Vera

I’m a SFBay area fanatic....having lived in almost every major city...east Bay, North Bay, and South Bay.  I worked on California St. - in S.F. near Chinatown for three years.
I’ve family in Pacific Heights - friends in Nob Hill - Haight district - etc. 

San Francisco is a ‘one-of-a-kind’ city: colorful streets, the Golden Gate Bridge, Historical Victorians, Great museums, street fairs, great food, (sourdough bread, small dive restaurants with great tasting food, to fancy Michelin-starred restaurants), theater, awesome book stores,  
free outdoor music events, fog, hills, views, mild temperatures, The Pier, Chinatown, Alcatraz Island, The Ferry Building, Cable cars, Golden Gate Park, The Sea Lions at Pier 39, The Presidio, Fishermans wharf, diverse neighborhoods, Dog friendly,  Ghirardelli chocolate, Wealthy, middle class, poor, and homeless residents,  extravagant gay men, larger than life characters, The Bay to Breakers race, The Gay Pride parade, the famous Buena Vista Cafe serving up Irish Coffees, nearby Muir Woods, Sausalito, and even Goodreads. ( in the heart of the city).

A fantastic walking city, where many of my favorite authors live. 
John Steinbeck said:
“Once I knew the city very well, spent my attic days there, while others were being a lost generation in Paris, I fledged in San Francisco, climbed it’s hills, slept in its parks, worked on it docks, marched and shouted in its revolts...It had been kind to me in the days of my property and it did not resent my temporary solvency”.  

Carol Edgarian lives in San Francisco.  
When she writes about San Francisco...not only does she write about the exhilarating city - but its the way of life......the culture of the day, and contextual insights into its urban life.  
The streets of San Francisco come alive. Her descriptions are vibrantly imagined....and illuminated by warmth and delicacy of her prose.

Carol takes us to the streets - back in time - before, during, and after the 1906 earthquake: 
Wednesday, April 18th, 1906. 

We meet colorful liars, corrupt politicians, thieves, con artists, legendary historical characters, a memorable supporting cast...
and the resilient heroine: VERA JOHNSON.

When we first meet Vera, it’s her 15th birthday....1906. 
Nine days after her birthday, the world that Vera knew, would be gone.  

Vera’s birth mother, Rose, was a grande dame of the Barbary Coast (a red-light district during the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries in San Francisco— which featured dance halls, concert saloons, bars, jazz clubs, variety shows, and brothels). Rose was the notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s ritziest bordello. She was also an ally to the cities correct politicians.  

Rose didn’t raise Vera.  [but Vera always wished to be with Rose].  Rose paid for a parrot, that Vera desperately wanted for her 10th birthday-  Ricky was his name. Too cute- funny bird.....( I’m a bird lover too)...so I enjoyed many of the selective tidbit side dishes in this story.

Our hearts for Vera grow and grow — from her early childhood days - into her adult days. Vera makes us laugh, charms us, ( not a vindictive bone in her body), but we ache for her too.  Her quiet ( almost hidden), loneliness and unfulfilled desires - are always there. And that’s the way that goes! 🙁

Nobody knew that Rose had a daughter. Rose paid Morie Johnson, a Swedish widow, to take care of Vera.....but often Morie kept most of the money for herself. 
Vera says:
     “I suppose I gave Morie hundreds of reasons to hit me:  my skirt was soiled, my tongue to lose, I reminded her of her last pride”. 

Morie raised two girls: 
Vera, 15, and Pie 18.  
Vera says: ( about Pie):
     “We were sisters by arrangement, not blood, and though Pie was superior in most ways, I was boss and that’s how we’d go”. 
The girls had a noble-hearted Rottweiler mix: Rogue. 
Readers will love this dog!  I sure did.  
Vera, Pie, and Morie lived close to the canneries and piers- not a fancy house or block: working class. 
Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (historical legendary socialite and philanthropist, and beauty), *Big Alma*,  lived on their street, but was famous all over town. Men were so taken with her, they used her face as the model for Victoria, a goddess of victory, on the bronze statue at stir top Union Square.   

