THE QUEEN OF TUESDAY A Lucille Ball Story

The author's fictionalized portrait of American actress/comedienne Lucille Ball centers around an alleged meeting and subsequent affair between Ball and his grandfather, Isadore. Tavia Gilbert's narration offers insights into the rocky relationship between Lucille and her continually unfaithful husband, Desi Arnaz, and with Strauss's married, obsessed grandfather. Strauss narrates sections that are embarrassingly personal and don't always ring true. Izzy and Lucille met at a party where he supposedly cornered her, imposing himself on her, kissing her, and getting punched by her fiery Cuban husband. Gilbert doesn't try to emulate the remarkable redhead but does give her a coarse, hard tone--smart-alecky and rough around the edges. The Izzy/Lucille segments seem harsh, contrived, and biased. This is definitely not for Lucille Ball's fans. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2020]