to both would broaden appeal considerably. I'm happy to have read this one and give it 4*.
This is almost a saga of one woman's life, mainly in the deep south and encompassing everything and everyone she cares about. Set during and after WWI, this story includes all that affected Americans during this period; the emergence of the popularity of music new to the population, the crippling poverty and the terrible differences with race, sanctioned by the legislation of the day and having a horrific effect on many.
I was invited to read and review this novel and convinced it was one I really wouldn't want to miss. Even though this is a sequel (to A Sparrow Alone), it is an excellent standalone read and one I thoroughly enjoyed. Quite a heart-wrenching read in places, it clearly demonstrates the awful reality of racism during this period alongside the abundance of love and friendships. It's quite difficult to give a flavour of this one without revealing all but please, take my word for it, this is a terrific read. However, I would say that, left to my own devices I would never have read this novel; neither the cover nor the blurb do it justice and a little attention to both would broaden appeal considerably. I'm happy to have read this one and give it 4*.
January 9, 2021
Muskrat Ramble by Mim Eichmann is not just historical fiction. It’s an incredibly detailed account of true events and people and how they might have had an effect on fictional characters.
The novel is the sequel to A Sparrow Alone but will stand alone. The author has outdone herself with research into the early Jazz era, social mores, and most importantly the plight of women and people of color. All these issues are woven into a saga spanning decades.
The main character, Hannah Barrington, takes us on an intimate journey through her life as she interacts with prominent characters from the time period. She holds back nothing in telling her tale, including the many mistakes she feels she has made.
We travel with her to New Orleans as Jazz is born, to Chicago in the time of Capone, and eventually back to Colorado, where her story began. Along the way we meet fabulous characters real and fictional.
Thank goodness the author gives us a bibliography at the end, because the book left me with a desire to know more about many of the storylines from encephalitis lethargica to the criminal treatment of the mentally ill.
Fans of historical fiction, jazz, all the way to Creole cooking should find something to love about this book
The novel is the sequel to A Sparrow Alone but will stand alone. The author has outdone herself with research into the early Jazz era, social mores, and most importantly the plight of women and people of color. All these issues are woven into a saga spanning decades.
The main character, Hannah Barrington, takes us on an intimate journey through her life as she interacts with prominent characters from the time period. She holds back nothing in telling her tale, including the many mistakes she feels she has made.
We travel with her to New Orleans as Jazz is born, to Chicago in the time of Capone, and eventually back to Colorado, where her story began. Along the way we meet fabulous characters real and fictional.
Thank goodness the author gives us a bibliography at the end, because the book left me with a desire to know more about many of the storylines from encephalitis lethargica to the criminal treatment of the mentally ill.
Fans of historical fiction, jazz, all the way to Creole cooking should find something to love about this book
April 26, 2021
‘Muskrat Ramble’ is the continuation of the story about Hannah Owens Barrington in the first book, ‘A Sparrow Alone’. You can read my thoughts on book 1 here. It picks up her story in 1913 after the school she teaches African American children, closes in Kansas. She moves with her “daughter,” Alice, to New Orleans. She hopes to re-connect with her birth daughter, Emma and to find a job.
She does get to re-connect with Emma, who is now 13 years old. Note, Emma does not know that Hannah is her mother. Emma aspires to be a Jazz singer and is friends with Kid Ory the jazz trombonist.
Hannah also finds a variety of jobs including working in a cigar factory and seamstress work for an opera house.
The backdrop of the book is the Jazz Age in all it’s glory and pitfalls, especially racism. I love the part Kid Ory plays in the story as he was a real-life jazz performer. There were also references to Louis Armstrong. I especially love the Jazz age part of the story, it was like a character, itself.
I also loved how Hannah evolved as she aged. I would love to write more about that but don’t want to risk spoilers.
If you are an historical fiction lover, like myself, you should read ‘Muskrat Ramble’. Be sure to read ‘A Sparrow Alone’ first. This is a rich historical two book series that is well developed and researched. The character come alive in a way that you feel you are there, seeing their lives unfold first hand. These are unforgettable characters that I will not forget!
She does get to re-connect with Emma, who is now 13 years old. Note, Emma does not know that Hannah is her mother. Emma aspires to be a Jazz singer and is friends with Kid Ory the jazz trombonist.
Hannah also finds a variety of jobs including working in a cigar factory and seamstress work for an opera house.
The backdrop of the book is the Jazz Age in all it’s glory and pitfalls, especially racism. I love the part Kid Ory plays in the story as he was a real-life jazz performer. There were also references to Louis Armstrong. I especially love the Jazz age part of the story, it was like a character, itself.
I also loved how Hannah evolved as she aged. I would love to write more about that but don’t want to risk spoilers.
If you are an historical fiction lover, like myself, you should read ‘Muskrat Ramble’. Be sure to read ‘A Sparrow Alone’ first. This is a rich historical two book series that is well developed and researched. The character come alive in a way that you feel you are there, seeing their lives unfold first hand. These are unforgettable characters that I will not forget!