We meet neighbors, city officials, cooks, drivers, community members, celebrities, thieves....ordinary folks, and ( the adorable animals)
...Mayor Eugene Schmitz, the sheriff and every member of the city’s Board of Supervisors were corrupt grafters—and nobody seemed to care. 
....A Mexican prostitute could be bought for 25 cents. A French whore could be bought for a dollar.  
....Tenor Enrico Caruso: Italian Opera singer, 
....Boss Abe Ruef: a lawyer and politician who was corrupt. 
....Bobby: Vera’s lover, protector of the cities tribe of orphans, three generations of a Chinese family competing and conspiring with Vera. 

The day of the quake:
...”I can say with certainty that on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, we ate roast beef and apricot jam”. 
...”The San Francisco Gas and Electric’s silo chimney split in two”.
...People were on Nob Hill fighting to keep the Fairmont from burning. 
...Photographers were taking photos. 
... soldiers were setting up rows of army-issued tents. 
...fire blazes jumped wide boulevards ( Van Ness Avenue), and was gobbling Pacific Heights. 
... Sparks hopped from roof to roof. 
...owners of mansions were given just 45 minutes to clear out, before the horn sounded and their houses exploded with their art and valuables inside. 

  My final words - thoughts - and feelings:
          With as much detail as I tried to include....there really are no spoilers. 
I stayed away from sharing the emotions and depths that must be experienced.....from each reader. 
Specifics of what happens to our characters - directly in relationship to the 1906 earthquake- I’ve kept to myself.  
Readers really need to experience this history, the imagined storytelling themselves. 
I can tell you I got really teary and sad in one part - towards the end....
And of course when I was reading about the city’s devastating catastrophe - those vivid descriptions of the earthquake - the shocking sudden emergence....I thought about COVID-19....
As Vera said:
        “How quickly we’d adapted to a shaking world, as if it had always been this way: when it was coming on— like a stomach flu, the roiling that wouldn’t stop until you were sick, sick and tired— you braced with your knees and grabbed onto something solid while glancing overhead to see what might fall”. 

This book grounded me. It’s hugely dazzling and compassionate.

This is an extraordinarily engaging novel about the great San Francisco earthquake, seen through the eyes of Vera. Vera is a tough, scrappy 15 year old when the quake comes and turns her world upside down, but she is a survivor. 

Despite having been abandoned by her mother, San Francisco’s most successful madam, it to her that Vera is drawn.  Vera figures out how to support herself and the people around her.  Her enormous  loyalty to her mother and the rag-tag bunch of people who had been devoted to her, lead the reader to an absolutely riveting story. 

Honestly, it is sometimes difficult for me to enjoy historical fiction, but I was essentially hypnotized by this book. 
Edgarian transported me back to the quake and I felt I walked through the rubble and rebuilding with Vera. 

I highly recommend this and I think that it goes so far beyond fiction that the reader can gain great knowledge about the history of San Francisco, it’s destruction and it’s rebirth. 

Thank you Netgalley for for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Vera is a lyrical book - the descriptions are fluid and build around the story of the lead strong character who is an outcast/misfit, but a survivalist. The era of the time and the place are as much part of the story as Vera herself. Simply beautiful and impossible to put down.

The resilience and survival of the characters is impeccably written to reel you into a fast-paced adventure of hope and triumph. The story is based on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake that changed the course of history and many walks of life. All elements of lifestyles are represented from the poor orphans to the very wealthy. This was such a historical point and this book recreates the people and their surmountable will the bounce back. Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to step out of my usual genre and read this book.

What a gripping slice of historical fiction! You will be transported to 1906 San Francisco just before, during and aftermath of the Great San Francisco Earthquake.  The main character is Vera, a coming-of-age illegitimate young girl who yearns for her mother's love.  Vera's mother, Rose is the Madam of the red light district in San Francisco and she keeps her daughter at a cold distance., allowing only three visits a year.  San Francisco itself becomes a character in this novel. The city's and its peoples' perseverance and resilience is to be admired and is relevant today- the everlasting question of how do we overcome a disastrous event?  With colorful characters and fantastic writing of the connection between politics and the seedier parts of life, the only blemish in this story is we are left wanting more of Vera for we know she will have led an adventurous life.

A beautifully written lyrical novel.A story that drew me in from  the first pages.Vera is a character that come alive that involves you in her life and the tragedy dramas she is living through.A novel that is hard to put down had me reading late into the night.#netgalley #scribnerbooks

Vera turns 15 just days before the great San Francisco earthquake and fire. The unacknowledged daughter of a Madam, she soon finds herself needing to be mature beyond her years if she and others depending on her are to survive. A fascinating look at this city's history and what tradegy can bring out in us. Loved this book.

