Thelma AdamsBesprekingen

Here a young woman escapes her overbearing mother in California to go marry a bartender in Tombstone, AZ. She will eventually marry Wyatt Earp. Great writing made it a fun read.

Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Tombstone, O.K. Corral and Boot Hill. these are names and places that probably ring a bell. For me this book made me realize how little I really knew about the person Wyatt Earp. So, I was thrilled to participate in a blog tour for this book.

This book starts with Josephine Marcus now old and reminiscing her life. Most of the ones from her days in Tombstone are dead, including her beloved Wyatt. And, now she has only memories of her days as a young woman who risks everything to travel from San Francisco to Tombstone to marry Johnny Behan. Only, it never got to be her and Behan, he strung her along and she had enough after finding him in bed with another woman. But, there was Wyatt and a love that would last until the day he died.

I think love stories are best when they are real. When it's about real people that either found love for a few passionate years or a lifetime. Thelma Adam's book about Josephine Earp is engrossing and I loved reading the book. One thing I found so fascinating is that it's not that long ago, it was just at the end of the 1900-century, not several hundred years ago, but still it feels odd to know that Wyatt Earp lived until 1929. I have always felt that Tombstone and The Gunfight at O.K. Corral were much longer ago.

I instantly found Wyatt Earp charming and I can understand Josephine's first reaction in the book to seeing him the very first day in Tombstone. I loved every moment they had together and the scene in the brothel when she thought that she would have to sell her body to support herself is absolutely wonderful. Yeah, I know that sounds very weird, but read the book and you will see why I feel that scene is great.

I could probably go on and on about what I loved about the book, but I will end this review with a quote from the book from the very first moment, Josephine saw Wyatt:

As Johnny roped his horse to Harry’s wagon and Kitty nagged her stoop-shouldered husband, I felt a weight on one cheek. I sensed eyes staring at me. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it happened just that way, as real as the feeling of sunshine while your eyes are closed. That was the first time I saw Wyatt. He was looking straight at me. I stared right back. He was dead handsome with an athletic build on a six-foot frame, made taller by perfect posture. His hair was blond and thick like his younger brother’s, with a matching mustache and unflinching eyes, the same blue as Morgan’s but twice as intense.

Wyatt Earp, Virgil Earp, Morgan Earp, Doc Holliday, Tombstone, O.K. Corral and Boot Hill. these are names and places that probably ring a bell. For me this book made me realize how little I really knew about the person Wyatt Earp. So, I was thrilled to participate in a blog tour for this book.

This book starts with Josephine Marcus now old and reminiscing her life. Most of the ones from her days in Tombstone are dead, including her beloved Wyatt. And, now she has only memories of her days as a young woman who risks everything to travel from San Francisco to Tombstone to marry Johnny Behan. Only, it never got to be her and Behan, he strung her along and she had enough after finding him in bed with another woman. But, there was Wyatt and a love that would last until the day he died.

I think love stories are best when they are real. When it's about real people that either found love for a few passionate years or a lifetime. Thelma Adam's book about Josephine Earp is engrossing and I loved reading the book. One thing I found so fascinating is that it's not that long ago, it was just at the end of the 1900-century, not several hundred years ago, but still it feels odd to know that Wyatt Earp lived until 1929. I have always felt that Tombstone and The Gunfight at O.K. Corral were much longer ago.

I instantly found Wyatt Earp charming and I can understand Josephine's first reaction in the book to seeing him the very first day in Tombstone. I loved every moment they had together and the scene in the brothel when she thought that she would have to sell her body to support herself is absolutely wonderful. Yeah, I know that sounds very weird, but read the book and you will see why I feel that scene is great.

I could probably go on and on about what I loved about the book, but I will end this review with a quote from the book from the very first moment, Josephine saw Wyatt:

As Johnny roped his horse to Harry’s wagon and Kitty nagged her stoop-shouldered husband, I felt a weight on one cheek. I sensed eyes staring at me. I don’t know how that’s possible, but it happened just that way, as real as the feeling of sunshine while your eyes are closed. That was the first time I saw Wyatt. He was looking straight at me. I stared right back. He was dead handsome with an athletic build on a six-foot frame, made taller by perfect posture. His hair was blond and thick like his younger brother’s, with a matching mustache and unflinching eyes, the same blue as Morgan’s but twice as intense.

