I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley. I found myself reminded of Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, which is a compliment to both authors. Rhapsody tells the story of Katherine “Kay” Swift, a composer in her own right, and her love affair with George Gershwin. Rhapsody in Blue is one of my all-time favorite “classical” melodies, and I really enjoyed rushing to wikipedia (the verb) famous people mentioned throughout this tale. The author’s ability to describe the musical process and all its facets really made this novel perfect.

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan is an excellent historical fiction novel that depicts the epic relationship between Kay Swift and George Gershwin.

The author is remarkable in his ability to place the reader directly into NYC during the fabulous 1920s era. The jazz and broadway scenes were on fire at this time, and of course to me jazz will always be hopping. I loved being immersed into this wonderful and rich atmosphere.

The author also created a wonderful narrative that gave the reader insight into not only the controversial affair between these two talents composers and writers, but also Kay’s life before her ill-fated meeting with George. One was also able to learn about her past, her family, origins, her initial introduction to her husband, James Warburg, their relationship, and ups and downs of their marriage. The reader then gets to see the relationship of George and Kay. The passion, emotion, and all-consuming love that they had for one another may not have been conventional, may have had its own speed bumps, but to me it seemed real and had the potential to continue long term if it wouldn’t have been abruptly terminated due to George’s death. Having the privilege to take a peak into this duo’s relationship and their lives was fascinating and I loved every minute of it.

I did not know much about this affair before reading this book, sad I know, but I have already started researching their respective histories as well as combined. A great historical novel will give one a thrilling narrative, but it will also give the reader a new insight into something that is new to them and inspires them to learn more. This novel has done just that.

I highly recommend. 5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for this excellent arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR, Instagram, and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/2/21.

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 – Katherine “Kay” Swift. This story brings two legends and their musical influences on each other.

NYC, 1924. Katherine is not convinced of old musical pieces being presented in a new style. But Paul Whiteman of P.T. Barnum convinces her to attend a concert, the piece – Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. Gershwin’s music transforms her.

1917. As the story goes back in time, it reveals how Katherine meets James Warburg, their courtship and their contrasting family backgrounds. It is revealed with so much depth, evocative layers. It’s a pure joy.

1925. By now, she knows of her husband’s infidelities. And her path crosses with George Gershwin again. Upon meeting him in person, they connect musically despite opposite technics. Flexibility and instinct are his guidance. He is “loosey-goosey, with shifting tempos. She struck the notes properly, intentionally. (…) Whatever it was, his way of blending Rachmaninoff-like lyricism with bumpy-road rhythms captivated her…”

There is one scene, which I enjoyed very much, when George takes Katherine to Harlem. Harlem is epicenter of jazz. I wished they went back to Harlem a couple more times. So we could soak up that atmosphere.

All three characters are interestingly presented including Katherine’s husband – James Warburg. He comes from family of bankers. His business endeavors take him back and forth between USA and Germany and also to Washington DC as the financial advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was interesting to learn about his father being the “father” of the Federal Reserve system. And also them being family of successful immigrants and creating an issue for Americans who didn’t want to empower immigrants who may retain affection for their homeland.

Katherine’s background is touchingly illustrated. Her musical background being influenced by her father’s love for music. He taught her to use the sound exploration to probe human soul.

George Gershwin of humbling background is the kindest of souls remaining humble while enjoying his success. “A man pouring his heart out to the world.”

The beautiful layers compose a spellbinding story as enchanting as its music and told with luminous prose. Touchingly creative story capturing souls of musical artists.

I can’t say enough how much I enjoyed this flawless prose and entertaining dialogue. Dialogue which constantly moves the story forward, sharp in word choice, invigorating in meaning. Simply a fresh breath, something very original and rare.

P.S. Also by this author recommend By Fire, By Water.

Book Review for Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

Rhapsody is the story of the intertwined worlds of George Gershwin, Kay Swift his lover and James Warburg her husband. It is also a story of Manhattan in the 1920's, a period in which cultures and races combined to yield a yeasty mix of new types of music, new types of literature and a new sense of morality. Kaplan brings this world to life.