March 15, 2021
"We simply do our best to glue together the often shredded pages of our fragmented chapters and arrange them in some kind of meaningful sequence..." This quote perfectly sums up "Muskrat Ramble" by Mim Eichmann. Though this historical fiction novel is technically the sequel to "A Sparrow Alone," it can definitely be read as a stand-alone book.
Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, World War I, the Great Depression, and Jim Crow, this book follows Hannah as she and her daughter Alice move from Kansas City to New Orleans so that Hannah can find work and be closer to one of her former students, a young black girl named Emma. Hannah experiences many challenges but is able to rise to the occasion each time, desperately trying to create a better life for herself, Alice, and Emma. There are many twists and turns to Hanna's story, and it isn't always easy to read.
"Muskrat Ramble" is meticulously researched. It is educational, as well as entertaining. It is not a simple story, packed full of events and details, but it is an absolute joy to read. I found it to be compulsively readable and, even though it is a lengthy book, I finished it in just a few hours because I just could not put it down. I especially love novels with strong female characters and this one had several that fit that bill.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading this wonderful novel. I will certainly read "A Sparrow Alone" too!
Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, World War I, the Great Depression, and Jim Crow, this book follows Hannah as she and her daughter Alice move from Kansas City to New Orleans so that Hannah can find work and be closer to one of her former students, a young black girl named Emma. Hannah experiences many challenges but is able to rise to the occasion each time, desperately trying to create a better life for herself, Alice, and Emma. There are many twists and turns to Hanna's story, and it isn't always easy to read.
"Muskrat Ramble" is meticulously researched. It is educational, as well as entertaining. It is not a simple story, packed full of events and details, but it is an absolute joy to read. I found it to be compulsively readable and, even though it is a lengthy book, I finished it in just a few hours because I just could not put it down. I especially love novels with strong female characters and this one had several that fit that bill.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading this wonderful novel. I will certainly read "A Sparrow Alone" too!
March 28, 2023
3.5/4 Stars
I picked up this book because I love traditional jazz; the title is from an old Kid Ory tune, and Ory features heavily in the tale.
We follow Hannah and her daughter, Emma, from Colorado Springs to New Orleans in the pre-WWI era. Emma's a gifted singer, even at a very young age, and winds up singing with Ory's band as it develops.
Other complications develop as well, including an affair between Emma and Ory.
The story is an interesting look at the social roles of women and people of color, as well as the rise of jazz music.
What cost the book one and a half stars was some really poor editing. Speaker attributions were frequently not separated by commas and/or quotation marks. There were numerous run-on sentences that I had to parse. That's unfortunate, because it was otherwise a very good piece of historical fiction.
I picked up this book because I love traditional jazz; the title is from an old Kid Ory tune, and Ory features heavily in the tale.
We follow Hannah and her daughter, Emma, from Colorado Springs to New Orleans in the pre-WWI era. Emma's a gifted singer, even at a very young age, and winds up singing with Ory's band as it develops.
Other complications develop as well, including an affair between Emma and Ory.
The story is an interesting look at the social roles of women and people of color, as well as the rise of jazz music.
What cost the book one and a half stars was some really poor editing. Speaker attributions were frequently not separated by commas and/or quotation marks. There were numerous run-on sentences that I had to parse. That's unfortunate, because it was otherwise a very good piece of historical fiction.
February 20, 2021
This is a sequel book to Sparrow Alone. I read Muskrat Ramble as a stand-alone and thoroughly enjoyed it, i am planning to going back and read the first one. The book touches on so many things as it spans five decades. The New Orleans Creole Jazz scene was quite intriguing, something I knew little about. Kid Ory, Louie Armstrong, Jelly Roll and several others either make appearances or have major contributing roles. Hanna, a widow and her daughter relocate to New Orleans when Hanna finds herself without a job. One of Hanna’s former students, Emma and her mother also a close friend live in New Orleans as well.
Emma has a beautiful voice and Kid Ory becomes her mentor in the jazz scene. He tries to assist her with navigating a singing career at a time when there were so few options available to female black singers. Kid Ory is a major supporting character, he is endearing and the reader finds him quite charming. While he’s a womanizer and opportunist, he is mostly honest and upfront about his alternative relationships with the exception of his poor wife.
As time goes by so many issues are encountered, race and discrimination are front and center, the Spanish Flu, WWI, politics. It’s all here in a beautifully crafted story. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because at some points the writing bogged down and seemed to drag out. I highly recommend this adventurous historical novel.
Emma has a beautiful voice and Kid Ory becomes her mentor in the jazz scene. He tries to assist her with navigating a singing career at a time when there were so few options available to female black singers. Kid Ory is a major supporting character, he is endearing and the reader finds him quite charming. While he’s a womanizer and opportunist, he is mostly honest and upfront about his alternative relationships with the exception of his poor wife.
As time goes by so many issues are encountered, race and discrimination are front and center, the Spanish Flu, WWI, politics. It’s all here in a beautifully crafted story. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars because at some points the writing bogged down and seemed to drag out. I highly recommend this adventurous historical novel.
