Review
From the book jacket: In the summer of 1959, as Castro clamps down on Cuba and its first wave of exiles flees to the States to wait out what they hope to be his short-lived
reign, Emma Gant, fresh out of college, begins her career as a reporter. Her
fierce ambition and belief in herself are set against the stories swirling
around her, both at the newspaper office and in her downtown Miami hotel, which
is filling up with refugees.
Emma's avid curiosity about life thrives amid the tropical charms and intrigues
of Miami. While toiling at the news desk, she plans the fictional stories she
will write in her spare time. She spends her nights getting to know the Cuban
families in her hotel – and rendezvousing with her married lover, Paul
Nightingale, owner of a private Miami Beach club.
As Emma experiences the historical events enveloping...
Beyond the Book
Gail Godwin published her first novel,
The Perfectionists, in about 1970;
since then she's produced 12 novels and a number of short stories, plus her
first volume of memoirs. Her second, and I believe final, volume of
memoirs will be published next year and will cover the years 1963-1970.
She is also working on a novel,
The Red Nun.
In an interview, Godwin reveals some of the experiences that inspired
Queen of the Underworld, and also
explains why she didn't feel compelled to do any field research while writing
it:
"During the two years I was writing Queen of the Underworld, I could
hardly wait to get to my computer. I loved being 22 and hungry again, with a
22-inch waistline, so desperate to succeed and equally...
