The Life Fantastic: A Novel in Three Acts

Set in 1913, this historical novel follows fifteen-year-old Teresa LeClair in Brattleboro, Vermont, during the height of American vaudeville. Vaudeville troupes perform in thousands of theaters across the country, and Teresa remembers the excitement of having sung onstage as a child. Her story unfolds against a world of popular live entertainment, while also addressing racial discrimination. The novel brings together a young performer’s aspirations, theatrical life, and the social conditions of the early twentieth century.