Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (April 2008)

Source: Received from author for review

Edition: Hardcover

Pages: 356

Rating:

With her mother ill, it’s up to fifteen-year-old Ruby Jacinski to support her family. But in the 1940s, the only opportunities open to a Polish-American girl from Chicago’s poor Yards is a job in one of the meat packing plants. Through a chance meeting with a local tough, Ruby lands a job as a taxi dancer and soon becomes an expert in the art of “fishing”: working her patrons for meals, cash, clothes, even jewelry. Drawn ever deeper into the world of dance halls, jazz, and the mob, Ruby gradually realizes that the only one who can save her is herself. A mesmerizing look into a little known world and era.

Ten Cents a Dance is a very fun and light read and I knew immediately that I would enjoy this book because I've always been interesting in the jazz era. I really like the plot of the story, it was unique and interesting and it definitely kept me captivated. Ruby is a likeable character and her charisma with the neighborhood bad boy is enticing.

Fletcher's writing ensures that you can fully picture and imagine the jazz music, the dancing, the costumes and everything in between, which allowed me to fully appreciate the novel. Ten Cents a Dance is a perfect book to read during summer and it reminds me of the movies Grease and Dirty Dancing (amazing movies!), so if you enjoy jazz era dancing, high class clubs, lowly gangs and much more then Ten Cents is the perfect book for you :) There's really nothing bad about this book, while it might not be super amazing, it is definitely worth a read. It's an exciting book, something fresh and different from all the paranormal romance novels out there!