Rhapsody

Kaplan (By Fire, by Water) builds an enchanting world featuring musical giants George Gershwin and Kay Swift. The story begins and ends on the same day—July 11, 1937—in-between, a great romance culminates in tragedy. Katharine Swift is a pianist of modest means who marries wealthy banker James Warburg. She’s fond of James (and hurt by his romantic indiscretions), but doesn’t experience true passion until she meets brash composer and pianist George Gershwin. This leads to a complicated setup of caring deeply for two very different men that ends with the death of one of the men. Kaplan’s meticulous research is evident throughout (an author’s note at the end points out where he fiddled with facts), and the pages glitter with the names of such musical luminaries as Richard Rodgers, Duke Ellington, and Fats Waller, who provide a glamorous backdrop to the narrative, punctuated with major world events: the Great Depression and the ominous gathering storm of fascism in Germany. This spellbinding and luminous tale will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page is turned. (Mar.)