Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Last Night At The Blue Angel by Rebecca Rotert

Naomi and Sophia live alone as mother and daughter.  Naomi is a singer and got her start i​n her ​Catholic school with Sister Idalia.  Sophia loves her mother, sits at the night club when her mother sings, and sees things an eleven-year-old shouldn't be seeing.

LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL is mostly dialogue with wonderful characters who truly care for each other.  Well...most characters care for each other.  Naomi seems to be all about herself even though she appears to love her daughter, Sophia.

​LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL flashes back to Naomi's childhood then to her current situation that includes Sophia.  ​Sophia is always worried and keeps lists of things she can improve and re-invent in case of a nuclear disaster.  I loved Sophia but wasn't too fond of her mother.


Jim, the photographer, was sweet and was always put aside by Naomi, but he was so loved by Sophia.​  Jim was obsessed with taking photos of buildings that were falling apart and ones he said he had to photograph before they would be gone forever. 

David along with Naomi was not a favorite even though he was involved with Naomi.

LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL is about family relationships, love, and living with and loving what you have.  ​For a debut novel, this book has a lot of depth and characters that will stay with you even after you have finished the book. 
Ms. Rotert writes beautifully and pulls you in so well that you become part of the story.

I enjoyed LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL, and enjoyed Naomi's early years a bit more than her present situation even though the early years were a bit wild.

Adorable Sophia made the present​ ​very interesting and at times comical.  She was so sweet and yet such a bundle of worries, but who wouldn't be worried with the life the confused but precocious child led.

There are adult situations scattered throughout the book but nothing graphic or explicit - simply insinuations.

Naomi's last night at The Blue Angel turned out for the best for her, but the last few pages are ones where you will need tissues. 

ENJOY!!!  4/5

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At the end of the book, Ms. Rotert shares information about where her characters and storyline grew from.  These pages were quite informative and interesting.  

After reading these ending informational pages, I would say LAST NIGHT AT THE BLUE ANGEL can also be classified as historical fiction. 

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation in return for an honest review.

12 comments:

  1. My book club is scheduled to read this in June and we're hoping to Skype with the author so I'm glad to see it's so good.

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    1. I hope you enjoy it. You should have a good discussion.

      Thanks for stopping, Kathy.

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  2. Hi Elizabeth - I hadn't seen this book before. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
    @dino0726 from 
    FictionZeal - Impartial, Straighforward Fiction Book Reviews

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  3. It sounds like we had pretty similar feelings about the book. Thank you for stopping by my blog!

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  4. I'm glad you enjoyed Last Night at the Blue Angel, Elizabeth. It sounds like a book I'd also enjoy.

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    1. You probably would like it, Suko. We seem to have similar tastes.

      Thanks for stopping.

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  5. Oh my goodness, I did not see that ending coming at all!

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    1. It was a very good book. The ending was not what I expected either.

      Thanks for stopping, Lisa.

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  6. Sophia sounds like a wonderful character and perhaps a good reason to pick up this book.

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    1. Sophia was adorable and so sweet, and the poor girl had to put with so much.

      I hope you enjoy the book if you read it, Dorothy.

      Thanks for stopping.

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