About Chloe's Mistigri
In the midst of the Great Depression, Chloe Boisvert arrives in rural Louisiana from New Orleans by way of Paris, France, to live with her aunt and estranged sister. She develops a friendship with PJ, a runaway who also just arrived in town. Chloe and PJ each long to live in larger worlds, and as Chloe struggles as an African-American girl under Jim Crow, PJ finds just such a life as a pilot with the Flying Tigers, American mercenaries fighting for China prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor which signaled the United States’ entry into World War II. When PJ returns home, he and Chloe face new challenges and opportunities as they strive for meaningful lives and happiness in wartime America.
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A fascinating historical novel and dazzling coming of age story, Chloe’s Mistigri navigates a complex world filled with beauty and tragedy. From the advent of blues music and jazz age Paris through to depression era Louisiana, from war-torn China to wartime New York and Havana, where else can we find a story of love and courage that so stunningly intertwines our friends with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Josephine Baker, Madame Chiang Kai-shek, Ernest Hemingway, and the famous mobster Meyer Lansky? Only here, in Chloe’s Mistigri, a mesmerizing tale of joy, sorrow and hope set against a backdrop of factual detail that wasn’t included in your history classes.
Pre-Publication Reviews
Staci M.
This historical novel is a perfect blend of atmosphere and accuracy. The period, Jazz Age, the global political upheaval of the 1930s, the beginnings of world war, is made for this coming of age story about friends who meet as children in depression era Louisiana. It’s a heart-wrenching story about love full of unexpected and fascinating adventures, and I couldn’t put it down.
Stephen P.
In his debut novel, Mr. Hall applies a wealth of historical fact to extraordinary storytelling in an epic tale of friendship and love, conflict and loss, courage and perseverance. This story spans the years 1927 to 1943, one of the most transformative periods in the history of humanity. Chloe’s Mistigri embodies the best and worst of us in colorful characters where we can recognize ourselves, and our neighbors, whether they live across the street or across an ocean. You’ll feel this book.
Kayla J.
I fell in love with this wondrous girl, Chloe Boisvert, as she navigated the artistic richness of Parisian salons in the 1920s. My heart broke as she suffered the mindless oppression of Jim Crow in the 1930s. When her best friend PJ returned from war in the early 1940s, I hoped they might find peace. It’s rare when a book makes me cry in sadness and in joy.
Andrew B.
Chloe’s Mistigri is a novel that gracefully mingles colorful fictional characters with historical figures whose personalities we know and cherish. The book delivers a timeless and unforgettable story through to a thrilling climax. It will capture your heart and make you think, about then and about now.