Blog Book Tour | “1906” by James Dalessandro

Posted Wednesday, 18 May, 2016 by jorielov , , 0 Comments

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Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! I received a complimentary used copy of “1906” direct from the author James Dalessandro in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein.

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Why I wanted to read ‘1906’:

I have garnished an appreciation for ‘natural disaster’ stories – mostly via motion pictures or tv adaptations since I was a young child. I credit this to being surrounded by natural disasters in a region of the United States frequently plagued by everything you can think of save earthquakes, such as the one at the center of what went wrong in San Francisco in ‘1906’! I’ve survived my fair share of tornadoes, hurricanes, severe lightning storms and have been downwind of impressive forest fires which blocked out sunlight and daylight in equal measure. Nature has a way of imparting it’s fury on us at times where I tend to think we’ve missed a lesson somewhere about minding our actions and being more respectful towards the environment we’re meant to be stewards.

The heart of the story within in ‘1906’ is not entirely centred on the quake itself, but the back-story of what was happening in the city – at the corruption and the actions of others who set into motion a spiraling vortex of destructive damages that would lead to the greatest cost of the event itself.

-as revealled on the Guest Post by the author I previously showcased on this blog tour

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Blog Book Tour | “1906” by James Dalessandro1906: A Novel
by James Dalessandro
Source: Author via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

Every disaster has a backstory, none more thrilling than this one. Set during the great San Francisco earthquake and fire, this page-turning tale of political corruption, vendettas, romance, rescue—and murder—is based on recently uncovered facts that forever change our understanding of what really happened.

Told by a feisty young reporter, Annalisa Passarelli, the novel paints a vivid picture of the Victorian-era city, from the mansions of Nob Hill to the underbelly of the Barbary Coast to the arrival of tenor Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera. Central to the story is the ongoing battle—fought even as the city burns—that pits incompetent and unscrupulous politicians against a coalition of honest police officers, newspaper editors, citizens, and a lone federal prosecutor.

With the appeal and texture of The Alienist, Carter Beats the Devil, and the novels of E. L. Doctrow, James Dalessandro weaves unforgettable characters and actual events into a compelling epic.

Genres: Biographical Fiction, Biography / Autobiography, Historical Fiction



Places to find the book:

Borrow from a Public Library

ISBN: 0811849414

Also by this author: Guest Post on writing '1906'

Published by Chronicle Books

Format: Paperback Edition

Pages: 361

Published By: Chronicle Books (@ChronicleBooks)

Loved reading the Mission Statement on behalf of Chronicle Books!

Small discrepancies: my used copy of ‘1906’ is dated ‘2004’ however I cannot determine an exact publication date for this edition as mine is paperback not hardback. Also, my cover-art matches the hardback edition from 2004 not the paperback edition of 2005; ergo the cover art on the blog tour is for the ebook edition which was released in 2013.

Note about a used copy for review: I only mentioned it as relevance for having a different book cover and the issues determining the publication date, etc. I am thankful I had a print copy to read for this blog tour and as I’m a regular book buyer of used books, the fact my copy has slight wear and tear on it from previous readers did not bother me as most used books come with a bit of ‘history’. As a whole, I don’t believe my copy was overly read as the pages felt crisp and clean as the only wear on it at all were the edges of the book itself except for the curious ‘note’ I found on the very last page which applies to a certain medical supply company and product I have never heard of – thus hinting another reader has this copy before I did myself. The rest of the pages are untouched – I found it most curious!

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback and Ebook

About James Dalessandro

James Dallesandro

James Dalessandro was born in Cleveland Ohio, and educated at Ohio University and UCLA film school. In 1973 he founded the Santa Cruz Poetry Festival with Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Ken Kesey, the nation’s largest literary event.

He has written for Playboy, the Examiner newspapers, San Francisco magazine. He was writer of the House of Blues Radio Hour and created the nationally syndicated program “Rock On” with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek.

He has published four books: Canary in a Coal Mine (poetry); Bohemian Heart (noir detective fiction); Citizen Jane(True Crime); and 1906: A Novel (Historical Fiction).

He is award winning writer/director/producer of the documentary film THE DAMNEDEST, FINEST RUINS (PBS/KQED), and writer/producer of the Hallmark Movie “Citizen Jane,” based on his book. He is screenwriter of “1906” the upcoming Pixar/Warner Brothers live action film based on his novel of the same name. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Katie and best pal Giacomo Poochini.

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My review of 1906:

Reviewing the events on behalf of the story’s narrator (Annalisa Passarelli) ahead of broaching straight into the narrative itself was quite the treat – she gives an honest recapturement of the events which brought down San Francisco and how those events inspired her to tell the truth, even if others were bent against the truth being revealled to public eyes. I felt a journalist as a lead character to tell this horrific story of how corruption and natural disaster could intertwine to such a state of chaos as to forever erase not only a landmark city was a good choice to make as the event also would critically change how memory and time would remember an ill-fated day when everything collided.

Although I normally don’t have issues with following a biographical historical fiction story, this one proved to be keenly frustrating, as although the author lead-in with a thread to explain how he was choosing to assert the historical facts against the fictional telling of San Francisco’s tragic past, I found the entrance through the lineage of the Fallons to be quite muddling. The Fallons were key to understand how the devastation and corruption was fusing together – as in one chapter we learnt how Hunter Fallon had information for both the police and the fire department – the latter was most telling, as he apparently connected the dots between the San Andreas fault line and what would happen to the city if a quake were to increase in magnitude; coupled together, it’s a potboiler waiting to explode. This is understood quite well and yet, I found myself wondering if some of this could have been explained through Annalisa’s narration a bit better. Rather than take a first person account per each person involved?

