1106 Grand Boulevard by Betty Dravis
Review by LeeLee
This story begins with a BANG and pulls us into
the life of a young woman who seems bent on self-destruction. What forces are driving her? Will she escape them and find peace?
These are some of the questions which follow us as we read the tale of Billie Jean Sloane.
Born around 1917, to an average middle American
family, Billie Jean was strong-willed and determined to go her way. She married her one “true love” at sixteen.
Her parents annulled that marriage, which nearly resulted in her death. From then on, Billie Jean stumbled through life without
a clear plan, except to survive. She went from one marriage to another, adjusting her life to that of the man she wed, rarely
finding satisfaction or knowing her own mind until later in life. These experiences took her to Arizona , California , Nevada
and eventually around the world. She ended up a multi-millionaire. Billie Jean had much to learn before she could make peace
with her past. She hurt many along the way, and was hurt by others. Some of those who truly loved her helped her to find wisdom
in the end. By that time, she was ready to receive the gift of her early dreams come true.
The tale reminds me vaguely of Pilgrim’s
Progress. The characters she meets and the places she goes could be aptly named from that tale. Beginning in the City of the
Destruction of her dreams, she wanders through the Valley of the Shadow of Death and Vanity Fair. A few of her various husbands
could be named Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Goodwill and Mr. Great-heart.
Many women who lived between the 1920’s,
when women were dependent on men, and the 1970’s, when women realized their own independence, struggled
to break with the old ways and embrace the new. Here is an example of one woman’s endeavors at that time. Based
on the true life of the author’s sister, it makes for lively reading. There are painful descriptions of verbal, mental
and physical abuse and its effects on the mind and soul. The language is strong at times, but suited to the individuals. There
are also heart-warming scenes and events. By the end of the story the reader is cheering for Billie Jean and finds that this
is a story of hope and healing.
Questions:
1. Why did you choose the address of your
family home to be the center of this book about your sister?
I have fond memories of my childhood and my childhood home back in
Ohio and wanted to honor those memories and my hometown. Another reason is that as an adolescent and
a teen-ager, I recall my sister Billie coming home to visit following the breakdowns of her first two marriages.
Thus, setting the story around the old home seemed like a natural choice, filled with nostalgia and ripe with dramatic
opportunities.
2. You don’t seem to pull many punches
about the details of your sister’s life. Was/is she pleased with this book?
My sister turned 90 last March and she's thrilled that I wrote this book about her life.
She says that I "made a star of her." No, I did not sugar-coat details of her life because I wanted
to portray her as accurately as possible ... not the unbelievable saccharine-sweet character that so many novels make their
heroines out to be. I wanted to do a true characterization of her life, showing both the good and bad sides
of her nature––her strengths and weaknesses. I also wanted to portray the changes life events
made in her, as they do in all of us. I hope I succeeded in showing her evolution from a young, spoiled,
heart-broken girl to a vain, unhappy, spoiled woman, and then on to a wiser, stronger, more mature human being with compassion
and love for others.
3.
What do you hope people will take away with them from this story?
I hope this book gives people more understanding
of how life was for women growing up in the Midwest in the thirties and forties, and a peek into the lives of a typical small-town
family that sticks together through thick or thin. I also wanted to show what circumstances might
cause a woman to marry many times and, hopefully, to eradicate any stigma that people might apply to multi-married people.
I hope the readers will remember my sister as a strong, beautiful woman who always "bounced back," no matter what obstacles
life threw at her. If the reviews are a true indication, my aim has been fulfilled because the readers
are all non-judgmental of my heroine, even admiring and sympathizing with her.
To talk more with Betty Dravis stop by the Author Review Chat on Shelfari.com. If you aren't a member, then stop by the group and join.
As an added bonus, a copy of "1106 Grand Boulevard" is to be raffled off
to a reader. Enter by signing the guestbook below.
When you leave a comment below, please fill out all parts of the form or
you won't be entered in the raffle- if you don't want your email displayed that is fine, this can be left blank, just please
send it to me privately so I know how to contact you.
The drawing will be held on the 18th of November and winner announced
here and on the discussion group.
To view other comments on the book just click on View Guestbook and you will be able to read
all other entries - sorry for the confusion, I wasn't sure how this would work but believe this is the best way.
COMMENTS:
Lee: This book sounds great, I love suspense!
Lee: Thank you for those great answers Betty, this book really helped me look at two of my great
aunts lives in a different light.
Linda: Nice review, LeeLee. I agree that GRAND is lively reading, and I hope your review
encourages even more people to read it.
Betty, thanks for the fun book. Can't wait to see what's next!
Melika: This was a great review! I especially loved the author interaction via the discussion
questions. I would love to win a copy! :D
Adelle: I love stories where a woman rises above struggles and challenges to come out a stronger
woman in the end.
Kudo's to you Betty. Your sister sounds like a survivor.