Vera Johnson is the resourceful fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello and ally to the city’s corrupt politicians. Vera has grown up straddling two worlds—the madam’s alluring sphere, and the violent, debt ridden domestic life of the family paid to raise her. On the morning of the great 1906 San Francisco quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the shattered city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned, and starving, Vera and her  sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Vera disregards societal norms and prejudices and begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors. 

I had never read this author, but she is an excellent writer.  It is hard to believe that this is only her third book.  I love historical fiction, and the author blends the historical event into the lives of the characters who grow and evolve throughout the book.  I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book.

Vera is 15 when the San Francisco earthquake hits. She's the daughter of one of the city's most established madames, a woman who farmed her out to a foster mother and only agrees to see the girl several times a year. Of course Vera is obsessed with her mother, who may have rejected her because she is plain and charmless, two things that are about to help her in this time of disaster.

With her foster mother killed by their collapsing house and her foster sister in shock, Vera takes the business of survival in hand while trying to find her mother, who we sadly know would not be looking for her. Vera has school friends from powerful families and people who have asked her for her plain-spoken take on political doings in town. Can she ask them for help, or will that be dangerous for her? And does she need them anyway?

Vera is one of those girls who were meant for their moment. She forms unlikely alliances, sees the big picture, takes action and longs most of all for her mother's love. We only get a few glimpses of her long life but that would be another book. "

"Vera" is a good historical read with terrific descriptions of the San Francisco earthquake. It flags in the middle but it's an excellent piece of escapist disaster fiction--things really could be worse.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

~~Candace Siegle, Greedy Reader

This book. Where do I even start?
 
When I saw this book and read about it, I knew I had to read it. From page one I was drawn into Vera, it was difficult to put down. Vera is stunning, heart breaking and hauntingly beautiful story that I will not be forgetting anytime soon. 

1906, San Francisco is destroyed by earthquakes and subsequent fires. Vera Johnson is 15 and living in two different worlds, one as a common daughter and sister and another as an illegitimate child of a well known madam. As earthquakes rock the city, Vera's lives come crashing together. Determined, intelligent and scrappy Vera pulls herself up and builds an entirely new life. 

I would like to give a huge thank you to NetGalley and Scribner books for my ARCs of this wonderful book.

Vera by Carol Edgarian is available to purchase March 2, 2021!

The best historical novel that I have read in the last year.  Set in San Francisco before and after the Great Earthquake of the early 1900"s.  Led by a young resilient teenager, Vera, the story revolves around group of people who are determined to survive the aftermath of the Quake by any means necessary.  One learns that family is not always defined by blood.  The historical facts are vividly described as is the desperation of people who are faced with tremendous  struggles.  An excellent book for reading groups.

Read this book in one day.  It was a good story and I highly recommend it.
Not only was it a good story but I learned a lot about the earthquake and the writing made me feel as though I were right in the middle of it when it was happening.  Highly recommend.

San Francisco, 1906, one of the biggest earthquakes hits. Just as bad are the fires that follow. Vera and her adopted sister struggle to find their way out of that rubble that was their home. Their mother is dead, buried under a pile of bricks.
The only place Very can think of going is to her mother's house. Her real mother. Pie and Rogue the dog go with her.
Her mother is a madam who owns a house of prostitution. Vera was left in the care of other since the house was no place to raise a child. Now Vera must go to that house and hope to find Rose, her mother.
This is a story of bravery and determination. It has love, betrayal, and is about growing up. It is a great read.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake is the backdrop to the character-driven novel, Vera. Good historical fiction brings the past alive, and the author succeeded in this endeavor. I cared about the characters, and I came away with new knowledge of the quake and society in 1906 San Francisco. The novel is accessible to those new to the historical fiction genre as well as prolific hf readers. I will recommend this title to my patrons.

I am a library paraprofessional and received an advance copy from NetGalley.

𝐀𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬.

Vera makes no qualms about her blood, she is a mutt, a bastard and an almost orphan. Her mother Rose, a legendary Madam, birthed her but left the raising to a Swedish widow named Elsa. In doing so, this guarantees she will never become a hooker nor bear the stain of her mother’s sins. The earth is about to shake the ground beneath their feet and alter all their plans days after Vera’s fifteenth birthday in San Francisco 1906. With Rose’s blood running through Vera’s veins, she has two warring natures inside of her but which will win out?