December 4, 2020
The first book with Hannah was A Sparrow Alone and it, too, is excellent. I got an advanced copy of this book from the author and was so thrilled to have it continue with Hannah's life for the next several decades. It is believable and well written and is based on the history and people the the time it is set in. The author had to do much research to step into the time periods and capture the fashion, social mores, architecture, modes of transportation, caste system and politics of the eras. I felt like I was right there to share the joyful times, the heart wrenching disappointments and inequalities the characters experienced.
I definitely recommend both Mim Eichmann's books and look forward to more!
I definitely recommend both Mim Eichmann's books and look forward to more!
January 19, 2021
A couple of weeks ago, I was approached by the author, Mim Eichmann, asking if I'd be interested in reading and reviewing her sequel to ‘A Sparrow Alone’ titled ‘Muskrat Ramble.’ Knowing how much I love historical fiction and love to learn as I read, I appreciate the effort Eichmann went to get a hold of me. Muskrat Ramble was a spectacular novel and worth putting on your radar come March 23, 2021.
This novel begins with Hanna Barrington, an engaging protagonist, welcoming readers into her life as she revisits pivotal moments in her life. Hanna doesn’t hold back; readers gain insight into mistakes made and opportunities missed. Hoping for a better life without racial prejudice, Hannah, a caucasian mother and teacher, escapes from Missouri and heads for New Orleans. Unfortunately, she’s not able to regain employment as a teacher and instead accepts a seamstress position in the costume department of the Opera House. While visiting a friend, she meets Edward (Kid) Ory, a black trombone player and Creole jazz pioneer. For the next few decades, Ory is an influential part of Hannah’s life. It’s at this point that readers will link the book’s title with Ory and the learn origins of the famous tune, Muskrat Ramble. Readers will also be made aware of the unfair treatment of black musicians and the 'separate but equal' laws of the time.
Eichmann has spanned the decades, stitching Hannah’s experiences together with incredible detail. It’s easy to see why this author couldn’t let go of Hannah’s story and was moved to work on this sequel. Meticulous research has enabled Eichmann to inform readers about the birth of jazz, home front life during WW1 and its effects on the economy, the Spanish Flu, the plight of women, and the Jim Crow era featuring the struggles the people of colour endured. The in-depth information is a necessary background for the creation of the vivid picture Eichmann paints of life for women spanning the decades. I love to learn as I read and was shocked at the insight into Encephalitis Lethargica and intrigued at the information presented on the different genres of music. Although an ambitious time frame to condense in a poignant novel, Eichmann successfully highlights her characters against spectacular backdrops and heart-wrenching conditions and manages to tie Hannah’s story together in an unforgettable tale.
Thank you for encouraging me to read your recent masterpiece, Mim. It was an absorbing read and the educator in me is delighted at the bibliography, offering me plenty of reading material.
Thank you to Living Springs Publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This novel begins with Hanna Barrington, an engaging protagonist, welcoming readers into her life as she revisits pivotal moments in her life. Hanna doesn’t hold back; readers gain insight into mistakes made and opportunities missed. Hoping for a better life without racial prejudice, Hannah, a caucasian mother and teacher, escapes from Missouri and heads for New Orleans. Unfortunately, she’s not able to regain employment as a teacher and instead accepts a seamstress position in the costume department of the Opera House. While visiting a friend, she meets Edward (Kid) Ory, a black trombone player and Creole jazz pioneer. For the next few decades, Ory is an influential part of Hannah’s life. It’s at this point that readers will link the book’s title with Ory and the learn origins of the famous tune, Muskrat Ramble. Readers will also be made aware of the unfair treatment of black musicians and the 'separate but equal' laws of the time.
Eichmann has spanned the decades, stitching Hannah’s experiences together with incredible detail. It’s easy to see why this author couldn’t let go of Hannah’s story and was moved to work on this sequel. Meticulous research has enabled Eichmann to inform readers about the birth of jazz, home front life during WW1 and its effects on the economy, the Spanish Flu, the plight of women, and the Jim Crow era featuring the struggles the people of colour endured. The in-depth information is a necessary background for the creation of the vivid picture Eichmann paints of life for women spanning the decades. I love to learn as I read and was shocked at the insight into Encephalitis Lethargica and intrigued at the information presented on the different genres of music. Although an ambitious time frame to condense in a poignant novel, Eichmann successfully highlights her characters against spectacular backdrops and heart-wrenching conditions and manages to tie Hannah’s story together in an unforgettable tale.
Thank you for encouraging me to read your recent masterpiece, Mim. It was an absorbing read and the educator in me is delighted at the bibliography, offering me plenty of reading material.
Thank you to Living Springs Publishers and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2020
Muskrat Ramble by Mim Eichmann is a must read for fans of historical fiction, New Orleans jazz and strong characters who overcome impossible odds to survive in a world hostile to their gender, class and race.