I really liked this one, although it was less of "bittersweet" story, and more of a 100% dark and bitter.story. Without revealing too much about the plot, I have to say that Thelma's husband's struggles with depression felt real, although I kept hoping that he would have a movie-style recovery. I found myself really hating Thelma's mother and sister -- although they were well-written, and definitely believed that they were in the right, and that Thelma was a troublemaker who didn't deserve anything.

Entertaining Love Story

I had the pleasure of visiting Tombstone, Arizona. While there I learned more of Josephine "Sadie" Marcus Earp and her relationships with John Behan and Wyatt Earp. I became captivated by the love triangle. When I saw this being offered as a Kindle First, I instantly decided to choose it.
I enjoyed reading this fictionalized telling of Josephine's time in Tombstone and her love story. I think it is one that Josephine herself might have told. After leaving Tombstone, Josephine spent considerable time hiding much of her past. I believe that she would be satisfied with the authors version of her love story. Tombstone was a rough town. The author stayed true to that. I believe she did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. There were moments that dragged a bit but overall I was entertained. I fell under the authors spell while reading this. Now I am going to bring up all the photos and videos I took while in Tombstone and enjoy them again. This time, I'll imagine it as the author painted it.

A very intense look at the life of the women and their family in the mob of NYC during the 30s. The author artfully connects you to these characters which you will love and hate at the same time. You will feel immersed in the drama of their lives. This is a wild ride from page one to the end.

3.5 stars

I went through fazes while reading this book. Some parts were very interesting to me, and during other parts it couldn't keep my attention. Overall, I enjoyed it more than not. It's cool reading historical and having female characters who didn't follow the rules of the times. It's not that she necessary wants to be a rule breaker sometimes, but regardless, she is. It's also cool seeing the men of Tombstone from a different angle.

Good read. it kept my attention but ended a bit abruptly.

This novel has so much potential - a plucky heroine, gunfights, cowboys, romance - but I kept struggling to keep my attention focused on the story. I initially had a lot of hope that Josephine's voice would carry the story, but she seemed to vary between tedious and spunky, without really striking the needed balance. A decent enough story, but much harder to get through than I anticipated.

I enjoyed this book but I also liked Desperate Housewives. I agree with others saying that it is Desperate Housewives ish.

It kept my interest and I enjoyed reading it and turning my mind off. It isn't thought provoking but not every book needs to be.

Definitely chick-lit.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "Bittersweet Brooklyn" by Thelma Adams , Lake Union Publishing, November, 2019

Thelma Adams , author of "Bittersweet Brooklyn" has written an intense, intriguing, heartbreaking, emotional, and suspenseful novel. The Genres for this story are Fiction and Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story starts at the turn of the century and goes forward to Immigration, the Wars, and the Mob. Much of the story is told in Brooklyn, where Jewish and Italian immigrants grew up. The author describes her characters as dysfunctional, complex and complicated.

I appreciate the historical background that Thelma Adam provides us with, and her writing vividly describes the characters, poverty and the landscape in the story. Often with family traditions, poverty, and survival, many of the immigrants struggled.

Thelma Lorber as a young child is protected by her brother Abe from her older sister, who is in charge of taking care of her. Thelma's mother is too depressed after her husband's death to take care of the family. It seems that Abe has become Thelma's protector, and Abe has found a way not to live in poverty anymore. As years progress, Thelma has a young son of her own, and as a widow, still depends on Abe. Only Abe harbors deep secrets, and lives a dangerous life that can destroy Thelma.

I found this dark story thought-provoking and intense. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy reading about the immigrants who came to Brooklyn. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

"It's tough torching a fresh corpse, so the Williamsburg Boys Club killers stuffed their shredded victim into the back of a Buick."

Thus starts Bittersweet Brooklyn by Thelma Adams. Louis "Pretty" Amburg is the corpse and because Thelma just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was tasked with cleaning up the mess. The Williamsburg Boys Club is a ratty apartment that Thelma's brother Abie has. It is a gathering place for the mobsters so as to not be caught by the cops.