Her mysterious mother Rose lives a lavish life in Pacific Heights within a great house of many rooms upon which Vera looks at with deep longing. The time she spends with her mother are rare, and all her wishes are centered on being with Rose. With Vera’s dark looks, it’s impossible to truly pass as Elsa’s daughter and Piper “Pie’s” sister. Rose’s life revolves around meeting the desires of men, in the oldest profession in the world and Vera’s father? Well, he’s not even a factor. Her loneliness is overwhelming, feeling like nothing more than “a madam’s mistake”, Rose’s great shame and yet there lies freedom in being a secret. Vera learns early in life that her mind is her greatest company, and is the very thing that will help her survive and thrive when their great city and its citizens crumble.

San Francisco and Vera could be the same entity, both inhabited by secrets, henchmen, painted ladies, sleazy politicians, and all manner of celebrity and scandal. Vera learns discernment is the name of the game early on, and works hard to earn her keep. Despite Rose’s attempts to see Vera become first class, Vera is oddly proud of what her mother has accomplished as a Madam of the brothel (off limits to her), running the best place downtown. If only she would stop sending Vera away, if only things began making sense. Rose is privy to everything happening in this fine city, from the belly crawling scum to San Francisco’s mayor, she has eyes and ears everywhere. She doesn’t suffer fools and in her own way is teaching Vera how to be strong, a survivor. Vera wants nothing more than to prove herself to her mother and by choosing to shamefully out a liar she proves even she has a price. She may never be as beautiful as her mother, but she can be smart…

There it is, she is not beautiful, a crushing truth but she will need her smarts to survive the destructive forces of the coming earthquakes of her long life.

Rose exemplifies the times and what a woman without many options resorted too. Rather than being beaten down or waiting to be rescued, she used her wits to climb out of ruin, reborn again and again. Her moves are full of calculations and ones that Vera can’t always comprehend. But there are hard lessons between want and desire she is bound to absorb. The Chinese man Tan, her mother Rose’s butler and cook is the kink in the chain, the cause of confusion and anger. Tan, her mother’s spy- the very man who, though resentful of Vera’s very existence, can sometimes be bribed into revealing secrets to her. He will play a far greater role in all their lives, despite their shared mutual hatred.

Vera is learning she isn’t as far removed from the rest of the filth as she once believed. Everything in life is a game, she learns this the night of the opera, a game she has to learn to play and this she does on the streets of the glorious city. A city that is an orchestra that the mayor controls. Just as she is chewing on thoughts of that night, the city cracks. Everything falls upon them and it is up to Vera to save both she and love-sick, heart-broken Pie. Vera has no choice but to lead the way.

Soon the city is alight with fires, the dead lay buried, and society is suddenly equal, at least in their devastation. Everyone is a target for criminals, Rose is nowhere to be found dead or alive, and Vera is motherless as always. There is no gas, no running water, no electricity, no food but some grit has entered her soul, and in Rose’s house she and Pie become squatters. No telling how long before the world will right itself, she grudgingly allows Tan into their lives again, but he isn’t alone. He has brought a beautiful girl with him. It is because of him that another usurps her place as her mother’s daughter, and it’s a crushing blow. Everything is burning, and follows suit with history. Nearly 500 city blocks destroyed in the span of 3 days. The Palace Hotel, Chinatown… everything engulfed. Vera is only 15 and full of pride, but she is about to grow up fast. How will it all end, where will this event take them all and will Vera reunite with her mother Rose? Will her mother always reside in her head, watching over her, there to impress?

Vera is first and foremost about reinvention, Rose was already planning her daughter’s future before her birth, deciding what path would be better, but never could she have predicted the forces of nature, the earth’s or her own child’s. The best laid plans and all that… nature, nurture, pride, class, love, lust, desire, all these things build a city and bring it down. Vera and the city of San Francisco are both rebuilt but each retain the memory of what the destruction cost them, regardless of how much time passes.

Yes, read it, it is engaging historical fiction.

Publication Date: March 2, 2021

Scribner

I got an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I couldn’t put this book down! The book opens nine days before the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and our main character Vera’s birthday. Vera was placed in an adopted home when she was 2 and we meet her birth mom in the first few chapters, Rose. Rose is the head of a brothel. The entire book Vera is trying to figure out who she is and how she fits into Rose’s life. The entire book is from Vera’s POV and shows how the earthquake devastated the entire community and how her small area made it through. The ending made me realize I didn’t know what would happen to Vera but her ending made me smile. Highly recommend, I couldn’t finish it fast enough.

