Vera Johnson is 15 years old when the 1906 earthquake decimates her hometown of San Francisco. Because she's the daughter of an influential and notorious madam, Vera and her foster sister Pie have the connections to figure out a way to keep out of the worst post-quake situations, but still their future is uncertain. This is the story of how they learn to survive, and how Vera learns how to use what few gifts she was given by her mother and unknown father.
This may be the first historical fiction I've read about the 1906 quake, and it certainly covers the gamut of what was going on at the time, from Chinatown to Nob Hill. Before reading this, I wasn't aware of the extent of the damage, nor how quickly it occurred or how the corrupt city government impacted it. An intriguing coming-of-age story with an interesting disaster backdrop.
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