Happy Publication Day! ( November 1, 2022)

3.5⭐

On Christmas Eve, 1944 Franny Steinberg, still a teenager, manages to gain entry to the Empire Room of the Palmer Hotel in Chicago to catch a performance by notable comedian Boopsie Baxter and experience the much talked about “Showstopper” that she had been curious about. Earlier, the same day, her family received a telegram informing them that her older brother, who was fighting in the War, was missing.

Fast forward seven years, Franny and her friends sneak off to the Blue Moon Cocktail Lounge to see a Boopsie Baxter show the day before her best friend’s wedding only to be thrown out because of Franny’s ill-timed comments. But Franny is back the next day after a traumatic memory leads to her leaving the wedding party. Franny knows what she wants – which is to follow in her idol’s footsteps and perform on stage!

As the narrative progresses, we meet Franny’s family, her fun-loving father who believes in the importance of laughter in the most difficult of times, her mother who is concerned about Franny’s future and would rather Franny find a suitable husband, her brother who returned from the war front in 1945 but suffers from PTSD, friends, neighbors, fellow performers and the wife of a mob Boss, who owns and operated the Blue Moon Lounge as she finds her way in life, at home and in the profession of her choice – healing her own wounds and those of others close to her with the magic of laughter.

“ ‘Stress and fear”—Papa poked his chest tenderly—“it breaks your heart. The heart needs to laugh.’”

To be honest, my interest in this book stemmed from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” vibes I got from the summary but there is so much more to this story than a young woman’s dreams to make it as a stand-up comedian - a profession that that attracted women performers and audiences during the war years but is now back to being dominated by men- as performers and in the audience. The author give us a glimpse of what society was like in the 50s - times were changing and and people were looking forward to more prosperous times since the war years but misogyny and gender politics , racism and bigotry and class distinction, anti-Semitism and discrimination were also woven into the narrative of day-to-day life. The Author’s Note at the end of the book mentions some of the true events that inspired certain segments in her novel.

" ‘Pressure can suffocate you. Comedians are like bottle openers. We relieve the pressure by making you laugh. Pressure can be painful, but it also has power. And potential. The world doesn't want us girls to have either.’"

With humor and insight, the author touches upon themes of family, friendship, PTSD, sexual identity, evolving societal norms of that era , expectations and gender roles and the healing power of laughter. With an interesting cast of characters and an endearing protagonist and elements of magic in a story that makes you smile, Eden Robin’s When Franny Stands Up is an engaging read.

Many thanks to Eden Robins, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be published on November 1, 2022. ( )

I often found myself laughing while reading this 1950s-era debut. I like Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel so was ready to like this novel too. It’s easy to compare the two, but in addition to the topic of female standup comedians, this novel is a more consequential coming-of-age novel about Franny Steinberg. It begins with her as a teenager, but most of the novel takes place during her twenties, just after World War II.

The novel focuses on gender, race, and sexuality – all from Franny’s point of view. These issues were in a state of flux during the 1950s. And things haven’t really changed that much today. So, in addition to being historical fiction, it’s a statement about how our culture addresses the LGBTQ+ community as well as antisemitism and racism towards Blacks.

Throughout the novel, Franny uses comedy to contend with the traumatic sexual assault she had experienced earlier. She learns a secret about a comedian’s trick of a “showstopper,” which earns the novel the label of magical realism. It’s not a lighthearted comedy, although there is much humor. Another serious topic was the treatment of Franny’s older brother’s PTSD from his World War II experience.

One of the best parts of the novel was the development of her relationships with the other women comedians. Another element that I liked was the way the plot comes together as the women plan a sting-like operation. Success hinges on everything going smoothly, and I was on the edge of my seat as the plan is executed.

In summary, this was a well-written novel that uses the topic of comedy to deal with serious issues. Many of the characters were memorable, and I’m looking forward to reading author Eden Robins' next book. ( )