Eichmann’s prose is a delight. Her use of patois and dialect is smooth and unobtrusive. The story covers a half-century of jazz history and incorporates a fair number of historical jazz figures. It’s a testament to Eichmann’s narrative skill that nothing in Muskrat Ramble feels like a background history lesson. This reader finished the tale wanting to know more.
Muskrat Ramble is a fun, smart and absorbing read. Don’t miss it.
Eichmann’s prose is a delight. Her use of patois and dialect is smooth and unobtrusive. The story covers a half-century of jazz history and incorporates a fair number of historical jazz figures. It’s a testament to Eichmann’s narrative skill that nothing in Muskrat Ramble feels like a background history lesson. This reader finished the tale wanting to know more.
Muskrat Ramble is a fun, smart and absorbing read. Don’t miss it.
February 22, 2021
Thank you so much for the ARC!!!
This book reminded me why I love historical fiction-type novels! I have been on an audiobook kick for a while now. And this was the first book that I've actually picked up and read for almost two years! And I am so glad that I did. This book was fantastic. It definitely kept me on my toes. Every few pages I was like, "OMG, What?!?" pretty consistently throughout the entire book. This is the first book I have read from Mim Eichmann and I am totally a fan!
This book reminded me why I love historical fiction-type novels! I have been on an audiobook kick for a while now. And this was the first book that I've actually picked up and read for almost two years! And I am so glad that I did. This book was fantastic. It definitely kept me on my toes. Every few pages I was like, "OMG, What?!?" pretty consistently throughout the entire book. This is the first book I have read from Mim Eichmann and I am totally a fan!
March 25, 2021
Mim Eichmann’s Muskrat Ramble is an historic novel centered around Hannah Barrington, who finds herself in places where jazz and blues play prominent roles in local music culture, influencing her life and lives of a few other characters. Although a significant number of musicians are mentioned, such as King Oliver, Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Mutt Carey, Bix Biederbecke, Sissieretta Jones, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith, Eichmann gives only Edward “Kid” Ory a major role, also borrowing the name of one of his best-known tunes for her title. Eichmann alters performers’ professional timelines somewhat but admits to doing so to serve Hannah’s story. Music history is one of the books strengths.
A sequel to Eichmann’s A Sparrow Alone (2020), which I have not read, Muskrat Ramble can easily be read on its own because it gradually fills in relevant fragments of Hannah’s Colorado past. It opens in 1913 as Hannah has lost her teaching job in a black Kansas City school. Much to her daughter Alice’s dismay, financially-strapped Hannah decides the two of them will move to New Orleans where she hopes to find work but will also be near Emma Jackson, her favorite former student from the Kansas City school and Emma’s mother Zuma. whom Hannah had known in Colorado. Months earlier, Zuma and Emma accompanied their employers to a decaying family plantation near New Orleans.
Readers who love melodrama should enjoy Muskrat Ramble. To my mind, Eichmann has overdone it—has piled personal and sociological issue upon issue, tragedy upon tragedy, bad decision upon bad decision. Filed with children born out of wedlock, desertions, concealed identities, murderers, prostitution, a hurricane and resultant flood, devasting fires, segregation and Jim Crow, World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, prohibition, the Great Depression, and more, and ending with Roe v. Wade, the book sometimes comes across as preachy, with one character or another hitting readers over the head with the message rather than the author dramatizing the message. I sometimes found myself wishing Eichmann had chosen to tell the story through multiple points of view. For example, Alice, Emma, and even Zuma could have been given a chance to be the central focus. Bringing Emma’s time with Sissieretta Jones more to life through Emma’s point of view could have better conveyed the point of racism than does mere summary. I did, however, like the sharp-tongued elderly Hannah of the last chapter.
The detailed descriptions of clothing and other irrelevant items, piling sentences with adjective after adjective, bothered this career-long English teacher, who tried to teach her students to stick to relevant details. Frankly, I got tired of the word “diaphanous.” Fortunately, however, the story will grab many readers and propel them forward through the decades of Hannah’s life. Possibly, some of the extraneous description will be weeded out by better editing between distribution of advance reader copies and publication date.
Eichmann opens each chapter with an appropriate quotation, either from an historic figure or, rather surprisingly, from one of her fictional characters. For instance, the first chapter opens with a quotation attributed to Hannah Owens Barrington, the central character. Readers come across the same words part way through chapter 12, and the idea reappears in shorter form at chapter’s end. We can conclude that these words are a central message to help us understand Muskrat Ramble: “One’s life is not at all like a book I reasoned. Things are never fully resolved, never fully wrapped up in nice tidy little stacks and neatly placed in the corner awaiting our leisurely perusal and analysis. We simply do our best to glue together the often shredded pages of our fragmented chapters and arrange them in some kind of meaningful sequence.” In the final chapter, Eichmann does provide a satisfying, touching conclusion.
A long-time artistic director/choreographer for a Chicago-based ballet theater. a folk musician, and lyricist and composer for two award-winning children’s cds. Eichmann creative background no doubt drew her to music research and the writing of Muskrat Ramble.
