Windy City Blues

The bestselling author of "White Collar Girl" and "What the Lady Wants" explores one woman's journey of self-discovery set against the backdrop of a musical and social revolution.

In the middle of the twentieth century, the music of the Mississippi Delta arrived in Chicago, drawing the attention of entrepreneurs like the Chess brothers. Their label, Chess Records, helped shape that music into the Chicago Blues, the soundtrack for a transformative era in American History.
But, for Leeba Groski, Chess Records was just where she worked...

Leeba doesn't exactly fit in, but her passion for music and her talented piano playing captures the attention of her neighbor, Leonard Chess, who offers her a job at his new record company. What begins as answering phones and filing becomes much more as Leeba comes into her own as a songwriter and befriends performers like Muddy Waters, Howlin Wolf, Chuck Berry, and Etta James. But she also finds love with a black blues guitarist named Red Dupree.

With their relationship unwelcome in segregated Chicago and shunned by Leeba's Orthodox Jewish family, she and Red soon find themselves in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and they discover that, in times of struggle, music can bring people together.

My Review

Another favorite author of mine. The author does a wonderful job of infusing such life into all of the characters in this story. Although, to me it was like I could call everyone my closest friends. It was like I was transported back in time. I could feel the music, experienced the pain of racial segregation, and felt like part of a family.

The relationship between Leeba and Red may not have been perfect but I am glad that their love was strong enough to survive. In the beginning, Leeba and Red were both just fresh faced youngsters but by the end of the story, they have matured into young adults. Through this book I found a new found respect for "Blues". Windy City Blues is a stunning, marvelous read!