Another absolutely phenomenal book by Amy Harmon! This story is one for the ages, and everyone needs to read it. Full of an array of emotions.

Amidst the "I CAN'T BREATHE" movement this book is as poignant as it is important and impactful. THE SONGBOOK OF BENNY LAMENT is a stark reminder that racism is as prominent as it was 50 or 60 years ago and that the US has her work cut out to bridge the racial divide. I can't count the many times I bristled and cringed whenever the author used "Negro" or "coloreds" for people of the black community. In the 60s of the last century it was normal and Amy Harmon tried to stay close to reality. It takes guts for an author not to white-wash history and Harmon doesn't go easy on the reader.

“You wanna change the world, you gotta show ’em what it looks like.”

Through Benny's eyes and his POV we watch how he meets Esther Mine for the first time. How he goes from never wanting to bind himself to somebody to falling in love with her.

I wasn’t just slipping anymore, I was tumbling, head over feet, and when she sang, nothing else mattered to me.

Benny never wanted to be like his dad, a man he loved but he couldn't condone his father's loyalty to Benny's uncle. Growing up in a mafia family he didn't want to get sucked into the mob business yet ultimately he struggled to stay completely out of it when he needed to protect his Esther.
Esther was a fascinating character, so full of sass and vinegar (but no piss). She was very aware of the racial divide so being involved with someone as white as Benny Lament took more than courage. It was a daily fight for her life.

“The thing is . . . when you’re close to me, everything inside me goes still. My heart stops. My breath slows. And my mind opens up, like I’m pushing open the windows and breathing in spring. Everything is so quiet that it’s . . . loud. So loud that it drowns out everything else. That’s what you do to me. And I like it,” she confessed.

The story sensitizes you to struggle people of color face even to this day if you let it. It is the kind of tale that makes you want to apologize profusely for the inequality and unfairness. THE SONGBOOK OF BENNY LAMENT isn't without lighter moments full of tenderness and passion though and it was easy to fall in love with Benny and Esther and her brothers and those balance out the uncomfortable ones. If you are looking for an unforgettable, painstakingly researched book that'll take you back in black history and music history and makes you think days and weeks after you finish, this is the one you should grab. It is written with the poetry of a melody that won't let you go.

"For better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, in black and in white, we managed to build our famiglia with all the shards and pieces we brought with us."

One of the best books I have read! I think this my be my favorite of all of Amy Harmon’s books. Just absolutely loved every moment of it!! Beautifully written, and will stay with me for a long time.

I want to sing about this book; how it made me feel, think, and grow. Benny and Esther became so real, I swore I knew them personally. The story, although based in the sixties, is so relevant and relatable to what is on the nightly news right now. I re-read specific passages, memorizing the pages so I could go back and read them again. Lines like, “A movement might unite behind a face, but it needs every voice” were just pure magic. Amy Harmon has written a love story with music as its heartbeat. Absolutely amazing.

I've yet to read a book by Amy Harmon that I didn't like a lot or love, mostly love. She is most definitely one of my top 5 authors.

I loved this beautiful story about Benny Lament and Esther Mine, an Italian and African-American who are both musicians. Benny falls in love with Esther's voice when he first hears her at Shimmy's. This was set in the 1960's when music and motown were the craze. I love all the allusions used in this book that brought back wonderful memories to me: Buddy Holly, Percy Faith, Ray Charles, Petula Clark, Elvis Presley (my dad thought he was so "vulgar" lol), Dr. Martin Luther King, John Kennedy, and so many more. I definitely was reminiscing as I read. Amy Harmon is so adept at writing a beautiful novel about two people from different families and backgrouds whose love for music brought them together. How she can make the reader (me) feel and truly "hear" songs is unbelievable.

Their story is sad, beautiful, and inspiring. They loved in a time when it was difficult for interracial couples. People are sometimes so ignorant, cruel, and definitely racist and they did face some horrible things. One thing their love and journey did was exemplify how change can be made if we stand up for what we believe. Our society has come a long way but it still has a ways to go. People are basically the same. We all need basics in life such as love, food, and shelter. We all have feelings, emotions, and sensitivities. We're not so different other than on the outside. Me? I have always loved the differences among cultures, ethnicities, religions of the world, and those things that do differentiate us; however, I don't see those things as reasons to feel superior or inferior, only as ways to value differences. I think this author illustrated the beauty and courage of people who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and to try to change their world.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free ARC in exchange for my opinion.
#TheSongbookofBennyLament #NetGalley

Title: The Songbook of Benny Lament
Author: Amy Harmon
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction

“You know how change happens? You show people what it looks like. We’re showing people what it looks like for whites and coloreds to be together. Even if it’s just together on stage.”