Thanks to NetGalley, Living Springs Publishers, and Mim Eichmann for the advance reader copy.
A sequel to Eichmann’s A Sparrow Alone (2020), which I have not read, Muskrat Ramble can easily be read on its own because it gradually fills in relevant fragments of Hannah’s Colorado past. It opens in 1913 as Hannah has lost her teaching job in a black Kansas City school. Much to her daughter Alice’s dismay, financially-strapped Hannah decides the two of them will move to New Orleans where she hopes to find work but will also be near Emma Jackson, her favorite former student from the Kansas City school and Emma’s mother Zuma. whom Hannah had known in Colorado. Months earlier, Zuma and Emma accompanied their employers to a decaying family plantation near New Orleans.
Readers who love melodrama should enjoy Muskrat Ramble. To my mind, Eichmann has overdone it—has piled personal and sociological issue upon issue, tragedy upon tragedy, bad decision upon bad decision. Filed with children born out of wedlock, desertions, concealed identities, murderers, prostitution, a hurricane and resultant flood, devasting fires, segregation and Jim Crow, World War I, the Spanish flu pandemic, prohibition, the Great Depression, and more, and ending with Roe v. Wade, the book sometimes comes across as preachy, with one character or another hitting readers over the head with the message rather than the author dramatizing the message. I sometimes found myself wishing Eichmann had chosen to tell the story through multiple points of view. For example, Alice, Emma, and even Zuma could have been given a chance to be the central focus. Bringing Emma’s time with Sissieretta Jones more to life through Emma’s point of view could have better conveyed the point of racism than does mere summary. I did, however, like the sharp-tongued elderly Hannah of the last chapter.
The detailed descriptions of clothing and other irrelevant items, piling sentences with adjective after adjective, bothered this career-long English teacher, who tried to teach her students to stick to relevant details. Frankly, I got tired of the word “diaphanous.” Fortunately, however, the story will grab many readers and propel them forward through the decades of Hannah’s life. Possibly, some of the extraneous description will be weeded out by better editing between distribution of advance reader copies and publication date.
Eichmann opens each chapter with an appropriate quotation, either from an historic figure or, rather surprisingly, from one of her fictional characters. For instance, the first chapter opens with a quotation attributed to Hannah Owens Barrington, the central character. Readers come across the same words part way through chapter 12, and the idea reappears in shorter form at chapter’s end. We can conclude that these words are a central message to help us understand Muskrat Ramble: “One’s life is not at all like a book I reasoned. Things are never fully resolved, never fully wrapped up in nice tidy little stacks and neatly placed in the corner awaiting our leisurely perusal and analysis. We simply do our best to glue together the often shredded pages of our fragmented chapters and arrange them in some kind of meaningful sequence.” In the final chapter, Eichmann does provide a satisfying, touching conclusion.
A long-time artistic director/choreographer for a Chicago-based ballet theater. a folk musician, and lyricist and composer for two award-winning children’s cds. Eichmann creative background no doubt drew her to music research and the writing of Muskrat Ramble.
Thanks to NetGalley, Living Springs Publishers, and Mim Eichmann for the advance reader copy.
September 17, 2021
The second and final installment in Mim Eichmann's saga of before-her-time free spirit, Hannah Owens, Muskrat Ramble is a tour of (a ramble through) 20th-century America, commencing on the eve of the First World War. This meticulously researched novel takes us from New Orleans on the cusp of the Jazz Age to Prohibition-era Chicago to the Front Range of Colorado. It's a breathtaking travelogue, to be sure.
Eichmann has remarkable skill with historical setting and a musician's easy fluency with the intricacies of the early development of American jazz. It's an immersive experience for readers, surrounding us with the rich sounds and smells of New Orleans, the languid sultriness of Louisiana's sugar plantations, and the bone-chilling cold of Chicago winters. The author paints with a refined brush that renders her settings in lush and textured colors. The book is probably worth the price for the author's settings alone.
I didn't find the protagonist, Hannah, particularly likable. And I don't necessarily count this a negative. It was frankly refreshing to encounter a female protagonist in a historical novel that wasn't immediately likable. Hannah is self-indulgent, with a recurrent indifference to the effects on others of her often selfish decisions. This includes Hannah's blithely entering into a sexual relationship with Edouard "Kid" Ory, the great New Orleans jazz trombonist who Eichmann co-opts as the lover of Hannah's teenage daughter whom he subsequently impregnates. This was irresistibly tawdry and rollicking good fun. Rather than rooting for Hannah, I found myself awaiting her next train-wreck life choice, which included ending up cross-wise with Al Capone's Southside Gang. In the end, Hannah does right (no spoilers), but it's a circuitous route getting there.