Somewhere in the back-histories of the men involved I found myself in that niche of biographical fiction that teeters on taking me out of focus with the story-line. One reason I prefer reading biographical fiction is that it has the tendency to take the emotional route through history rather than the one where facts override the joy of the revelations occurring through the timeline. Somehow for me, the opening chapters of this novel did not entice me as much as I had hoped – actually, to be truthful, the Prologue grabbed my interest most, because with Annalisa’s entrance on the scene, you fully saw the emotional quaking of reality against the backdrop of a city turnt to ash directly. She was a humbled survivor and a woman with more knowledge than she knew how to give merit to express, as how do you combine everything you’ve learnt and present it in such a way everyone will hear the same story and understand?

When Annalisa re-entered the scene in Chapter Four, I was most anxious to resume the story with her at it’s centre as I felt she was a better guide than the previous entries. I think there was merit to include the other chapters, as certain people affected into motion certain events or revelations of what was going to add to the conflict and the drama of what was advancing into view, but for me I appreciated soaking inside Annalisa’s version of the truth and her ability to draw an emotional connection with the story itself. Only I realised by Chapter Five, this story is told in shifting points of view between all the characters thus forward to be introduced – I could understand that choice, truly, as it’s a multi-level story arc, but part of me felt a bit disillusioned by the telling of the story using this option.

I love historical fiction where a lead character takes the story and runs with it – where everything they feel and sense is part of what guides your mind forward into the interior of the story’s heart. I thought for sure Annalisa was going to be this singular character who was front and centre to the developing back-story which led to the horrific conclusion of what made ‘1906’ a feared year for all who lived in San Francisco. I kept with the story to see if I could find a way inside to where I wasn’t finding myself a bit bored by the dulling after-effects of having more descriptive facts and accounts of what was happening dissuade my interest. Although Dalessandro adds visual clues to his story, part of me felt this was more textbook than a historical novel. I simply could not feel as motivated about reading it as I previously had been prior to opening it’s chapters.

The more I entreated into the novel, the more I realised what was wrong and why I could not enjoy my visit inside it’s pages – there was simply too much happening all at once. The corruption was so deep and so winding, it’s hard to pick through all the concurrent facts and motives, whilst you have a young college-aged son trying to make his mark on the world with a father who’d rather stick with his university background in engineering; the son would rather be a cop. Annalisa gets lost in the tides as she only comes in and out at different intervals to where the crust of the story is foreshadowed through the actions of everyone else in the city. Including the officials who simply want to run the city on their own terms and not give credit to the fact San Francisco like Chicago was built out of timbre; instantly a fireball of destruction if even a small fire caught and held.

I did not continue reading ‘1906’ because I never felt connected to any of the characters except for the one character who was not being highlighted as much as I wished she had been. There was one difficult scene to move past early-on where people who were kidnapped were mistreated at sea or left for dead outright. I’m unsure what would have held my attention best, but I had a suspicion if Annalisa’s character was as strongly conceived as Anna Blanc (from ‘The Secret Life of Anna Blanc’) I might have found this too incredible to put down.

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This blog tour is courtesy of:

Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours - HFVBT

Follow the Virtual Road Map by visiting the blog tour route:

Previously on the blog tour, I hosted the author for a Guest Post about how he conceptionalised the background of a historical event and purported it into historical fiction.

1906 blog tour via HFVBTs

 I look forward to reading your thoughts & commentary!
Especially if you read the book or were thinking you might be inclined to read it. I appreciate hearing different points of view especially amongst bloggers who gravitate towards the same stories to read. Bookish conversations are always welcome!

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{SOURCES: Cover art of “1906″, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph, the tour host badge & HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Ruminations & Impressions Book Review Banner created by Jorie in Canva. Photo Credit: Unsplash Public Domain Photographer Sergey Zolkin. Tweets were able to be embedded by the codes provided by Twitter. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Comment Box Banner made by Jorie in Canva.}

Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2016.

Comments via Twitter:

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

  • 2016 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

About jorielov

I am self-educated through local libraries and alternative education opportunities. I am a writer by trade and I cured a ten-year writer’s block by the discovery of Nanowrimo in November 2008. The event changed my life by re-establishing my muse and solidifying my path. Five years later whilst exploring the bookish blogosphere I decided to become a book blogger. I am a champion of wordsmiths who evoke a visceral experience in narrative. I write comprehensive book showcases electing to get into the heart of my reading observations. I dance through genres seeking literary enlightenment and enchantment. Starting in Autumn 2013 I became a blog book tour hostess featuring books and authors. I joined The Classics Club in January 2014 to seek out appreciators of the timeless works of literature whose breadth of scope and voice resonate with us all.

"I write my heart out and own my writing after it has spilt out of the pen." - self quote (Jorie of Jorie Loves A Story)

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Posted Wednesday, 18 May, 2016 by jorielov in Blog Tour Host, Historical Fiction, Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, History, Indie Author, Passionate Researcher, Re-Told Tales, Writing Style & Voice




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