The non-sexual relationship between a black jazz trumpet performer Napoleon and Maddy is beautifully executed. The loving way the sequence where Benny plays background music to a silent film is goose bump writing. And you will flip when you were read about the rejuvenation of Napoleon’s career after a vicious attack. He is able to use his disfigurement and career threatening injuries to his advantage when he is renamed The Black Butterfly. Mary Morris peppers this historical fiction with characters like Al Capone and Louis Armstrong to engage us in this lovely and inspiring novel. ( )

Excellent combination of the story of the birth of jazz in Chicago, people of the period and real characters. An excellent piece of historical fiction. Enough facts to be interesting with characters you can identify with. ( )

Part historical novel, part mystery, The Jazz Palace is filled with cultural heritage. Morris writes how poverty, race relations, romance, immigrants, migrants, and gangsters shaped the city of Chicago. She brings to life the day-to-day triumphs and tribulations of the Jazz Age. The story of the 1920’s jazz era is replete with characters resembling the likes of Louis Armstrong and Al Capone. Morris glides effortlessly from fictional to actual events of WW1 and prohibition. Anti-Semitism and racism are transcended by the power of music. Her characters move from tenements to saloons to speakeasies, and transport the reader to another place and time, ending like a jazz crescendo.

At first the book felt disjointed and sometimes confusing but by a third of the way through, I was hooked into the history of Chicago and the jazz scene, 1910 to 1930, and the characters. ( )

I knew after the first couple of pages that I was going to love this book. It probably helped that, like the author, I lived for over twenty years in Chicago. The book open in 1915 and covers so much history, from the sinking of the Eastland, prohibition and bath tub gin, Al Capone and his hold on the city, the depression and so much more. In fact, each chapter opens with historical facts, many which I didn't know.

Wonders of wonders I loved the story as much as the history. Loved the characters, some real, some not, the advent of Jazz or Jass as it was sometimes called and the amazing colored musicians that livened up the city, playing in clubs on the South side, a few venturing North.
The characters and their stories were heart breaking and heart warming, the book exceedingly well written. This is a must read for those who know Chicago, or those who just like the music and history. ( )