The primary weakness of this book lies with the unevenness and herky-jerky pacing of the storyline. Much of this is a result of the author's impulse to show too much of her extraordinary research, forgetting that in historical novels research should, like an iceberg, remain 90% below the surface. This is most manifest in the final chapters, wherein the story moves across three decades recounting the development of jazz and the subsequent lives of the too-many musicians introduced earlier in the book, stitched together with the thinnest connections to the aging protagonist. Indeed, the book would have been improved by ending earlier. However, Ms Eichmann has the mechanics, and talent, to become a fine historical novelist, with discipline gained through experience for her future books.
Readers interested in jazz and its development will enjoy the detail in this novel.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
Eichmann has remarkable skill with historical setting and a musician's easy fluency with the intricacies of the early development of American jazz. It's an immersive experience for readers, surrounding us with the rich sounds and smells of New Orleans, the languid sultriness of Louisiana's sugar plantations, and the bone-chilling cold of Chicago winters. The author paints with a refined brush that renders her settings in lush and textured colors. The book is probably worth the price for the author's settings alone.
I didn't find the protagonist, Hannah, particularly likable. And I don't necessarily count this a negative. It was frankly refreshing to encounter a female protagonist in a historical novel that wasn't immediately likable. Hannah is self-indulgent, with a recurrent indifference to the effects on others of her often selfish decisions. This includes Hannah's blithely entering into a sexual relationship with Edouard "Kid" Ory, the great New Orleans jazz trombonist who Eichmann co-opts as the lover of Hannah's teenage daughter whom he subsequently impregnates. This was irresistibly tawdry and rollicking good fun. Rather than rooting for Hannah, I found myself awaiting her next train-wreck life choice, which included ending up cross-wise with Al Capone's Southside Gang. In the end, Hannah does right (no spoilers), but it's a circuitous route getting there.
The primary weakness of this book lies with the unevenness and herky-jerky pacing of the storyline. Much of this is a result of the author's impulse to show too much of her extraordinary research, forgetting that in historical novels research should, like an iceberg, remain 90% below the surface. This is most manifest in the final chapters, wherein the story moves across three decades recounting the development of jazz and the subsequent lives of the too-many musicians introduced earlier in the book, stitched together with the thinnest connections to the aging protagonist. Indeed, the book would have been improved by ending earlier. However, Ms Eichmann has the mechanics, and talent, to become a fine historical novelist, with discipline gained through experience for her future books.
Readers interested in jazz and its development will enjoy the detail in this novel.
Originally Reviewed for Discovering Diamonds
January 4, 2021
As an avid fan of historical fiction, I was delighted to receive an advance copy of Muskrat Ramble. Although it is a sequel to A Sparrow Alone, it can be read as a stand-alone. The novel spans over a half century starting in 1913 and takes place in several major cities including New Orleans, Kansas City, and Chicago.
The precipatating action occurs when a rock is thrown in the window of the apartment where Hannah Barrington lives. The attached note warns her to stop teaching Negroes. Hannah decides to relocate with her young teenage daughter Alice to New Orleans in search of a new teaching position. However, the only work she can find is as a seamstress at the temporarily closed Metropolitan Opera House.
She soon pays a visit to Zuma, a close friend who works as a cook at a plantation. Zuma has a daughter Emma, who is a few years older than Alice. It is at this residence that Hannah meets Edward "Kid" Ory, a up and coming Black trombonist who has his own band. Later, when he sees how wildly the spirited Emma dances, he composes an original instrumental tune, Muskrat Ramble, claiming she reminds him of the animal paddling in water. His nickname for her is "ma petite musquette."
There are several subplots which are skillfully interwoven and which depict the social mores, insidious racism, and the appalling conditions in segregated mental asylums. We are taken on an adventurous journey through important historical events and their often devastating consequences on the main characters. There are also elements of mystery and intrigue along with several surprise twists sprinkled throughout. The story comes full circle in the last chapter, which has a beautiful, poignant, and satisfying ending. The author has provided helpful information (before the first page of the novel) regarding which characters are completely fictional and which are based on actual people.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially fans of historical fiction and jazz, and to members of book clubs/groups. Readers of a certain age will be familiar with the many historical events they have either witnessed, read about, or have seen in the news. Younger generation readers might be astounded by the numerous details of a society steeped in different beliefs, customs, and attitudes, and of daily living without all the technology prevalent today.
The precipatating action occurs when a rock is thrown in the window of the apartment where Hannah Barrington lives. The attached note warns her to stop teaching Negroes. Hannah decides to relocate with her young teenage daughter Alice to New Orleans in search of a new teaching position. However, the only work she can find is as a seamstress at the temporarily closed Metropolitan Opera House.
She soon pays a visit to Zuma, a close friend who works as a cook at a plantation. Zuma has a daughter Emma, who is a few years older than Alice. It is at this residence that Hannah meets Edward "Kid" Ory, a up and coming Black trombonist who has his own band. Later, when he sees how wildly the spirited Emma dances, he composes an original instrumental tune, Muskrat Ramble, claiming she reminds him of the animal paddling in water. His nickname for her is "ma petite musquette."
