Riding With the Queen

September 1, 2003
Tallie Beck is a 34-year-old washed-up, self-centered, rock-n-roll singer who has never grown up. Now she has to go home and face the music on several fronts. Her career is in tatters, her bank account is nonexistent, and the only job her agent can offer is in a piano bar in Denver, her hometown. Scornful but desperate, she buckles down--albeit with frequent rebellions--to a job where limits are set but where, paradoxically, she has the opportunity to grow. Meanwhile, she is also coping with family matters: a bipolar mother with a same-sex partner who happens to be Tallie's boss, an alienated sister, and a preteen niece looking for a role model. In the process, she reevaluates herself and those around her, learning to see them through more charitable and mature eyes. Painful to read but compelling, Shortridge's book chronicles the growing-up process from Tallie's perspective, providing a haunting inside look at the world of musicians on the edge between success and failure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)