In a world in which Freud and his ideas have come to the fore, this is above all a story in which the Id dominates. Kay is a talented woman, educated in what was to become Julliard, who marries James Warburg to escape the life of a journeyman musician, scraping together money by playing gigs for the moneyed class who use her music as background noise for their parties. He wooes her with ardor and is knowedgeable and appreciative of the arts. He himself is a poet but shines in the financial arena. He ultimately cheats and when he does it opens the door for her to discover George Gershwin when she sees him perform Rhapsody in Blue. From that point forward, her thoughts and actions are dominated by her affair with him.

The world in which they dwell is populated with the likes of Duke Ellington, Rogers and Hart, Langston Hughes, Ravel, Fats Waller, Adele Astair and members of the Algonquin Hotel round table. Be warned, Kaplan captures a great love affair but also charachters who are as much in love with themselves as anyone else. Gershwin casually has affairs and it is obvious that his music is his only love. Kay is quick to put aside her children and their needs. James Warburg likewise spends a great deal more time and attention on business than on family and it was his casual infidelity which put Kay on her path. Few charachters in this book would not be described as narcissists and this was the book's only real fault: it was at times hard to spend time with them as a reader. Kaplan is aware of this and sometimes has bit players actually call out the main charachters on their self absorbed lives.

Nonetheless, this book does not fail to capture an important part of our cultural history and its players, warts and all. I was very happy to have gotten an advance copy of this book in turn for an honest review.

2.5/ 3 stars
I was excited to pick this up because historical fiction novels are some of my favorites. I also don’t read nearly enough about the 1920’s.

Took me a little bit to get into. I wasn’t somewhat invested until the relationship between Kay and George really got started. This was at about 50% in, which was further into the book than I expected.

This is the story of Kay and George’s love, but really it is a story about Kay and her life. The author spent a lot of time telling us all about her, but I never felt connected to Kay. Therefore, I never felt connected to their relationship. I wasn’t in the story, I was merely watching it from affair.

It was a lovely story, but it didn’t captivate me quite like I was expecting it to.

However, I, like many other reviewers, also suggest giving a listen to George and Kay while reading. It really is quite magical.

I was beyond thrilled when NetGalley offered this advanced readers copy to me and Rhapsody did not disappoint! For any fans of historical fiction, the jazz era, or music in general, this book is for you.

Rhapsody is based on the 10 year affair between composers Kay Swift & George Gershwin starting in 1925 and ending with his untimely death at age 38. This book weaves in some of both of the composers greatest hits as well as the ups and down of their relationship. It also expertly captures the essence of that era with jazz music, race relations, class struggles and the restlessness in Europe.

I loved how the first 1/3rd of the book was all about Kay; her education, early days of the courting and marriage to Jimmy Warburg and her first moments meeting Gershwin. Although Gershwin is arguably one of the greatest American composers of all time, I loved the portrayal of Kay breaking barriers and her struggles as a female composer.

“Rhapsody” tells the story of George Gershwin and Kay Swift, who collaborated musically while conducting a years long affair. The deft prose and witty repartee vividly evokes Jazz Age New York’s musical scene with its Cotton Club, Broadway and Radio City Musical Hall.

Gershwin comes across as a perpetually youthful musical genius with a fear of emotional commitment, while Kay Swift, an unhappily married mother of three, yearns for a permanent relationship with the unfaithful Gershwin who she loves with a deep and sometimes obsessive need. This book will satisfy those who love historical fiction as well as fans of Gershwin, who learn intimate details of this complex and gifted life.

I wanted to like this book. I found the subject matter fascinating. However, I had a really hard time warming up to the characters. From an historical perspective, this was a pretty good book, but I had trouble getting into it.

What a beautifully written fictional story of the ten year affair between George Gershwin and fellow pianist/composer, Kay Swift (which took place between 1925 and 1937). I loved it so much! The background and setting of the jazz age along with a supporting cast of rich and famous wonderfully described characters, made this novel one of my very favorites of 2020. While reading this book, I had my Alexa play Gershwin as the perfect mood music to further deepen my appreciation of the book.

My thanks to Mitchell James Kaplan, Gallery Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is a very interesting book. If into composers of years ago you will love this book. I never new the story of the great composers and there life stories. This is a must read.

Thank you to Gallery Books for providing an eARC via NetGalley for a candid review.

There are few topics that I love more than Broadway, so I was thrilled to pick up Rhapsody, a historical fiction novel following the ten-year affair between Kay Swift and George Gershwin.

