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    Rhapsody
    Rhapsody
    Rhapsody
    Ebook388 pages5 hours

    Rhapsody

    By Mitchell James Kaplan

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “[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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGallery Books
    Release dateMar 2, 2021
    ISBN9781982104023
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for Rhapsody

    4/5

    18 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I appreciate historical fiction that introduces me to historical figures I was unaware of and while I previously knew the name George Gershwin, I had never heard of Kay Swift. This novel is filled with the energy of the first half of the twentieth century and explores several key cultural and historical touchstones of that era - the First World War, the emergence of jazz, the economic collapse of 1929, the tense racial dynamics in Boardway performances. This is the world of George Gershwin and Kay Swift, who are drawn to each other by a shared appreciation of music and composition. Kay is married when they meet, but her life starts to change as she writes music and embarks on a love affair. Kay Swift is definitely someone I want to learn more about and I liked the way this book introduced me to her story. I would recommend this book to historical fiction fans.
    • 3/5
      [Rhapsody] by Mitchell James KaplanReaders who enjoy historical fiction with an interesting twist will be intrigued by this story of music and love. Set in the Jazz Age New York City, the book explores the brilliant yet doomed relationship between Kay Swift and George Gershwin. Although readers and music lovers no doubt have heard about George Gershwin, they may not be acquainted with Kay Swift, his lover and fellow musician. This book reveals an intriguing look at their troubled lives. I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
    • 5/5
      I have to admit that I didn’t know a whole heck of a lot about George Gershwin going into this book beyond the fact that he wrote some beautiful music. I still know that but now I’ve also read a very compelling novel based on the life of this very talented composer.It centers around Rhapsody in Blue – music that once you hear it you never forget it – and given the time period, the worries of the Great Depression and the horrors of WWII and Hitler and the love of a woman. Sometimes music is so much more than a simple melody. Sometimes it’s something to bring everyone together or it can do even more.So much here I didn’t know and it made me want to know even more. Gershwin gave the world so much beautiful music in such a short period of time. One can only imagine what he might have written had he not died so young. An American in Paris is one of my favorites and the music is transcendent. This book was a fascinating read that brought the man and the time period alive and will hopefully encourage readers to go back and listen to Gershwin’s beautiful music.
    • 4/5
      In 1920's New York City, Kay Swift, a classically trained pianist plays at the parties for New York's elite.  At one of these parties she catches the eye of James Warburg, the son of a wealthy banker.  Soon, Kay is at the top of New York's social ladder but has not forgotten her dream of playing music.  After seeing George Gershwin perform Rhapsody in Blue, Kay becomes mesmerized with his style of music and the man himself.  Kay refocuses on her musical career with George and finds herself enamored with George as well.  With her music finally making its mark, Kay is pulled between her family and George while trying to carve out her own place in the world. Rhapsody is written in a style much like Gershwin's music, familiar yet new with different pushes and pulls to show you what you already knew was there.  Everyone knows the name of George Gershwin, but many people do not know Kay Swift.  Kay was the first woman to write the complete score to a Broadway musical though many only know her for her involvement with Gershwin. Rhapsody entwines the stories of Kay, James and George to create a rounded view on how this odd trio helped to define an era of American music.  Using many historical accuracies, the story of how their music evolved is written in a way that managed to bring the music to life on the page.  I was amazed at Gershwin's abilities as well as his commitment to the communities that he found inspiration from.  Kay's life was double sided as she faced the dilemma of many women, being a wife, mother and having a career.  It was very interesting to see Kay's relationship with her children and husband and her choices to focus on her music and happiness instead.  Along with Kay and George, I also learned about James Warburg.  I had no idea that he also wrote lyrics for Kay's songs.  While Kay's life with Gershwin may have been complicated at best, Rhapsody unravels some of the mysteries surrounding this time of Kay Swift's life. This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 
    • 4/5
      This is an in-depth look at the life of Kay Swift, an immensely talented woman who married well, had three daughters, and a career on Broadway. She was a Classically trained pianist, and thus is put on the path to meet George Gershwin.This read is full of name drops and through the author we rub shoulder with some very famous people.What a dynamic pair Kay and George become and the world was blessed because of their union.The fact that Kay was married at the time of there affair didn’t seem to bother anyone, although this story takes place during the 1920’s and ’30’s, their morals were not the greatest!I found it interesting that James Warburg, Kay’s husband and a very successful banker, wrote a lot of the lyrics for Kay’s music, and with their money are able to finance Broadway musicals.What I did love about this book is all the historical facts that are provided, from the depression to the beginning of the evil rising in Europe. From the streets of New York City to Reno Nevada, and trips to Europe.Happy and very sad happenings, these will keep you page turning, and be sure to author’s notes!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Gallery Books, and was not required to give a positive review.
    • 5/5
      Much of this book was written for a piano aficionado, but no matter because those parts help to develop the story’s mood of “pensive longing.” 1924, Katherine Swift was married to James Warburg, a scion of the Warburg banking Dynasty. He is Jewish, mostly unacknowledged. She, of another faith, is a classically trained pianist. He is a banker of course, but also a poet of sorts. They move in a rarefied social circle of classical musicians, financiers and politicians. She doesn’t care for popular music thinking it “predictable and trite, boring really” until one night in the winter of 1924 when they attend a musical event to hear a piano concerto.A tall man walks onto the stage, lowers himself to the Steinway piano, shoves the tails of his tuxedo behind the bench and proceeds to mesmerize all in attendance with “Rhapsody in Blue”. Katherine forgets how to breathe as she listens to each confident note of the man “pouring his heart out to the world.” She is caught in the sadness and the beauty of Gershwin’s music - she is drifting in a rowboat. This is the moment she realizes her marriage is lacking and her future lies with someone else. A heartbeat later she is no longer Katherine but Kay Swift.He’s from the lower East Side breaking rules as he grew up. Her background is the Upper West Side, a student at the forerunner of Juilliard. Other than their love of music their upbringing couldn’t have been more different. While both are skilled pianists, she is a mechanic and it takes Gershwin to teach her the importance of finding the spark of life in the heart of the music. Gershwin and Kay Swift danced their crazy and dizzy relationship across the country and ocean. They attended rent parties in Harlem, hung out at the Cotton Club, glad-handing musicians wherever they went. The aspiring composers and musicians put their music and relationship before everything. Drawn in stark counterpoint are the supposed morals of money, social standing and marriage against the ever present infidelity, revelry and drunkenness. It was the roaring 20’s. It was the era of Igor Stravinsky, George and Ira Gershwin, Jascha Heifetz, Dottie Parker, Sergei Rachmaninov, Harpo Marx, Al Jolson, Fats Waller, Mayor Jimmy Walker.As a brief aside, despite his genius, Gershwin was never able to raise the funding necessary to put Porgy into his vision of the production. It was not to be a success until many decades later. In 1990 the Metropolitan Opera would see it grace their stage and on September 23, 2019 its revival would be the opening Opera of the Season. Sold out, extra performances added, sold out!!There is so much more to this book. Loved it.Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy. The opinions expressed in this review are mine and unfortunately my words will never be enough to convey how wonderful this book is.

    Book preview

    Rhapsody - Mitchell James Kaplan

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