I'm always very happy when Meredith Jaeger gets a new book to her adoring readers (of which I am one!). They are always enjoyable, interesting reads. Her latest, The Incorrigibles, follows 2 timelines. The 1st is 1890 and focuses on a young Irish woman, Annie, who comes to America and lands in San Francisco as a maid in a mansion. We soon find out what sends her to San Quentin. The 2nd is 1972 and is about a woman, Judy, whose marriage is failing and who finds herself in San Francisco, trying to figure out how to make it work as a person on her own. She serendipitously comes across a mug shot of Annie in prison and decides she wants to find out how Annie got there and what happened to her.
With The Incorrigibles being historical fiction, we not only learn about women in San Quentin in the late 1800s, but we also get an in-depth look at South of Market when the Yerba Buena Center is being built and how it affects the local population. Either story could stand on its own. But, together, we get two for the price of one! Lucky us!