This poignant read charts a fine balance between the sparkling ebullience of the Jazz Age and the tang of bittersweet nostalgia for both the era and the life of Gershwin who tragically passed from a brain tumor at 38. Rhapsody touches on his story as it intersects with Kay Swift’s—a classical pianist who developed an interest in jazz and Broadway as she got to know Gershwin and eventually became the first woman to score a hit Broadway musical.

As a work of historical fiction based on real people, there are certain touchpoints in the story that are recognizable from a quick search on Kay Swift, George Gershwin, and James Warburg (Kay’s first husband and lyricist), and the novel ties those moments together with rich and moving detail.

Katherine Warburg is a society wife whose passion lies in music. Upon hearing Gershwin play for the first time, she is transfixed by his talent, drawn to his charm and determined to keep up with his playing style. With Gershwin, she comes into her own as Kay Swift, the composer. She is wrapped up in Gershwin and their art at the expense of her domestic life. The two of them have such energy together, and the book handles their musical partnership and the complexity of their affair with nuance and respect.

Kay Swift is often eclipsed by Gershwin’s fame, but Rhapsody pulls her into the spotlight. My one struggle in reading this book is that it often felt like Kay’s life was strung from one man to the next: her father to Jimmy to George and even to Faye. I wanted to see more of her outside of how she relates to these men; however, she blazes trails and shatters glass ceilings on Broadway in a patriarchal society while split between two powerful men both entrenched in her artistic achievement so I suppose the scenes that I craved would not necessarily fit in with this particular narrative.

While reading, I couldn’t help but turn on Rhapsody in Blue along with several other well-known Gershwin pieces before turning over to Kay Swift’s music, which I am less familiar with. I’m not sure how James Mitchell Kaplan did it, but the prose just hits in the same way as its namesake.

I’d recommend this to those who love Broadway, jazz, the 1920s, and historical fiction.

#Rhapsody is one of the most cinematic books I’ve read in quite a while . I felt it was the mid fifties and I was sitting in an Art Deco theatre enjoying one of the entertainment film biographies that where prevalent at the time ( or earlier, but that’s before I was born ). The reason is simple - it is the fictionalized account of the ten plus year account of the affair between George Gershwin and fellow pianist/composer, Kay Swift. Taking place primarily between 1925 and 1937 ( the year of Gershwin’s untimely death at 38 ), Mitchell James Kaplan does a splendid job of bringing the doomed romance alive during the heady days of the jazz age. Packed with colorful antidotes, #Rhapsody is as effervescent as a refreshing champagne . My hope is that if turned into a film, the producers see fit to extend it to a miniseries for there are just too many stories to fit into 2 hours.

I seek out novels that are “art centric” because I am intrigued by both the creative process and the artistic temperament. RHAPSODY showcased the frustration and the jubilation experienced by musical composers and performers Through the story of George Gershwin and Kay swift.

The novel paints a compelling picture of the artistic community in New York in the 1920’s and 1930’s and I was particularly impressed by the author’s depiction of the vivacity and creativity in the Black community, as well as the racial tension that emerged, even among friends. This aspect of the book was interesting to me because it demonstrated Gershwin’s hunger for both inspiration and experiences to feed his music. He came across as a man driven to do little more than feed his Creativity and lust for success. He was still presented as a charming and compelling character, but totally, absolutely absorbed in reaching the pinnacle of his profession.

But, RHAPSODY was really Kay’s story and, in Kaplan’s rendition, her need for artistic expression led to a failed marriage, loss of her children’s affection and respect, and total absorption in her Lover’s life and work. I wanted to savor her achievements and celebrate her talent, but I found myself dragged down, not lifted up , by her character.

It may be unfair to expect To be “ lifted up” by a novel that aspired to truthfully present the lives of emotionally complicated characters— as Kaplan made clear, the creative process can be a struggle. But, I desperately wanted to love and celebrate the gifted woman featured in this book, and somehow I was not able to achieve that.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

Rhapsody in Blue is easily one of the most recognizable and evocative pieces of American music ever composed, and Kaplan takes that song and it’s composer on a journey of love, passion and heartbreak. It’s 1924 when Kay Swift, an aspiring pianist, and also a very married woman, attends a concert where George Gershwin is playing his magnum opus. Kay is drawn to the composer like a moth to flame and the two begin a long standing and passionate affair. Kay, torn between her husband, her own desire for a musical career and her love for Gershwin makes this a story to get completely lost in