Book Review: Tayvie’s Story

Tayvie’s Story. Mim Eichmann, Living Springs Publishers LLP, July 23, 2024, Print and E-book, 262 pages.

Reviewed by Wayne Turmmel.

Tayvie’s Story is the sequel to Mim Eichmann’s 2021 novel, Muskrat Ramble. It’s the story of a young, bi-racial woman named Octavie Jackson (Tayvie) and her travels and travails through the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.  

The story begins in Chicago, where 4-year-old Tayvie is separated from her mother and raised by a middle-class African-American couple. When tragedy strikes, she spirals from one tragedy to another. Her travails take her from the slums of Memphis to a resurgent Harlem, to Paris and Nazi Germany.  

There’s a lot of ground covered, and historical fiction fans will enjoy the deep research and facets of history they may not have read about before. As in Muskrat Ramble, the author’s knowledge and passion for music is the strength of the book.  

While the sections of the book set in the South may draw mixed reactions from some readers, once Tayvie begins her musical career in Harlem, the narrative picks up and doesn’t let up. In particular, the fish-out-of-water sensation when Tayvie and her musical companions arrive in Paris hooks the reader. The dread of coming Nazi rule is palpable. By the time Tayvie becomes the unwilling mistress and propaganda tool of Joseph Goebbels you’ll keep turning pages to see what happens next. 

From Chicago to Memphis, New York to Paris, Tayvie’s Story will reward readers with new insight into a time we aren’t as familiar with as we might think.