The Songbook of Benny Lament takes place in the Bronx in the 1960s and is about growing up in the Italian Mob, the racial divides of that era, and sweet sweet music.

“Their music will change the world.”

For Benny Lament music is his entire life. With his father’s deep ties to the mob, the piano man/songwriter has learned that love and family can get you in trouble.

“But there’s no such thing as good guys and bad guys. There’s just people. And everybody is rotten inside. Some are more rotten that others, and some just aren’t rotten yet. But eventually, we all get a little ripe, ya know what I’m sayin’? We all have dark spots.”

Esther is a petite powerhouse with a gorgeous voice. And when Benny writes a hit song and preforms it with her, their collaboration thrusts the duo onto the national stage . . . and stirs up old issues and new scrutiny that the mob and Benny would rather avoid. It would be easier to walk away. But the music and the woman are too hard for the piano man to resist.

“We’re friends, Baby Ruth. I’m your friend, I’m your man, and I’m your biggest goddamn fan.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the stars! All the freaking stars! I loved this book so much. It was so well done. #sorrynotsorry for all the quotes but if you haven’t read an @amyharmon2 book yet I needed you too see what a lyrical masterpiece she writes! You need to see how brave she is to tell the stories she tells! I’m working through Amy’s backlist, but she’s for sure an auto-buy author for me!

I read this one with my historical fiction book club and between DMs, discord, mid chat and final chat I couldn’t stop saying words like: this book is captivating, this book is magical, I’m under Benny & Esther’s spell, oh my heart, and so on and so on.

I’m not sure how a book will beat this as a favorite read for the year. Amy has set the bars for books extremely high at this point.

I knew I was going to love Benny and Esther immediately. They had such a wonderful banter. What I didn’t know is that I’d also fall in love with the guys of Minefield. I cared for them just as much as Esther did. This book just like all of Amy’s books is full of heart. I couldn’t help but smile at the good and cry at the bad. I was completely invested in the bands journey. The mob life theme was something else I really enjoyed. I loved the mystery and violence as a background of the band trying to succeed. I cried the most during the scenes talking about segregation and the challenges Esther and her family had to face by being associated with Benny.

Bottom line is that Amy Harmon knows how to tell a story about hope, love and family better than anyone.

Absolutely loved this one! It definitely has a similar writing style to Daisy Jones and the Six. But this one hits all the feels with mixed race relationships and racism and how far we’ve come. Yet we still have so much to accomplish. I loved Benny and Esther. I felt like I knew them. I loved all the references to real people that I could google and learn a little as I went. The times they are a changing.

The Songbook of Benny Lament captured my heart with its sweeping, immersive story that covers decades. Benny Lament (born Benito Lamento to a Sicilian New York mafia family) wants nothing to do with his background, desiring to make his own way with his songwriting and piano playing. He keeps his head down and keeps to himself, until the day he meets Esther Mine, a tiny biracial vocal powerhouse he nicknames "Baby Ruth." Despite their conflicting backgrounds and personalities, Benny and Esther soon discover just how much they complement and need each other, both on the stage and off.

Harmon's writing is gorgeous, sweeping, affecting, and I couldn't help but notice the expertise in her pacing. Excellent.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Giving this book only 5 stars feels ridiculous. I can’t remember the last time I’ve ever been so moved by a story. Maybe I never have.

I’m not even sure quite how to sum up my feelings now that I’ve made it to the end. So let me just say that I feel changed because Benny and Esther showed me what it looked like.

This story is remarkable. The writing is extraordinary. And the love infused in every page is breathtaking.

I loved everything about this book! There isn’t much I can say about this story. It’s just one of those books that you need to read and experience for yourself The characters were written beautifully and the the history was on point. I highly recommend this one!