Thelma Lorber is the youngest child of Rebecca and she has a sister Annie, an older brother Abie and Louis. Rebecca spent so much time grieving the death of her husband that she had no time for Thelma, nor did she want to. Annie raised her siblings with an iron fist, and mean to boot. She had no love for her siblings at all and treated them like they were dirt under her feet. She had her mother send the boys to a Jewish orphanage where they learned the worst kind of things and then went on the street and Abie ended up in mob activities. Louis enlisted to fight in WWI to escape.

Abie did take care of the family financially but he was still ostracized by Annie. Thelma was molested by her stepfather and she was blamed for his behavior and became the pariah of the family. Hated by her mother and sister, she suffered verbal abuse every day, she went to school with a few Italian girls and became part of their lives. Meanwhile, Abie was immersed in the mob daily, putting himself and his families lives in jeopardy.

Like the title said, Bittersweet, is exactly how I would describe the book. Thelma is a girl/woman who is desperately seeking love, she meets Phil, they have a good time, going dancing and drinking. It is prohibition so it is exciting for her. Phil has issues big time, and they have a son Larry. Thelma in my mind, because of the lack of love she got from her own mother, has a hard time loving her own child.

At the end of the story, I had tears in my eyes because through all of what Thelma went through, she has decided to be optimistic and do better. A novel of the underworld in the 20's and 30's. A story of immigrant women in a world of men in the mob. The danger and intrigue kept me reading on toward the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Loved this historical fiction - although the last woman standing apparently did exist, and was involved with the lawman. I could not put this down - it had me chuckling one minute and in shock the next. Great story, great storyteller!

Dull and boring.

This book is a work of FICTION people, based on the life of an actual woman. The author took a character most of us have heard about, and built a story that brings her to life. AND done a great job at it!
Josephine was a jewish immigrant, headed west for a marriage that did not happen. What DID occur instead was epic. Adams took a woman from the flat pages of history and the movie screen and developed a 3-dimensional woman for us to enjoy. Better known perhaps as the 'wife' of Wyatt Earp she is gutsy, intelligent and quick-witted as well as beautiful.

The Last Woman Standing by Thelma Adams is a 2016 Lake Union Press publication.

I have been curious about Josephine Marcus since watching the wildly popular motion picture, “Tombstone.”

I know Hollywood often takes huge liberties with the facts, so I decided to do an internet search to see what information was available about Wyatt Earp’s common law wife. To be honest, there really isn’t a lot of absolutely, positively true and documented facts about ‘Sadie’ or ‘Josephine’. There are large gaps of her life that are murky and much speculation has developed over time. Josephine went to great lengths to keep her life in Tombstone from becoming public knowledge.

So, I was immensely curious how the author would present Josephine’s life story in this work of fiction. Naturally, the book is written in first person narrative, as Josephine looks back on her life leading up to her arrival in Tombstone, how she met Wyatt, and how the two ended up embarking on life’s journey together.

The author bravely taps into the black hole of time that Josephine worked so tirelessly to keep private for so many years.

I loved the way Josephine came to life, her voice raw, pure, and brutally honest, revealing her naïvete, foibles, bad luck with men, and how she was rescued from a harsh life not befitting her beauty and talent by Wyatt Earp.

I do believe Josephine was a woman ahead of her time, a true adventurer, but also a person who suffered through some real regrets for the poor choices she made in her youth. She did not live like many ‘respectable’ ladies, and never went through a formal, legal wedding ceremony, which was perhaps more common in some places, like Tombstone, but was still quite scandalous. She lived unconventionally, and was quite an interesting figure who lived life with gusto and was lucky enough to find her soul mate and true life partner in Wyatt.

This fictional accounting of Josephine’s life mixes a few documented facts in to create a plausible portrait of a legendary figure of the old west. I think it’s as good a guess as any about the enigmatic actress that captured the heart of Wyatt Earp. It was fun to see all the legendary historical figures we have come to know in film and countless documentaries and books, come to life in this fictional take on events in Tombstone, seen through the eyes of Josephine Marcus.