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 5/5 Characters: 4/5

A wild coming-of-age story — Vera is the daughter of the Barbary Coast’s most successful (and infamous) Madam (Rose) and is raised by a “proper” Swedish widow (Morie) who lives on that income.  At 15 Vera is a “scrawny and sharp-tongued girl” seething with a fervent desire for more: more time with her real mother, more options, more life.  And then the 1906 San Francisco quake hits.

With a cast of unforgettable characters deployed across unforgettable scenes, we follow Vera through adventures during and after the quake and resulting fire (which burned 28,000 buildings and 500 city blocks).  From Rose’s “gold house” on Lafayette Square to Chinatown to the many encampments for the suddenly homeless (400,000 people), the novel depicts the new mixtures of uppercrusters, corrupt politicians, wandering orphans, and the military with their overrun field hospitals — all adhering to their own sense of morality, loyalty, and their survival instinct.

Real life personalities Alma Spreckles, Abe Ruef, Caruso, and Mayor Eugene Schmitz (the quake occurring on the eve of his arrest on corruption charges) all play parts.  The writing is full of details such as the ingredients in Dills cough medicine (chloroform and a heroin derivative).  Completely brings to life the time and the place for a variety of characters with different backgrounds.  Could not put it down.

“Vera” is the story of a strong, well-rounded character who has you rooting for her throughout the novel. Carol Edgarian draws upon extensive research of the “big one” — the huge earthquake in San Francisco in the early 1900s. 

I knew very little about the San Francisco quake, and what little I did know was certainly not the human element that “Vera” so clearly describes. It felt as if I were living through a historical event as I read, rather than learning about it later.

Highly recommend this book of historical fiction. Thank you to @Netgalley for the early review copy.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

In "Vera," Edgarian has provided a very unique view of life for those who survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The main character (Vera), a 15-year-old illegitimate and unacknowledged daughter of the city's most popular madam (Rose), proves her mettle when she steps up and takes charge of family and employees when Rose is missing after the quake.

I was impressed by Vera's tenacity and resourcefulness, although it was a bit hard to believe that a relatively sheltered girl could be so capable in such a traumatic situation. Written in first person with an economy of prose, the author does a fine job of addressing Vera's coming-of-age, longing for her mother's love and attention, and her canniness in navigating a city attempting to right itself after such devastation.

The city itself is a major character and the descriptions were so vivid that I researched the historical quake, finding much of the information woven into the story is factual. It's quite amazing to me how many people still choose to make the Bay Area their home!

Thanks to Scribner & NetGalley for providing the ARC.

VERA
BY CAROL EDGARIAN

This novel was such a pleasure to read and if I could award it one-hundred stars I would most definitely do so. Carol Edgarian has in my humble opinion written the finest coming of age historical novel's to thrill and delight adult audiences I have ever come across in my entire lifetime. From its beginning pages it attracted and held my interest and attention until I read the very last word. In Vera, Ms Edgarian has created a fifteen year old protagonist that both captivated and charmed me with her iron will spirit and courage. This was an elaborately invented character that in the face of adversity possesses noble qualities and is both confident and courageous with leadership skills that are plentiful in the aftermath of a catastrophe. I don't normally gravitate towards reading coming of age novels nor do I seek them out but Vera had my soul smiling with her wit out performing an ensemble of eclectic character's.

This is a novel exquisitely written for adult audiences and it is both epic and literary in its rich and lush descriptions. On April 18, 1906 an earthquake strikes killing hundreds and gravely wounding thousands. Vera is being taking care of by a Swedish woman named Morie who owes the haj a great deal amount of money. Morie's daughter, Piper whom goes by the name of Pie and Vera stumble their way out of the house miraculously surviving the devastation that has destroyed their house and all of those in their neighborhood. The roof caved in and Morie is killed being buried under the bricks, wood and stucco just like all of the rest of the houses in their community.

