Rhapsody
by Mitchell James Kaplan
Publication Date: March 2, 2021
Gallery Books
Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook; 352 pages
Genre: Biographical/Literary/Historical
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.
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Praise for Rhapsody
“Mitchell James Kaplan pens a lilting, jazzy ballad as catchy as a Gershwin tune, bringing to vibrant life the complicated relationship between classically trained composer Kay Swift and free-wheeling star George Gershwin. Their musical bond is as powerful as their passion, and jazz-soaked gin-drenched Broadway is their playground through the tumultuous years of the Great War and Prohibition. Rhapsody will have you humming, toe-tapping, and singing along with every turn of the page.”
–Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of THE ALICE NETWORK and THE HUNTRESS
My Review
Mitchell James Kaplan has done an amazing job of capturing the 1930’s Jazz world of New York. The details are immaculate and his love for this period and these people is evident through out the entire novel.
Rhapsody is based on real people and has tons of details of their lives especially how music effected them. It is told in such a way you’ll feel transported in time, a special glimpse into the lives of the rich and musically talented! I enjoyed getting to know more about Kay and those around her and loved the references to some of the iconic performance arts of the times.
I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and jazz.
About the Author
Mitchell James Kaplan graduated with honors from Yale University, where he won the Paine Memorial Prize for Best Long-Form Senior Essay submitted to the English Department. His first mentor was the author William Styron.
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.
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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 McDaniel Butler
Sunday, March 7
Interview at Reader_ceygo
Monday, March 8
Review & Excerpt at Books, Cooks, Looks
Wednesday, March 10
Guest Post at Novels Alive
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
We have 2 paperback copies of Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan up for grabs!
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on March 12th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
Amy Bruno
So thrilled that you enjoyed Rhapsody! Thank you for being on the tour!
Amy
HF Virtual Book Tours