Rhapsody, Mitchell James Kaplan
Rhapsody, Mitchell James Kaplan
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Rhapsody

Author: Mitchell James Kaplan

Narrator: Tavia Gilbert

Unabridged: 10 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/02/2021


Synopsis

“[A] shining rendition of Swift and Gershwin’s star-crossed love.” —Therese Anne Fowler, New York Times bestselling author

In the vein of the New York Times bestseller Loving Frank, this fascinating and compelling novel “will have you humming, toe-tapping, and singing along with every turn of the page” (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author) as it explores the decade-long relationship between the celebrated composer George Gershwin and gifted musician Katharine “Kay” Swift.

When Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a performance of Rhapsody in Blue by a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin, her world is turned upside down. Transfixed, she’s 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 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.

About Mitchell James Kaplan

Mitchell James Kaplan is the award-winning author of the novels By Fire, By Water and Into the Unbounded Night. A graduate of Yale, he has lived in Paris and Los Angeles, and currently lives with his family in Roanoke, Virginia.


Reviews

3.5 stars rounded up. I was lured into this book by the title, by the setting in historic New York City and the time, the Jazz age . Taking the reader to that place and time is the strength of the novel and that’s what captivated me throughout . I didn’t know a thing about Katharine Faulkner Swift, c......more

Goodreads review by Annette

1920s New York City is blazing with jazz and one of the rising stars George Gershwin is blending classical music with jazz. A musician endowed with “the most brilliant, most enchanting and perhaps the most profound talent.” On the other end of spectrum, there is a classically trained composer – Kath......more

Goodreads review by Fran

"There's been another man that I've needed and I've loved But that doesn't mean I love you less And he knows he can't possess me and he knows he never will There's just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill" -Torn Between Two Lovers" written by Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul & Mary) and Phil......more

Goodreads review by Chris

Interesting and unique look at the life of George Gershwin and Kay Swift as they impact Broadway and music world. Kay’s dedication and love for him cost her greatly. 3.5 STARS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This book is not what I was expecting at all but it is one that grabbed my interest and kept me engaged. Thi......more


Quotes

"Gilbert dramatizes Katherine's development into jazz musician Kay Swift, who wrote the jazz standard "Fine and Dandy." Gilbert excels at conjuring two worlds; for example, she contrasts the snide titters of an upper-crust society gathering with the genuine laughs of a down-to-earth Harlem party. Gilbert's vocal variety captures secondary characters as well: the raspy-voice of stride pianist Luckey Roberts, the rolling "r's" of Mrs. Vanderbilt Belmont, the quiet murmurs of maids, and an angry priest's diatribe on the merits of Prohibition."