Vera and Pie who is older make their way by their horse to Vera's birth mother's mansion which is on Nob Hill a much higher terrain with only minor roof damage to both the lavishly furnished sturdier opulent home. The stables are where the beloved horse is put in a stall. Part of the stable's roof is also damaged and the horse breaks one of his legs and a man shoots the horse. Rose, Vera's birth mother who is a Madam is nowhere to be found. That same day Tan, Rose's servant who was just fired shows up with his father and his teenage daughter Lifang who are from Chinatown. Rose has a pantry filled with food and Tan sets up an outdoor cooking hovel and with his excellent culinary skills and spices quickly cooks all of the Roasts and before long has an endless line of displaced person's which are paying him for each plate of food. Tan is keeping all of the proceeds of the money and when Vera asks him about it he lies and empties his pockets showing her that he only has a few pennies. The air quality is poor with all of the fires burning from exploding gas lines in the lower downtown district and most of the city.

Vera depends solely on herself with her resources, mental sharpness, firmness of purpose and keen intelligence forging forward in an uncertain world after a devastating catastrophe. Charting her own course with her improbable new family who depend on her in a completely new way of life after the city's natural disaster I grew to love her. I doubt that I would be able to make the crucial decisions that Vera did establishing solving the challenges that she faced for searching for an indifferent mother and the risks that she took bringing Rose home and saving her life. My heart broke for Vera in not receiving the two most important loves of her life. In Vera, Edgarian brings forth a survivor whose quest is tested compassionately by con artists, thieves and liars.

Vera's story brings into existence remarkable and legendary characters to come to life. Enrico Caruso, corrupt Mayor Eugene Schmitz and his wife Pearl. Prominent tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels. Vera's first love boyfriend and the love of her life, Bobby, the bold champion at the House of Protections who looks out for the orphans.

A story told without the hesitation of fear, with the insight of remaining open, honest, fresh and with the enterprise of inventiveness with keen intelligence. It encompasses the coming of age experience with an inquiry that examines the nature of sex, power and the courage whether being in pain or adversity an examination of the bravery that triumphs and heals. This is one of the the novels that I will be sure to purchase for myself, family members and my special friends who love good literary fiction with unforgettable heroine's. I highly, highly recommend Vera. It is only January but I am certain that this is going to be one of the best reading experiences that I have had in my life. I can't wait to read Carol Edgarian's other work who has been endorsed by James Salter who is an excellent Author who knows how to write fiction that reaches in and touches the human heart in all of us.

Publication Date: March 2, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Carol Edgarian and Simon & Schuster/Scribner for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Vera   #CarolEdgarian   #Simon&SchusterScribner  #NetGalley

I loved loved loved this book! Great characters and a well written story set during the time of the San Francisco earthquake and it’s aftermath. 
Read this book!

This is the story of Vera Johnson, a resilient young woman who has just turned fifteen. We find out that she is the daughter of a notorious madam and that her mother has parked her with a Swedish woman and her daughter so that she doesn't have to grow up in a brothel. The relationship between Vera and her mother, Rose, is complicated. Vera's drive for survival even at such a young age is something she shares with her mother, and when the earthquake of 1906 hits, she has to find her. Even though her mother has never been friendly, Vera needs to care for her. The earthquake and the recovery story are fascinating as the reader sees Vera overcome struggle after struggle. There are crooked politicians, good people, and a little romance. Great book!

I obtained this book from Net Galley and have left an honest review.

The hidden love child of a famous San Francisco madam, Vera knows what it is to be invisible. Occasionally summoned by her mother yet mostly ignored and raised by someone else, Vera is torn between wanting to hate her mother and her desperate need for her affection. Rose goes missing as the great earthquake tears through the city and it is Vera who must keep her little group of survivors safe. She is the one who takes charge in her mother's mansion, solves problems and eventually finds Rose. Vivid historical fiction that blends a disaster with a coming of age story. Carol Edgarian paints a truthful picture of old San Francisco from the glittering society to the corruption beneath the golden gates and the decimation left by the earthquake and fires. Vera is a character who will melt your heart and one that you will root for. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

“Vera” is an evocative story about the San Francisco earthquake and its aftermath.

Vera has just turned fifteen, abandoned by her biological mother, a well-known madam. Vera is raised alongside Pie, the daughter, of a Swedish woman. Vera only sees her mother infrequently, which makes Vera obsessive with the world she is not allowed to be a part of. After the earthquake hits, it is up to Vera to find a way to survive as her world crumbles and burns around her. She quickly learns it is difficult to trust anyone. As a result, she is forced to create alliances with a colorful cast of characters, yet, at the same time, Vera goes through her own internal awakening. 

