Katharine "Kay" Swift is a classically trained pianist who plays weddings and social events with an all girl group, "The Edit Rubel Trio." With two others, Kay performs at swanky New York events and experiences the lush life her high end classmates take for granted. These events bring her face to face with the two most important men in her life: her husband, and her lover.

Kay takes the traditional path of love and marriage in 1918 when she meets James "Jimmy" Warburg, son of banking scion Paul Warburg. Jimmy, lyrically gifted and a follower of his father's banking footsteps, proposes and the couple seem destined to live a gilded life of soirees, champagne and scintillating companions. Life soon turns sour for Kay when she realizes she is married to a philanderer with no intention of upholding his wedding vows.
Her days stretch before, tuneless and gray. She and Jimmy have two daughters, but these children do not become the focus of her life, and seem to offer her little joy.

At yet another of these seemingly endless social gatherings, piano music fills the air and draws Kay in compellingly. At the piano sits George Gershwin, playing Rhapsody in Blue. The music stirs her soul, and she launches a friendship with Gershwin that ultimately deepens to love.
Much transpires, but the life they are building together is cut short by Gershwin's untimely death at the age of 37.

The first few pages of the story did not draw me in, in fact, I was put off by the verbosity of the opening paragraphs. Fortunately I pushed on, because what unfolded was a fascinating look at an historical time period in our country's musical history that of which I had little previous knowledge. Reading, while listening to Gershwin, deepened the experience and gave me rich context. I found Kay to be an unsatisfying character as a mother, all but abandoning her children, but the struggle to find meaning and value, and love all in one lifetime is resonant.

Historical fiction, soaked in details about iconic times in history, is one of the most challenging genres to write in and one of the most enjoyable genres to read. Historical fiction about real people is even more challenging; the goal is to convey the essential truth of a person’s life, looking backwards for meaning and even themes while creating dialogue and confrontation. At the same time, the author must account for the times in which the protagonist lived. Balancing all these elements is quite an act.

Author Mitchell James Kaplan has written his third novel, Rhapsody, about Katharine “Kay” Swift, an American composer who was George Gershwin’s collaborator and lover, despite being married to another man and mother to his three children. I’m not a huge Gershwin fan and had never heard of Swift, but missing Broadway desperately, was eager to learn more about these musicals and the woman that helped create them.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

This sounded so amazing. I especially love the time period. Yet I found myself putting the book down over and over. The characters didn't make me care, the plot didn't grab me, and the whole thing felt like a bit of a fizzle. Didn't finish it. Music aficionados might love it though.

My thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC.

As a former marching band kid, I was very familiar with Gershwin already. This novel was a very interesting concept, I just wasn’t very fond of the execution. It seemed like it was more of ‘how many famous names can I fit’ versus other similar historical fictions where it feels organic.

Rhapsody is historical fiction about the real life relationship between pianist Kay Swift and composer George Gershwin. Kay Swift was raised by British parents in New York City in the early 20th century. Her parents weren't well off but they still manage to foster Kay's talent for the piano by sending her to school for it (to a school that later became Julliard). As a young adult, Kay worked as part of a musical trio that played events and parties. It was through one such part that she met the man that would become her future husband, Jame Warburg. James was a wealthy banker with a penchant for the arts. He and Kay got married and had kids. Kay yearns for more recognition for her musical talent. And then one day in the 1920's she meets George Gershwin, the famed composer and is drawn to him. The two quickly form a bond and even have a relationship since Kay & James agreed to have an open marriage. George brought much joy and tumult to Kay's life and she felt torn between her family and the man who shared her musical passion.

This is one of those works of historical fiction that actually taught me something. I knew very little about George Gershwin, and honestly had not heard of Kay Swift before. Kay went on to achieve some success of her own as a Broadway composer. The book contained lots of references to people who were famous at the time along with nods to historical events that occurred at the time, such as Hitler's rise to power. This was both an entertaining and informative read for me.

