In 1924 Paul Whiteman, legendary impresario and consummate schmoozer, attempts to persuade Katherine Warburg to attend a musical extravaganza at which George Gershwin has “consented” to play his latest composition. Katherine resists. After all, she’s a remarkably gifted, classically trained pianist and knows little of jazz or Gershwin besides his penchant for popular songs, about which the less said, the better. It’s not her type of music, thank you.

But as James Warburg’s wife — the banking Warburgs, known for generous hospitality to literary and musical celebrities — she’s an important target in Whiteman’s publicity campaign, and he’s a difficult man to refuse. Besides, Jascha (Heifetz), Igor (Stravinsky), and Sergei (Rachmaninoff) will be there. So Katherine attends and gets an earful.

Hearing “Rhapsody in Blue” turns Katherine’s world upside down. A deep friendship forms with Gershwin, later an affair, and a musical collaboration as well. “Kay,” as Gershwin nicknames her, knows lessons about orchestration and harmony he’s never learned, while his restless, roving musical imagination jolts her from preconceived notions. He encourages her efforts to compose. Not only does she feel that Gershwin understands her in ways that Jimmy Warburg doesn’t, the lovers enjoy the physical passion missing in her marriage. With a brashness typical of the man, he publicizes their liaison. He writes a musical using her name in 1926: Oh, Kay!, whose hit song, “Someone to Watch Over Me,” remains a standard.

Unfortunately for Kay, Gershwin’s roving imagination takes him into other women’s arms. Warburg, who’s never been faithful to Kay and often disappears for months on end to Europe, has little to complain about. Their daughters sympathize with him, however, a reflection of the sexual double standard and the relative discretion he maintains by conducting his affairs in other countries. They’re both indifferent parents, at best, but Kay bears the brunt. Meanwhile, her composing career takes off — she becomes the first woman to write a complete Broadway score — but she pays a terrible price. And Gershwin will never marry her, she realizes.

I wish I could say that Rhapsody does this story full justice, especially because I’ve loved Gershwin’s music all my life. (To insert a personal note, my wife and I walked down the aisle to strains of “An American in Paris,” because that city is where we got engaged.) I also love the theater, that of the 1920s and 1930s above all; and Kay Warburg (née Swift) makes an excellent protagonist with whom to explore the musical and theatrical happenings of the time. At its best, Rhapsody shows why and how music evokes feeling, and Kaplan astutely analyzes Gershwin’s in particular.

Yet I find the novel a cluttered hodgepodge, stuffed with anything and everything. Instead of beginning at the musical premier of “Rhapsody in Blue,” or even Kay’s life before she met Warburg, the story starts with a needless prologue and hops about like a grasshopper, seldom remaining long in one place. Further, if I listed every famous name that floats through the narrative, from Fred Astaire to Duke Ellington to Dorothy Parker, I’d have no room to review the book. In a way, the name-dropping has a point, because Kay knows nobody before she marries Warburg and barely has two pennies to rub together. Money buys glamor, and she soaks it up. But the People magazine approach wears thin, and the army of famous or soon-to-be famous distracts attention from the key players and the issues they face.

Rhapsody poses several cogent questions, not least about the influence of money on art and the artist, whether genius excuses bad behavior (especially negligent parenting), and what shapes or creates popular taste. But other themes and ideas bury these under a blizzard of famous names, scenes that seem to exist only to reach a certain biographical plot point, and sound bites about current events.

There’s a cartoon psychiatrist I could have done without, even though he was a historical figure, and the pastiche of scenes from New York life never amounts to a lived-in atmosphere. By contrast, Gershwin seems much more likable than his legend would suggest, and though that interpretation may be justifiable, in the composer’s latter years, we see nothing of the nightmare he visited on his intimates, misbehavior resulting from an undiagnosed brain tumor.