There are several subplots which are skillfully interwoven and which depict the social mores, insidious racism, and the appalling conditions in segregated mental asylums. We are taken on an adventurous journey through important historical events and their often devastating consequences on the main characters. There are also elements of mystery and intrigue along with several surprise twists sprinkled throughout. The story comes full circle in the last chapter, which has a beautiful, poignant, and satisfying ending. The author has provided helpful information (before the first page of the novel) regarding which characters are completely fictional and which are based on actual people.
I highly recommend this book to everyone, especially fans of historical fiction and jazz, and to members of book clubs/groups. Readers of a certain age will be familiar with the many historical events they have either witnessed, read about, or have seen in the news. Younger generation readers might be astounded by the numerous details of a society steeped in different beliefs, customs, and attitudes, and of daily living without all the technology prevalent today.
October 31, 2020
Kate Chopin’s controversial novel “The Awakening” was published with an extremely small print run in 1899 and was so poorly received that the work was out of print until 1968. Many decades ago, my American Authors college professor – male, but one who fortuitously included the oft-neglected female authors buried beneath the usual pile of Hemingways, Faulkners and Steinbecks -- first led me to the works of Mrs. Chopin, along with that of Katherine Anne Porter, Edith Wharton, Carson McCullers and many others. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Chopin’s “The Awakening” actually appears as an important, influential character in my novel “Muskrat Ramble”. Like my fictional main character, Hannah Barrington, I’ve found that my repeated readings of Chopin’s novel over these many years has caused the depth of my appreciation to consistently evolve, something I believe that many women experience as they move from carefree young womanhood to the struggles we face as wives, mothers, grandmothers and widows. There’s an amusing modern day expression: ‘life got in the way while I was making plans’ which is exactly what’s occurred with Hannah and so many of the other fictional and historic characters surrounding her.
Out of this very small list of historic figures from my two novels -- Winfield Scott Stratton, Pearl DeVere, Edward “Kid” Ory, Sissieretta Jones, Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong -- I’ll wager you’ve only recognized one or possibly two names. I hope that you’ll find all of their lives inspirational, however, as we move forward into 2021 and beyond.
Chopin’s “The Awakening” actually appears as an important, influential character in my novel “Muskrat Ramble”. Like my fictional main character, Hannah Barrington, I’ve found that my repeated readings of Chopin’s novel over these many years has caused the depth of my appreciation to consistently evolve, something I believe that many women experience as they move from carefree young womanhood to the struggles we face as wives, mothers, grandmothers and widows. There’s an amusing modern day expression: ‘life got in the way while I was making plans’ which is exactly what’s occurred with Hannah and so many of the other fictional and historic characters surrounding her.
Out of this very small list of historic figures from my two novels -- Winfield Scott Stratton, Pearl DeVere, Edward “Kid” Ory, Sissieretta Jones, Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong -- I’ll wager you’ve only recognized one or possibly two names. I hope that you’ll find all of their lives inspirational, however, as we move forward into 2021 and beyond.
March 8, 2021
Muskrat Ramble is the sequel to A Sparrow Alone, which I haven’t read but it didn’t matter as the author basically rehashed the highlights throughout this book. This is a very interesting story about a woman, Hannah, who follows her friend. Zuma and her daughter, Emma to New Orleans from Colorado before WWI. This is the height of Jim Crow and Hannah, who is white, doesn’t know how to navigate the rules between races. In NOLA, she gets introduced to jazz through her friend Zuma and her daughter Emma.
Look, there is a lot of twists in this story line that I don’t want to ruin. I really enjoyed being introduced to a part of history and culture, the NOLA jazz scene, that I didn’t know about. Many of the musicians of the era make appearances in the novel. Race and discrimination are prominent throughout the story, as are WWI, the influenza epidemic, the depression, and vaudeville and how African-American performers made a living and were treated during the beginning of the 20th century.
The story starts right from the first pages and never lets up. Even though I know what happened in the first book, I now want to go back and read it.
Thank you NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Look, there is a lot of twists in this story line that I don’t want to ruin. I really enjoyed being introduced to a part of history and culture, the NOLA jazz scene, that I didn’t know about. Many of the musicians of the era make appearances in the novel. Race and discrimination are prominent throughout the story, as are WWI, the influenza epidemic, the depression, and vaudeville and how African-American performers made a living and were treated during the beginning of the 20th century.
The story starts right from the first pages and never lets up. Even though I know what happened in the first book, I now want to go back and read it.
Thank you NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 11, 2021
This complex and compelling historical novel provides the reader a crash course in the history of New Orleans jazz, but also a painful lesson in racial injustice in this country.
I found the storyline a bit confusing at times because I had not read the author’s previous novel which set the stage for this book. I admired the narrator/ heroine immensely: she was almost unbelievably self-reliant and intrepid. But, for someone who had endured multitudes of personal set-backs, she seemed to have the residency of a super- heroine.
I admired Mim Eichmann’s effort to educate her readers on so many subjects ranging from social injustice to medical history. At times, the depth of detail was a bit daunting, but the novel had both heart and heft and, while the journey through it was painful, it definitely had merit.
NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
I found the storyline a bit confusing at times because I had not read the author’s previous novel which set the stage for this book. I admired the narrator/ heroine immensely: she was almost unbelievably self-reliant and intrepid. But, for someone who had endured multitudes of personal set-backs, she seemed to have the residency of a super- heroine.
I admired Mim Eichmann’s effort to educate her readers on so many subjects ranging from social injustice to medical history. At times, the depth of detail was a bit daunting, but the novel had both heart and heft and, while the journey through it was painful, it definitely had merit.
NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.
January 14, 2021
In spite of the characters in the story and the main thread of it, I found it to be sad and depressing with regard to the situation of the time for females both Black and white. Yes, it was worse for the Black but the white with little or no money weren't mush better off. The insight into the vaudevillians was no better. And denying literacy to a group of people just because of their skin color is too reminiscent of the same being done to non-landed people by the Church as well as the murder of those who translated the Bible into multiple languages.
The story is briefly introduced by the publisher's blurb, but I feel that this book needs to be read by everyone. It is deeply moving.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Living Springs Publishers/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you!
The story is briefly introduced by the publisher's blurb, but I feel that this book needs to be read by everyone. It is deeply moving.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Living Springs Publishers/Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) via NetGalley. Thank you!
October 27, 2020
I liked the way Mim wrote about Hannah Barrington and made each and every thought come from her in reference to New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and California in talking about how blacks were treated as jazz musicians. It was eye opening as it could be and as a amateur musician playing alto, tenor, and bari saxophones and bassoon I never thought that black musicians would be treated that way. But in retrospect I can see that there would be that divide between people. People had it harder than we do now but there is still the divide that emanates between people of color and whites. Thank you Mim for making this more than anything I could come up with in this world. Tears at the end.
July 12, 2021
I loved this sequel to Mim Eichmann's first historical novel, A Sparrow Alone! So often, sequels don't quite measure up, but the author outdid herself with this book. As I read this continuation of the story of Hannah Owens and her coterie of compelling characters and situations, I was enthralled by the settings and plot twists interwoven against a primary backdrop of early 20th century New Orleans. New Orleans is one of my favorite all time cities, and Eichmann captured it perfectly. While it would certainly satisfy as a stand alone book, I very much liked the progression from the first book to the next. I hope there is a third as there are more stories to be told about so many of the characters that Eichmann has brough to life.
May 16, 2023
I loved all the historic detail about the early days of jazz in New Orleans. It prompted me to watch some videos. Hannah is a dedicated mother, striving to support and guide two daughters. The daughter everyone thinks is her’s she saved as an infant. The daughter everyone thinks is the daughter of a Creole friend is actually Hannah’s mixed-blood child. Struggles involve not only survival in a culture that did not offer much opportunity to women, but with severe black-white relationships. When a musician (real-life “Kid” Ory) befriends them and becomes a part of their lives, circumstances make it harder than ever to maintain Hannah’s relationships with her daughters. Fast-paced and full of historic detail, even if you don’t have an interest in jazz.
January 1, 2022
Muskrat Ramble picks up the story of Hannah Owens as she moves to New Orleans in 1913. In it. we become reacquainted with daughter Alice, Hannah's mentor Zuma, and Hannah's estranged daughter Emma. Emma's budding singing career allows us an inside view of the early New Orleans jazz scene and introduces us to Kid Ory, trombonist and one of jazz's early pioneers. Muskrat Ramble follows their lives in New Orleans, through WWI, the Spanish flu epidemic, jazz's exodus to Chicago and many of the tumultuous events of the mid-20th century. Here again, Hannah perseveres through adversity to claim her place in society and reestablish her relationship with the daughter she lost.
May 18, 2021
I read historical fiction to get to know people, places and times I could not otherwise meet, and to savor the similarites and differences between them, there and us. Muskrat Ramble delivers on all three: Turn of the Century New Orleans jazz, the fascinating people who lived and made it and, sadly, the dark side of human nature then and now which has seemingly changed little. Muskrat Ramble is a must read.
May 20, 2023
This book is sensational. Mim Eichmann is such a descriptive writer, with well developed characters, and such an engaging plot, that I couldn't put it down. I was amazed at the amount of research she must have done to write with such an accurate depiction of New Orleans and the musicians there in the early 1900s. I really appreciated the attention to detail, and how the story wove in and out of real-life historical figures.
April 26, 2026
This was an interesting story. WW1 and the jazz era is what caught my eye. It was sad, happy interesting a mix of emotions and characters. I know of some jazz music but learned about some early history from reading this.
August 28, 2021
Such a lovely, sweeping story!!! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
September 6, 2021
Really enjoyed this follow-up book to "A Sparrow Alone"!
October 22, 2021
Lovely
Very enjoyable sequel to A sparrow alone. It was as good as the first book. Loved the characters and how the author developed the story
Very enjoyable sequel to A sparrow alone. It was as good as the first book. Loved the characters and how the author developed the story
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