What to listen to while reading...
The works of George Gershwin and Kay Swift, of course!

Rhapsody is an ode to Kay Swift, George Gershwin’s long time partner in music and love. A sweeping novel of music and jazz, we follow Kay’s life from early adulthood to established success. I really enjoyed learning more about Kay, who I had never heard of, and Gershwin, who I know because of Summertime (the irony once you read this). Overall I really enjoyed this, although it felt a little long at times. 3.5 stars. Thank you Gallery Books for the advanced NetGalley copy of this book, in exchange for my honest review.

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan

Set in New York City, this book explores the timeless bond between two brilliant, strong willed artists, Kay Swift and George Gershwin.

I did not care for this book. I love Gershwin’s music, but wasn’t interested in his day by day life story, with Kathleen and her family. It was more liked a journal. Some of the history of earlier years was good. Not exciting.

Prepare yourself for a musical soiree unlike any other, as this novel transports readers to the Jazz Age in New York. A world filled with music, glamour, and entertainment. From the onset, Mitchell James Kaplan makes readers feel as though they are part of the festivities and carousing.

Spanning a period of 20 years, Kaplan takes readers on a journey of the tumultuous relationship of Katherine "Kay" Swift and George Gershwin. Along the way, we're introduced to a slew of famous names: composers, entertainers, and authors alike.

I will admit, the goings on were a little too risqué for my taste, and I'm never a fan of extramarital affairs, but it was certainly portrayed as a socially acceptable part of this high society life. The movers and the shakers of NYC at the time seemed to have free reign, even during prohibition.

After I finished reading, I researched further and found that the depiction of the relationship between Gershwin and Swift in this novel, is quite controversial. Regardless, Kaplan certainly has a way with words and I rather enjoyed learning of the collaboration between the two.

Funny enough, not long ago, my favorite author, Amy Harmon asked what her followers' favorite composer was, and I immediately thought of Rodgers and Hammerstein; I absolutely love musicals. But I had completely forgotten how much I adore the Jazz standards Rhapsody in Blue, I got Rhythm, and Summertime by Gershwin. Can I change my vote🤣?!

Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for gifting me with this early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Check out more of my reviews on my blog, mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram @mamasgottaread .

Kaplan's lilting prose bring us the "star-crossed" relationship of the inimitable George Gershwin and well-known musician/socialite. Their affair ends only with his death at age thirty-eight. Kaplan fuses art, history, music--and the rest of the Jazz Age in this satisfying read!

It was a good book and I enjoyed reading this book. I highly recommend reading this book. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

⭐⭐⭐
If you are a fan of George Gershwin, this book is for you. It is mainly about his girlfriend of 10 years, a woman who became known as Kay Swift. The book follows her from the time she is 20 and meets her husband until Gershwin's funeral.

We do meet George after he became famous bc of Rhapsody in Blue. And we get to follow his career from there. There is an author's note in the back of the book that shows where he too poetic license and changed up the facts a little bit to suit his story. It is historical fiction, not narrative non-fiction.

Reading this book is like reading the who's who of music and entertainment and history in general of that time. I looked up at least 50 people that I wasn't sure were real people.every single one were real! And that does not include all of the names of people that I did know who they were.

I love Gershwin music! I was very intrigued to read about him. But for some reason, this book didn't keep me glued to it, or awake late at night as some books can. Thus the book lost points there. I wish I could have loved the book. The more I try to dissect why I didn't love it, I think I'm feeling like it was too much like a biography and not "narrative" enough for me. Yes, we could hear Kay's thoughts, but I didn't feel them. Maybe that's it! I would have enjoyed it better if it was told in first person.

this title is not on my kindle and can no longer be downloaded. .............................................................................................................................