Passionate Gershwin fans will find pieces here and there in Rhapsody to enlighten and perhaps delight them, and Kay Swift’s story deserves a hearing. But this novel is one of those in which a lot less would have yielded a lot more. ( )

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. ( )

I loved how the author whisks readers into the 1920s New York scene where a special kind of music is being created despite Nazi rumblings, segregation, prohibition, and amazing Broadway shows that had the world singing. George Gershwin’s music rocked the music world. This author does an amazing job of immersing readers into Gershwin’s personal world and his music through main character Katharine Swift trained pianist.

Katharine sets aside her judgement of Gershwin, noting the rules he was breaking in the music he was playing. “She failed to notice the moment when the music persuaded her to stop thinking and just listen. What she heard then was a man pouring his heart out to the world. At the height of the soaring, lyrical passage two-thirds of the way through, Katharine forgot about the funny parts, the exuberant parts, the piano-against-orchestra quipping and cajoling parts. The sadness and beauty of it enveloped her.”

This author is a master storyteller who combines an intriguing and complex love story between Kay Swift and George Gershwin and how they create beautiful music together. Kay tries to figure out life with her unfaithful husband James Paul and her children, and her obsession with loving and making music with George Gershwin.

Katherine thinks, “The paradox involved in loving two men but not being able to love either fully, or not feeling loved satisfyingly by either, was tearing her apart. Was she at fault, for harboring impossible expectations of others, and of herself?”

The author states, “The job of the historical novelist is to comb out the noise, find the dramatic arc, and shape events into a psychologically and emotionally cogent argument. Inevitably, this involves some reorganization of the raw material. I strive to modify the order of events as minimally as possible. However, storytelling remains paramount.”

I liked how the author based this incredible story on real events, I enjoyed the characters journey, and music of George Gershwin. The music world lost this music man way too soon. It was interesting to learn that Kay Swift was the first woman to complete a score to a Broadway musical in 1930. The title was Fine and Dancy. This story is rich in character and history; it is a fascinating read and one that would work well for your book club to discuss.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have received a complimentary copy of this book by the publisher and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org ( )

For more reviews and bookish posts visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan is a historical novel set in 1924 New York City. The novel follows Katharine “Kay” Swift, an American composer, and her relationship with George Gershwin. Mr. Mitchell is an award-winning author currently residing in Virginia.

Kathrine Swift is a talented pianist who married the competent banker James Warburg, heir to a banking family. James was financial adviser to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Paul Warburg, James’ father, was one of the founders of the Federal Reserve System.

When Kay meets superstar composer George Gershwin, she is swept off her feet. Gershwin and Swift began a love affair that flows over to professional collaborations.

’m not much of a jazz guy, the music seem to annoy me and my structured mind. Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan, however, caught my attention not so much about the music, but about the characters living it.

In light of this book, I’m quite surprised that Kay Swift is not more famous. After all, she did compose the first hit musical. Specifically, her song Fine and Dandy, became a jazz standard.

I also didn’t realize how famous George Gershwin was. Unquestionably Gershwin was a musical genius, I did not know that he was a living legend, a superstar whose shine could not be underestimated.

The most interesting part of the book I found to be was how Gershwin brought to life his opera, Porgy and Bess. The challenge of having an opera with African-American leads play in elitist opera halls was daunting. On the other hand, putting on an opera in a Broadway theater has never been done before. I didn’t realize the huge financial, and professional loss that Gershwin suffered, even though today it is considered a classic American opera, and a groundbreaking one at that.

The author brought 1920s New York City to the forefront of the book. The city is just as much a character as Swift, Gershwin, and Warburg. What’s more, many masters of the jazz age, such as Duke Ellington and Fats Waller, are part of the story. Looming in the background of the roaring twenties, being hinted at quietly and not-so-quietly are the upcoming Great Depression, the hypocrisy of racism, and the rise of Hitler in Germany.

I certainly enjoyed the prose, in addition to the entertaining dialogue and description of the times, the story moves forward in a pace that matches a bygone era. The author did address the liberties he took to keep the story moving, which is always a nice touch for us history buffs. ( )

[Rhapsody] by Mitchell James Kaplan
Readers 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. ( )