In 1876 San Francisco, there were brothels, burlesque dancers, cross-dressers and a dominant male population. Emma Donoghue's latest novel, "Frog Music," explores the historical figures surrounding the death of Bonnet to create a murder mystery. Bonnet struck me as the most interesting murder victim because she lived as if she knew she was going to die at 27, says the Irish-born novelist, who discovered Bonnet after reading Wild Women: The main character, Blanche Beunon, a burlesque dancer, was near the shooting that killed Bonnet and believed she was probably the intended target. That made sense to me that for centuries it has been a magnet, it's where you go when you have no where else to go, the climate is relatively mild, it's always been a city of freedom and eccentricity, the way San Francisco has always been proud of its eccentrics. [...] it had crazy people like Emperor Norton, going around declaring himself to be emperor. Tony DuShane is a freelance writer who hosts the radio show "Drinks With Tony."
Reported by SFGate 4 hours ago.
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