Overall, this in a provocative read, interesting and engaging. If you enjoy Historical Fiction, this book is one you may want to try.

4 stars

A fun listen, but don't believe everything you read. A quick Wikipedia search turned up much elaboration and evasion on Josie's part and either the author didn't do her homework, or she believed every story she heard. It was fun, but read it with a skeptical eye.

This is told in a great first person narrative style and Josephine is plucky and outgoing. You can just see an actress on the stage reciting the story as her lines, it’s that conversational. Adams maintains this strength right about until she gets to the OK Corral and then things get a little fuzzy. It’s never very clear what exactly happens there but writing gunfight history is not the pull here. It is the life of Josephine Marcus and how she survives that is the story and with that in mind, the novel is a great and fun read. It made me want to know more about Marcus from a non-fictional standpoint as well as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday and Johnny Behan and how they really interacted.



Copy Provided by publisher

My only exposure to the personage of Josephine Marcus has been the movie of “Tombstone”. That portrayal intrigued me, this gal who doesn’t truck with the usual Victorian lady behavior but that blazes a trail all her own. Adams picks right up on that fantastic portrayal with a unique character voice and an intimate look at an American legend.

At first, Joe’s internal voice made me pause; she holds NOTHING back when it comes to her inner monologue. Everything from sex to personal impressions on the people she meets comes right thought her mind, and sometimes her mouth, with no filter. That’s refreshing amongst the abundance of very proper POVs in westerns and books set in this era.

I love Joe as a person, too. She’s an intriguing mix of innocence and brashness. Easily taken in by a charming smile and pretty face, she makes life decisions on the flimsiest of reasoning to detrimental effects at first. Facing all the challenges that come her way with a courageous spirit and pluck makes her someone I can relate to.

She itches for more out of life than hearth and home with an arranged marriage. Boy does she find it!! Shootouts, gangsters, threatened rape, death, and the dusty, arid world of Arizona greet her. However, she also finds the love of her life in the form of Wyatt Earp of the OK Corral fame. A man different than those she’d encountered before, he respects and honors her for who she is rather than the role she can fill for him. Their connection is immediate and emotionally resonant throughout the entire book.

Adams humanizes the Western legend of the OK Corral shootout and its aftermath with great skill. It wasn’t just bang, bang, legend born. There was buildup with strengthening tensions and animosity; the fallout had judicial and emotional elements. The rising tension and a town on the brink brought this action-filled and suspenseful world to life.

A great flesh out to a lesser known female Western figure, this book shines. A great setting and character voice make Josephine’s story unique; Adams draws her readers in and doesn’t let them go. After finishing this book, I had the sudden urge to re-watch “Tombstone”. I grew to appreciate this book all the more after finishing. What a tale!

“Tombstone kicked my ass and I kicked back.” Oh, really? Well, tell us more! Author Thelma Adams gives voice and new life to Josephine Marcus Earp in this novel. Undoubtedly, Josie’s character will make you laugh as she tells her tale in her gutsy, high-spirited oratory. It begins with the Jewish home life of Josephine in San Francisco. She will miss her father for sure once she decides to leave home, but her relationship with her mother was contentious to say the least. She’s very young and so very sure she’ll love Johnny Behan, Sheriff of Cochise County, for the rest of her life, but that’s until she arrives in Tombstone, gets to know him, and finds out what he’s really like. He broke her heart … but she’d spotted the handsome Wyatt Earp when she first arrived and begins to give him more thought. As it turns out, the feelings were mutual.

