Record Details



Enlarge cover image for Ella : a novel / Diane Richards. Book

Ella : a novel / Diane Richards.

Richards, Diane, (author.).

Summary:

"In the vein of The Paris Wife and The Personal Librarian comes this debut novel, a magnificent work of “biographical fiction” that reimagines the turbulent and triumphant early years of Ella Fitzgerald, arguably the greatest singer of the twentieth century. When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York—a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America. Diane Richards’ Ella Fitzgerald is inspiring and intriguing—an emotionally rich, psychologically complex character, a flawed mother and wife who struggles with deep emotional scars and trauma and battles racism, sexism, and colorism as she learns to find her voice on the stage. Ella takes us from the brothels, speakeasys, and streets of Depression-era New York City to the grand hotel suites where Ella, now older and wiser, looks back on her life and finally confronts the demons from childhood that torment her. Compelling and rich in historical detail, Ella is a remarkable debut novel about an extraordinary woman." --Amazon.com.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780063338654
  • ISBN: 0063338653
  • Physical Description: 372 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
  • Edition: First editon.
  • Publisher: New York : Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2024]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references.
Subject:
Fitzgerald, Ella > Fiction.
African American women jazz singers > Fiction.
African American women > Fiction.
Depressions > 1929 > Fiction.
Reformatories > Fiction.
Organized crime > Fiction.
New York (N.Y.) > Fiction.
Genre:
Biographical fiction.
Historical fiction.
Biographical fiction.
Historical fiction.
Novels.

Available copies

  • 14 of 14 copies available at Westchester Library System.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 14 total copies.

Other Formats and Editions

English (2)
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Status Due Date
Bedford Free Library FIC RIC (Text) 31002150851193 Fiction Available -
Chappaqua Library FICTION RICHARDS (Text) 31005153432747 Fiction Available -
Croton Free Library FICTION/RICHARDS (Text) 31006151966603 Fiction Available -
Greenburgh Public Library RICHARDS (Text) 31009155071651 Fiction Available -
Harrison Public Library RICHARDS, D. (Text) 31010300348911 Fiction Available -
Mount Pleasant Public Library FIC RICHARDS (Text) 31024153503639 Fiction Available -
Ossining Public Library FICTION (Text) 31021153943054 Fiction Available -
Pound Ridge Library District FIC RICHARDS (Text) 31026151298419 Fiction Available -
Rye Free Reading Room FICTION RICHARDS (Text) 31028153481266 Fiction Available -
Scarsdale Public Library FICTION (Text) 31029154531281 Fiction Available -