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

New York City, 1924, the height of the Jazz Age. Professionally trained musician Katharine Faulkner Swift, now a married socialite and mother of young children, first hears virtuoso George Gershwin play "Rhapsody in Blue" at a concert, and is entranced by his music. The story then jumps back to 1917, when Katharine and her banker husband James "Jimmy" Warburg first meet and fall in love. The reader is then brought forward again through the couple's initially happy marriage, the birth of their daughters, and Katharine's growing desire to be more than a pretty face on her husband's arm at fancy parties, a desire to use the musical ability she put aside when she married. Katharine and her husband meet George Gershwin again, and Gershwin and "Kay," as he calls her, enter into a 10-year long affair in which they share a bed as well as their musical talents. The relationship between Gershwin and his beloved brother and songwriting partner Ira is also briefly touched upon.

I knew very little about Gershwin (and nothing at all about Kay Swift) before reading this novel, but the author does an excellent job of bringing the reader into the glitz and dazzle of the Roaring 20s. Listening to Gershwin's most famous composition, "Rhapsody in Blue," will help put the reader in the right mood.

We need more historical fiction like this. Immediately. Game-changing to the genre and absolutely would recommend.

What a delightful read! Everyone knows the genius that was George Gershwin, but how many of us know of the woman who became an important part of his life? This is a well-executed novel that uncovers parts of Gershwin's life of which i was unaware. It is a sad fact that we lost George Gershwin at such an early age.

I accepted an ARC for this book, interested to read the story of George Gershwin and Kay Swift, and to learn more about the Jazz Age New York they lived in. The book is full of the personalities of that age and really brings it to life. Swift a gifted musician, married to a wealthy banker, becomes obsessed with Gershwin. Seemingly with the partial collusion of her husband, Gershwin and Swift become lovers and professional collaborators. Gershwin’s role in the relationship always seems somewhat distant, and it is clear that anyone in his life takes a backseat to his music. Swift wants more from Gershwin, her music, her career, and always seems to be reaching for something that is just beyond her grasp.

While I was frustrated by these relationships, I felt like they were true to the historical characters.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

We follow Kay, a pianist as she develops a fondness famed pianist, George Gershwin. Kay then wrestles with how to reconcile new love with her comfortable love for lyricist spouse. Set in the 1920's the story celebrates the cultures emerging in American music..

I was so excited to get my hands to read this novel. Set during the Jazz Age in New York, the story centred around George Gershwin and Kay Swift. I admit that I had no idea who Kay Swift was in the annals of music history. But I am familiar with George, and especially his brother, Ira. The story, I thought, was supposed to be about George and Kay’s 10-year love affair. To me, that story seemed to live in the background most of the time.

Here’s a summery from Goodreads.com that made me want to read this novel:
“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.”

The novels opens with the focus on Kay. I admit that I had no idea who the author was talking about most of the time when “Jimmy” kept cropping up. Turns out, Jimmy is James Warburg, a wealthy banker and Kay’s husband.

I hate to feel lost and that is what I felt most of the time I was reading. I felt this way the same way I felt about “Loving Frank.” I just couldn’t care about these people. This is a big ol’ flop and Rhapsody receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

I love Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and did a recital in high school based on it so I was intrigued by the premise of the story. Unfortunately, I just could not get into this book. I didn’t like the characters and the writing style is not what I prefer. I think there are people out there who will thoroughly enjoy this book, I was just not one of those people.

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan is good historical fiction, full stop -- although the book succeeds in spite of so much. The pace was often slow, and the spirit of ennui that permeated the story seemed more than just a spot-on portrayal of the jaded pleasure-seeking of the Jazz Age.

The novel is a heady depiction of the most droppable names of the era (Ellington, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwin brothers), and the decadence that wealth without values can bring. The characters were often so shallow that I had a hard time caring about their passions and their pettiness.

Maybe I would have preferred stronger storylines for the have-nots who occasionally cropped up? Hmmm.

Thanks to Net Galley and Gallery Books for an advance readers copy.