Carol Edarian did her research, and shows the earthquake and its fiery aftermath through Vera’s eyes. I am new to the author but her mastery for immersing her readers into the devastation of burning city is amazing. As someone who has been to San Francisco many times, her picturesque descriptions pull you into the plot and it is easy to visualize the city I know as a ravaged inferno. Carol Edgarian writes at a lively pace; the story has many unexpected twists and turns. For the most part, the author manages to avoid predictability.  

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. This novel will be published March 2, 20221 and I highly suggest you add it to your TBR list.

This tale is told in the first person by Vera a daughter of a madam, Rose, but raised by Morie, a Swedish widow, with a daughter, Pie.
The earthquake changes all their lives. The survival in the aftermath...food, money. There is a wonderful cast of characters from Tan to Alma to Eugenie, daughter of the mayor, to Rose's house in Pacific Heights where Pie and Vera escape to as it was still standing. The description of the conditions after the quake are graphic. How 15 year old Vera is the default leader of this group and what she does is the story.
Read and learn

Vera Johnson is fifteen when the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits. How she survives and grows up along with the new
San Francisco is fascinating and heartwarming. A wonderful coming of age story.

This story takes place in San Francisco in 1906 the time of the earthquake.  Vera is 15 years old and the daughter of Rose, who is a madam of a brothel.  She lives with a Swedish widow and her daughter who has an arrangement with Rose for financial support.  This lady is killed the day the earthquake happens and Vera and her assumed sister set out to find their way to stay with Rose.  Although they didn't find her right away the brothel was still standing so they decided to stay .  Vera takes on a lot of responsibility for finding food, water and trying to stay safe.  This is a great story with wonderful historical info as well as relatable characters.  I highly recommend.
Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible ARC for my honest review.

Wow. Thanks to netgalley for the arc of Vera by Carol Edgarian (pub date March 2). I’ll admit it took me a bit to get into this masterful piece of historical fiction, but once I was, I was hooked. This novel tells the story of 15 year old Vera Johnson before, during and after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It’s a coming of age story that made me sad and wistful and thinking about how things change. And the writing puts the reader right into the story.

Vera was such a captivating story it was hard to put down. As a  young girl Vera and Pie, the girl she was raised with and calls sister, face life after a horrific earthquake and devastating fires. Pie’s Mother dies in the quake. Vera’s mother is gravely injured when she was caught in the fires. 
  Vera at sixteen, has taken Pie to her birth mother’s home after the earthquake destroyed the home where they lived.  The Gold House, survived the earthquake and was not burned by the fires. This is where Vera brought her mother Rose a well known and powerful Madam, to recover. 
  This story is full of survival, friendship, power plays, abandonment and love. 
  This will captivate you and I would recommend it for book clubs.

Vera has always wanted to be loved by her mother Rose, a madam who farmed her out to be raised by another woman.  Now it's 1906 and she's fifteen, a girl wise beyond her years who loves birds and he foster sister Pie.  Rose seems to be softening a bit, even getting tickets for Vera and Pie to hear Caruso and then the earthquake hits, throwing everything literally to the ground.  Vera rescues Pie and manages to get to Rose's house, higher up in the city, where she sets up along with Tan, Rose's servant who has always been a thorn in her side. She eventually finds Rose and brings her home, with the help of the boy who becomes her first love.  Vera's struggle to survive, to keep things going, is impressive.  She, along with Tan, Tan's daughter,  and some of Rose's girls, form a family which has  all the issues families do.  This wraps in the corruption of the city at the time as well as prejudice toward Asians and, of course, working women.  I found myself pulling for Vera, who deserved better, especially from, no spoilers from me, those around her.  It's a coming of age story, yes, but it's also a story of resilience and determination.  Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.  It's an emotional page turner with a heroine I'll remember.  For fans of historical fiction.  Highly recommend.

Turn of the century! Earthquakes! Bordellos! A bastard daughter of a madam! This book has everything. 

