On the #PubDay for ‘Becoming Bonnie’, I talked about what implored me to become interested in reading this particular debut novel which is part of a special duology on the life behind #BonnieAndClyde told from a unique perspective by Ms Walsh. Today, is the 83rd Anniversary of the day Bonnie and Clyde died quite tragically and where their lives turnt from legend to lore. There is a lot of unknowns about the crime duo, including different accounts of whether or not Bonnie herself played a pivotal role in the crime sprees or if she was merely Clyde’s accomplice who was treading water in the deep end of a situation she could not exit. I’ve been doing a bit of light research into her life, similar to what I did after I read Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald as there are some authors out there who simply find an incredible way to tap into the heart of the living person they’re broaching into fiction.
Although, I am still awaiting my copy of the audiobook for ‘Becoming Bonnie’, being able to bring to my readers select excerpts from the novel itself has clued me into a small portion of how Ms Walsh transitioned the legend, the lore and the woman of ‘Bonnie’ into her novel. She had a lot of groundwork to cover and a lot of research to wade through, but each time I read a passage from the novel on one of my posts, the closer I feel to Bonn herself. I impart this to the depth of understanding Ms Walsh has achieved in believing not only in Bonnie herself but in the process she took to unearth a part of Bonn’s life we might not have expected to uncover.
This is one reason I dearly love reading Biographical Historical Fiction – you get to take a critical step into a life of someone you might not have felt you could understand in any other way, because the way in which writers use this thread of literature is to be wholly representative of a living person’s life. Whether or not they take creative liberties to tell their stories or shift time or setting to make a working theory of their lives is unknown, but what I do know is my firm appreciation for the work they put into their stories. You will find a lot of stories which fall under this category of interest in my Story Vault, as it’s happily one of my favourites to devour!
Becoming Bonnie
Subtitle: The Crash of the Century: When Bonnie Met Clyde
From debut historical novelist Jenni L. Walsh comes the untold story of how wholesome Bonnelyn Parker became half of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde duo.
The summer of 1927 might be the height of the Roaring Twenties, but Bonnelyn Parker is more likely to belt out a church hymn than sling drinks at an illicit juice joint. She’s a sharp girl with plans to overcome her family's poverty, provide for herself, and maybe someday marry her boyfriend, Roy Thornton. But when Roy springs a proposal on her and financial woes jeopardize her ambitions, Bonnelyn finds salvation in an unlikely place: Dallas's newest speakeasy, Doc's.Living the life of a moll at night, Bonnie remains a wholesome girl by day, engaged to Roy, attending school and working toward a steady future. When Roy discovers her secret life, and embraces it—perhaps too much, especially when it comes to booze and gambling—Bonnie tries to make the pieces fit. Maybe she can have it all: the American Dream, the husband, and the intoxicating allure of jazz music. What she doesn't know is that her life—like her country—is headed for a crash.
She’s about to meet Clyde Barrow.
Few details are known about Bonnie's life prior to meeting her infamous partner. In Becoming Bonnie, Jenni L. Walsh shows a young woman promised the American dream and given the Great Depression, and offers a compelling account of why she fell so hard for a convicted felon—and turned to crime herself.
Places to find the book:
ISBN: 9780765390189
Published By: Forge (@torbooks) | Read their incredible BLOG
Available Formats: Hardback and Audiobook Read More
