A Betting Woman: A Novel of Madame Moustache by Jenni L. Walsh

 “Born Simone Jules, reinvented as Eleanor Dumont, and largely remembered as Madame Moustache.”

It’s 1849. Simone Jules, at nineteen years old, arrives at the booming town of San Francisco to reinvent herself. While on a ship, she was eavesdropping for any ideas of reinvention. She is of good manners and couldn’t imagine encouraging men to play, drink and stay a while at saloon. But when she sees a deck of cards waiting to be dealt, she sees herself doing just that. She becomes a croupier of modern-day blackjack.

When a tragedy strikes her again, she is off to another place and another chance at life. She learned how to be an independent woman. Now, she wants to be an independent businesswoman. She starts the first gambling house in the California town of Nevada. Moreover, her own gambling house. She indulges men in evenings of sophisticated gambling.

Loved the grasping prose, the word choice, the speed of lyrical like sound carrying the story constantly forward. “I’d learned at Papa’s shop (…) that men often needed a velvet voice and a smattering of flattery for encouragement.”

Loved the classy and quick-witted character who at the game of cards is mostly surrounded by rogues with crude, unrefined tongues. She knows how to sassy them with her beauty, cleverness and French-ish background. Can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this phenomenal woman. Petit in stature, but larger than life in character. Beautifully developed character of a self-sufficient woman during a time when it was almost impossible.

The injections of historical background are brief but they happen often, giving depth and a good sense of time and period. There is a constant reminder of that. This is the level of historical fiction I greatly appreciate. It’s not just a one-time long description of a time period and then forgotten throughout the story.

The feelings shine throughout the story. Her contagious excitement about someone or a grief over losing someone or the coldness of the mountains that gets to you or a warmness of a place she creates for herself that you enjoy as well.

Spellbinding novel. Superbly written by amazing talent crafting such an intriguing and clever story.

Release date: 1 June 2021

Source: Waytt-MacKenzie Publishing