And it's worth it. Every piece of this story is vital. Every moment that Vera lives through is part of her. She is a true sum of her parts. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Vera is an unusual type of orphan. Her mother, a madam of the fancier bordello in San Francisco, paid another woman, a swedish widow with a daughter of her own named Pie, to raise her. The novel is set in the 1906 San Francisco, the year of the great quake and fire. On the day of her fifteenth birthday, one of the few days that she is invited into her biological mother's house, she suffers a double disappointment. One from herself for betraying a very close person and from her mother who points out her lack of beauty. That night she felt like she lost her honor. 
On the night of Caruso's performance a major earthquake struck San Francisco. The following fires killed 3,000 people. With the adoptive mother dead, Vera and her sister Pie decide to go to  Rose's house (Vera's biological mother). She was nowhere to be found. The next days they functioned in survival mode. Vera was forced to grow and make decisions for everyone's sake, rebuilding her new reality from the ruins of a world gone forever, reborn from the ashes. 
It's a beautiful story about resilience, not only of an individual but of an entire community.
Impeccable prose with two main  characters: Vera and the city of San Francisco. The rest of the characters are as adorable as the protagonist. 
I highly recommend this story to historical fiction lovers but if the genre is not your cup of tea the novel is a wonderful coming of age tale. 
I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a pleasure to read! Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribnerbooks for the opportunity to read and review this novel. This is my first read by author Carol Edgarian but it will not be the last. 

Our novel centers on the hero Vera Johnson and her life in the early 1900’s. Vera is a scrappy survivor who I instantly began rooting for. At just 15 years old, Vera survives the unimaginable, the great San Francisco earthquake and must learn to rebuild her life. An amazing cast of characters, of whom Dr. Sugarman was by far my favorite, supports Vera. 

The main theme running through the work was Vera’s desire to be seen, heard and loved. Growing up with her foster family and all but abandoned by her mother Rose, SF’s more reputable madam, Vera struggles to find her place and purpose. There were two scenes, one with Morie in her room one night, and another with Rose in Part 3 that ripped my heart apart.  

I highly recommend this book.

The research author Carol Edgarian did for this historical novel is evident. Vera is the bastard daughter of Rose, a wealthy madam of San Francisco. Rose pays the expenses of a widowed Swedish woman to raise Vera and the widow’s daughter. When the San Francisco 1906 earthquake happens, 15-year old Vera proves to be a tough cookie as she and her step-sister find their way to Rose’s mansion which survived the earthquake. It’s a look at how strong-willed people survived.  Social standing didn’t matter for survival. Its also a historical look at how self-interest shaped the graft of politics as well as look at the Chinese population during this time. Readers will be caught up emotionally as Vera grows up and learns her value and strength as she refused to quit.

I found this book to be delightfully different than anything I have read this year.  It takes place in the early 1900's before, during and after the great quake that flattened the city of San Francisco..  The descriptive passages are believable and shocking.  It is the story of a young orphan who's mother, Rose,is a madam in the town's most famous bordello.  Rose pays a young widow with a daughter to raise Vera. Vera gets a peek into her mother's life every Christmas when Rose asks to see her.  On April 18, 1906, a devastating earthquake flattens and burns most of San Francisco.  This story is interesting because it reexamines a piece of American history where 3,000 Americans died and many more were injured and lost their homes.

A beautifully written historical novel set during the tumultuous aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake. The brave protagonist and her friends take no prisoners in their quest for survival.

From the first page of this compelling historical novel, you can tell that title character Vera is a force to be reckoned with. She is confident in speech, well liked by her "sister" and well aware of the roles of the people she meets while navigating her city. She is also blissfully unaware of the great challenges she will face when her world, the San Fransisco of 1906, is literally shaken to it's core.
This well paced story has secrets to reveal, puzzles to solve and obstacles to overcome. Well worth the read. Thanks #Netgalley for the opportunity!

This lyrical historical novel is set around the big earthquake  and fire in San Francisco in 1908. The main character is almost 15 year old Vera, who is the illegitimate daughter of Rose. Rose Is the owner  of San Francisco Bordello with ties to corrupt politicians. This natural disasters forces Vera to grown up and take on responsibilities beyond her years as others depend on her for survival. This story will move you and keep you reading all though the night. Vera is a survivor in more ways than one.

I highly recommend this book!  I would like to thank the publisher, #Scribner and #NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this wonderful book!

I loved this book! I love historical fiction, and I love finding great historical fiction about events that I don't know much about. I vaguely knew of the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, and was so intrigued and interested by this book. It was so well written, and the characters really drew me in. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author, and I would definitely recommend this book. One of my favorites of the year so far! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.