Publisher: Gallery Books
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 352 pages
Genre: Biographical/Literary/Historical
Synopsis
One evening in 1924, Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a concert. The piece: Rhapsody in Blue. The composer: a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin.
Kay is transfixed, helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm, and swagger. Their ten-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight.
Set in Jazz Age New York City, this stunning work of fiction, for fans of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank, explores the timeless bond between two brilliant, strong-willed artists. George Gershwin left behind not just a body of work unmatched in popular musical history, but a woman who loved him with all her heart, knowing all the while that he belonged not to her, but to the world.
My Thoughts
Katharine '”Kay” Swift and her 10-year relationship with George Gershwin is the subject of Mitchell James Kaplan's latest novel, Rhapsody.
Kay, a classically trained pianist and composer, is a member of the Edith Rubel trio, who play professionally in many of the salons of New York's rich and famous. At one of these events, Kay meets wealthy James "Jimmy" Warburg from a prominent Jewish banking family. Despite the difference in their social class and religion, and some opposition from his family, they marry. At first their marriage is a happy one, but Kay discovers that James is a philanderer and she becomes disillusioned with the marriage, especially when James suggests that Kay do the same.
In 1924, George Gershwin premieres his musical composition Rhapsody in Blue at a concert in New York. Kay is surprised that a song writer like Gershwin could write a piano concerto, but when she hears it, she is incredibly moved and later tries to capture Gershwin's style of playing and incorporate it in her own compositions.
When Kay finally meets George Gershwin, she feels an instant connection, which he doesn't seem to reciprocate, but eventually they become lovers. George encourages Kay to write popular music, which brings her the fame and recognition she desired.
Mitchell James Kaplan does a sterling job of bringing to life the sad story of Kay Swift and her relationship with two men, who proclaimed their love for her but shied away from total commitment. Although the name of George Gershwin is instantly recognizable, Kay Swift seems to have been forgotten by history despite being a successful musician and composer in her own right.
This novel is a wonderful parade of the who's who of the music scene of the 1920s and 30s: Al Jolson, Fred and Adele Astaire, Fats Waller, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Sara Martin and many others. It will have you searching out all the old songs and melodies mentioned, especially Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with its distinctive and unforgettable opening clarinet solo.
Rhapsody is a must read for music lovers and for those interested in the heady days of the 1920s and 30s. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Where to Purchase
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound
Meet the Author
After college, Kaplan lived in Paris, France, where he worked as a translator, then in Southern California, where he worked as a screenwriter and in film production.
He lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with his family and two cats.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Blog Tour Schedule
Sunday, February 14
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Monday, February 15
Review at Reading the Past
Tuesday, February 16
Review at With A Book In Our Hands
Wednesday, February 17
Interview at Jathan & Heather
Thursday, February 18
Review at Rajiv's Reviews
Monday, February 22
Review at Chicks, Rogues, and Scandals
Tuesday, February 23
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Wednesday, February 24
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Thursday, February 25
Review at Bibliostatic
Saturday, February 27
Review at Reading is My Remedy
Monday, March 1
Review at Rebecca is Reading
Tuesday, March 2
Review at Passages to the Past
Wednesday, March 3
Review at Crystal's Library
Friday, March 5
Review at Kellie Butler
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Interview at Reader_ceygo
Monday, March 8
Review & Excerpt at Books, Cooks, Looks
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Guest Post at Novels Alive
Thursday, March 11
Review at The Review Crew
Friday, March 12
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Reader_ceygo
Feature at The Lit Bitch
Review at A Darn Good Read
Review at The Enchanted Shelf
Review at View from the Birdhouse
Giveaway (US Only)
We have 2 paperback copies of Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan up for grabs! Enter HERE.
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on March 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
I got the ARC from the author and I'm afraid I DNF that one about half way through. Way too much name-dropping and action that didn't include Kay and George, as well as some things that didn't make sense. Because of that, I couldn't connect with Kay and George, and that was a shame, because I adore Gershwin's music and was very excited to read a biographical fiction novel about him.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you gave up on this one. I'd never heard of Kay Swift before reading this book, so assumed it would be more about her than George. I didn't mind the name dropping. I thought it highlighted the sort of people they mixed with, socially and professionally, and the entertainment scene at the time.
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