THE ORDEALS OF
ELLY ROBIN
Volume 1
The year is 1906, and a virtual reality of flickering images is beginning to find an audience. But live theater is still king, and six-year-old piano prodigy Elly Robin enjoys what seems to her a perfect life as a vaudeville headliner. But in San Francisco, her troupe is caught in a devastating earthquake, and the sight of the hotel containing her mother and father collapsing before her eyes, launches Elly on an epic — and often harrowing — series of adventures.
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REVIEWS
"Immersive...captures both the wonder and wretchedness of the American West of the early 1900s...displaying an accomplished prose style that serves admirably both to relate the story and evoke the historical setting."
—Kirkus Review of "The Ordeals of Elly Robin"
“Quaver continually invents arresting scenarios and characters, rendered in sharp, memorable prose. It’s impossible not to root for this determined young girl, who refuses to let anything at all—whether it’s a devastating earthquake or a daring escape from a questionable institution—stop her determined moves forward.... Elly’s spirit lights even the darkest passages.”
—Booklife
"A spellbinding historical fiction novel.”
—Peggy
"How did I like it?!?!?! Finished the book 20 minutes ago and I have just got off the computer to order the second book of the series.”
—Ann
"I was drawn into Elly's world and was completely immersed from cover to cover."
—Anne E.
"Outstanding book. Very historically accurate to the time period, and a deeply engrossing story."
—Tim
"I really enjoyed the book. It is unusual to have a protagonist so young, so originally I thought it was aimed at children. Definitely not!”
—Beth B.
"What an adventure! Very good characters and storytelling. I will definitely be recommending this."
—Stephanie K.
" 'The Ordeals of Elly Robin' is a literary gem, offering a rich historical backdrop, intriguing characters, and a compelling story that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the subsequent volumes in this remarkable saga."
—Abigail
"Elly's journey from vaudeville stardom to a creepy children's asylum after the San Francisco Earthquake is a real-life fairy tale turned nightmare. P. D. Quaver weaves this historical fiction like a boss, and you won't be able to put it down."
—Sue