Out of the Easy

Zusatztext 51424250 Informationen zum Autor Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) is an internationally acclaimed, #1  New York Times  bestselling author of historical fiction published in over sixty countries and forty languages. Sepetys is considered a "crossover" novelist, as her books are read by both teens and adults worldwide. Her novels  Between Shades of Gray ,  Out of the Easy , and  Salt to the Sea  have won or been shortlisted for more than forty book prizes, and are included on more than sixty state award lists.  Between Shades of Gray  was adapted into the film  Ashes in the Snow , and her other novels are currently in development for TV and film. Winner of the Carnegie Medal, Ruta is passionate about the power of history and literature to foster global awareness and connectivity. She has presented to NATO, to the European Parliament, in the United States Capitol, and at embassies worldwide. Ruta was born and raised in Michigan and now lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Follow her on Twitter @RutaSepetys and Instagram @RutaSepetysAuthor. Klappentext "A haunting peek at the life of a teenage girl in 1950s New Orleans."--Entertainment WeeklyIt's 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. CHAPTER ONE: My mother’s a prostitute. Not the filthy, streetwalking kind. She’s actually quite pretty, fairly well spoken, and has lovely clothes. But she sleeps with men for money or gifts, and according to the dictionary, that makes her a prostitute. She started working in 1940 when I was seven, the year we moved from Detroit to New Orleans. We took a cab from the train station straight to a fancy hotel on St. Charles Avenue. Mother met a man from Tuscaloosa in the lobby while having a drink. She introduced me as her niece and told the man she was delivering me to her sister. She winked at me constantly and whispered that she’d buy me a doll if I just played along and waited for her. I slept alone in the lobby that night, dreaming of my new doll. The next morning, Mother checked us in to our own big room with tall windows and small round soaps that smelled like lemon. She received a green velvet box with a strand of pearls from the man from Tuscaloosa. “Josie, this town is going to treat us just fine,” said Mother, standing topless in front of the mirror, admiring her new pearls. The next day, a dark-skinned driver named Cokie arrived at the hotel. Mother had received an invitation to visit someone important in the Quarter. She made me take a bath and insisted I put on a nice dress. She even put a ribbon in my hair. I looked silly, but I didn’t say anything to Mother. I just smiled and nodded. “Now, Josie, you aren’t to say a thing. I’ve been hoping Willie would call for me, and I don’t need you messing things up with your stubbornness. Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to. And for gosh sakes, don’t start that humming. It’s spooky when you do that. If you’re good, I’ll buy you something real special.” “Like a doll?” I said, hoping to jog her memory. “Sure, hon,...

Product details

• Authors: Ruta Sepetys
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 04.03.2014
• EAN: 9780147508430
• ISBN: 978-0-14-750843-0
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 141 mm x 211 mm x 24 mm
• Series: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Subject: Children's and young people's books > Young people's books from 12 years of age