This is a nicely detailed look, albeit a naïve one, of the life of Josephine Marcus Earp, Wyatt Earp’s common law wife. Through the author’s skillful descriptive passages, you may be tempted to place a cloth over your nose and mouth to avoid the dust being kicked up by horses and wagons driven through the rugged streets of Tombstone. The novel goes from February 1937 to Autumn 1882. I was looking for an author’s note to get an idea of the research probing into Josie’s life. In checking a few online sites, I tend to think Josie may have actually been a prostitute, even at the tender age of fourteen. So, suggesting that she was waiting until her wedding night to lose her virginity seemed a stretch to me. The real Josie actually avoided delving into her past. Wikipedia points out, “Her confusing recollection of events show how easily Josephine mixed fact and fiction.” This novel so very well written, but I’m inclined to believe Josie’s life as presented is more fictional than factual. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.½

I listened to this book. When listening to an audio book, the reader is a huge part of the enjoyment. I know the reader of this book has won some awards for her work. But I think she is too mellow. I almost fell asleep driving to work on day. This book is about two families and the relationship between the married couples and between the couples. Wren is married to Alec and Darlene is married to Lance. Alec and Darlene are opening a restaurant together and Lance and Wren are having an affair. Their kids are also friends. This book is a chick-lit book but also covers how different personalities can get along and not match each other. Do you have a job or a career. How do you categorize someone. It's not too deep of a thinking book but it's not bad. Good for the beach.

I’m constantly pleasantly surprised by the Prime monthly book offerings from Amazon, which is where I found The Last Woman Standing by Thelma Adams. Most of us know about Wyatt Earp and the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, right? It is, after all, one of the most famous Wild West stories about Tombstone, Arizona. But what about the woman behind the man? What do we know about her? Based on most of the stories we’ve seen on TV or read about the Wild West, you’d think there were no women of significance except for the occasional barmaid or madam. Thelma Adams must have been puzzled about this too, and she’s set out to correct that perception by writing The Last Woman Standing.

Now there were several women in Wyatt’s life at various times but he only married one, Josephine Marcus, and this is her story. It's probably best described as a fictionalized biography since it contains biographical information but that information is relayed within a fictional narrative. I was mesmerized by it and couldn’t wait to share it with you at http://popcornreads.com/?p=9160.

Playdate by Thelma Adams, who lives in upstate New York and is the film critic for US Weekly magazine, tells the story of Lance, Darlene and their ten-year-old daughter Belle. They have just moved to Encinitas from Barstow because Darlene is opening a restaurant with a new partner, Alex, who lives in their new neighborhood.

Lance gave up his job as a TV weatherman in Barstow, and now he takes care of Belle and runs their new household. Darlene is spending a great deal of time with the demanding Alex, who has a plan to turn Darlene's Diner into a chain of restaurants like Marie Callender.

Belle is not happy with the move. In Barstow she had friends and spent time out in the great outdoors. Encinitas is the "land of playdates, where every encounter is staged and scheduled". There are mean girls, led by Jade, who make her life very difficult. Jade and her friends even make fun of Lance because he is a stay-at-home dad and he runs the Girl Scout cookie drive.

Lance is happy spending more time with Belle; they have a very close relationship that feels authentic. But his marriage to Darlene is suffering. She is all about work, and while Lance is home all day, he has strayed into a series of "playdates" with Wren, his neighbor and Alex's wife.

The best part of the book is Lance and Belle's relationship. They are a loving father and daughter, and these two characters are the most well drawn of all. I can't say the same of Darlene; I felt like I didn't know her as well, maybe because the story centers more on Lance and Belle. I didn't really understand her very well at all.

The only secondary character that had much dimension to her was Wren's nanny Julia, who has the hots for Lance. Julia has a hard edge to her, but at least she was interesting. You could really feel Lance's discomfort at Julia's aggressive attempts at seduction.

I wouldn't give Playdates my highest recommendation, but it was worth reading for the warm, loving father-daughter relationship between Lance and Belle. It's not one you see very often.

This book was just so-so. I enjoyed the message which basically is it doesn't matter who raises the kids, all the jobs are important but they go hand in hand. It isn't just the moms who are important it is the dads too. However the affairs and the way the kids were just pushed through the book kinda irritated me. Also there seemed like parts that just went on and one with no real meaning.
No one really had any depth to them, because if they did, they wouldn't be in those situations! All the guys except for Lance were painted as jerks, which today's society says they are if they go out and work for a living they are not "good fathers". This book is worth a read, but not much more½

I tried to like this book, but the characters were just so brash and sometimes just over the top I couldn't like it. I felt like it was cliche, and as another review said, "DesperateHousewives," like....½