I fully expected to not get wrapped up in this book despite my enjoyment of Harmon’s other historical novels. After all, it was supposedly about some guy Benny Lament, a musician and songwriter in the 60’s. Yet, I’m no longer a doubter as this book grabbed me almost from the first line and my interest grew with every sentence, even every word. I grew up during the civil rights era of the 60’s and recall how little I understood about the lives of African Americans, their history, their subjugation, and their supposed “freedom.” Now closing in on 70, I know how little my impressions were based on their lives, their daily indignities and the brutal assaults they endured and still endure to this very day. This book is not political in nature, so if that’s your impression, forget about it as the mafia loved to say. This, while a historical novel, uses the early days of rhythm and blues and even soul music to show race of the 60’s as two families, one white, and one African American intersect and truly show us what we still need to understand today. Here we see that love is love, regardless of one’s ethnicity, skin color, race, or status. We still need to learn that today as people seem to believe that only certain people should be allowed to love each other, and that certain barriers are a bridge too far. This novel has great characters with personalities of people we get invested in, we hear their words and watch their actions, and realize that these characters are living and experiencing their times in totally authentic fashions. I measure a good novel by what it shows me and the characters it shows me that through. This was an extremely good read and so appropriate for our times.

I am a huge fan of Amy Harmon's books. They are all so different, but equally amazing!

The Songbook of Benny Lament is absolute perfection.
Benny and Ester’s story is so beautiful. Their struggles, their love in the face of hatred and danger moved me to tears so many times, I am a huge music person, so I loved the music included in the story, as well as the banter between Ester and Benny.

I would definitely recommend this book to others!

Soft and powerful. Those are the two words that came to me when I finished The Songbook of Benny Lament. Soft because of the feelings Benny Lament had for Esther Mines. Powerful because of what the two of them had when they came together.

I would love to see this book on the big screen, or even better as a mini-series on the small screen. It all seemed so real, as if I was immersed in the story with the characters, on the sidelines watching everything play out. Ms. Harmon truly made Benny and Esther's story come alive.

The Songbook of Benny Lament kind of came out of nowhere for me. I never read the blurb, and although I heard bits and pieces about it on Facebook I didn't really know what the story was about, other than what I inferred from the title. And I even got that wrong, as I thought Benny was the heroine of the story! But no matter. As soon as I started reading I knew I was in for something special. And this story is all kinds of special. Benny and Esther, and the amazing supporting cast of characters (I have a soft spot for Lee Otis), will forever own a little piece of my heart.

My first read by Amy Harmon, and it won't be my last. Her writing is beautiful, lyrical and the storyline intense. From old timey music scene in the boroughs or New York to Pittsburgh and Detroit, the tale of Benny and Esther is one I won't soon forget. Although much of the story was fictitious, I loved how it was artfully woven into actual events of the time, and peppered with other known artists from the era.
I had a soundtrack running through my head the whole time I read this book, feeling as if I was truly transported to the time and place. Harmon masterfully wove this tale with elegance and grace, tackling tough subjects such as controversial interracial relationships and the public perception of them in the 1960s. This book has it all—the lightness of a romance, a budding artist, a kick ass female heroine, as well as the darkness of mob ties and public controversy presenting challenges along the way for this loveable couple.
I can't wait to read more of Amy Harmon, but I'd highly recommend this for a first read, or to anyone who already knows and loves her work.

It and The Final Revival of Opal and Nev and Wild Women and the Blues all have really similar concepts, and I probably liked this one the least? But that's ok because it wasn't bad or anything.

Wonderful story. Well paced with realistic characters and an easy, lyrical warmth to the writing that just made it easy to slide right in to the story. I loved the interjections of Benny's intro to his show. I loved the lyrics written through-out and the history of Benny learning music. It gets hard and dark in a few places but it's a lovely story and I enjoyed it!

When you read this book, you'll understand its comparisons to Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six, but it more than holds its own against the bestseller. This is a beautiful story of music, segregation, racism, and love. It is poignant and triumphant and memorable. Highly recommend.

Well, folks. She's done it again. I know whenever I pick up an Amy Harmon book that I'm going to fall in love. Her writing just pulls me in and I never want the book to end.

In her newest, The Songbook of Benny Lament, you get a story from the 1960's filled with music, mobsters, and interracial relationships. It was everything I could have hoped for and more even with the intense moments that had me desperately wanting to skip ahead so I could see if my characters were going to be okay.

I think fans of Daisy Jones would love this one. I know I loved it more than Daisy. Historical fiction fans wanting something a little different would love it too. And music lovers. Seriously, just read it.

5/5⭐️

Also, if this ever ends up getting turned into a movie and Jasmine Cephas Jones isn't Esther, I will riot. She was all I could picture and has the powerhouse voice to back it up.

“𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣’𝙩 𝙪𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙.”⁣

Every time a new book by Amy Harmon gets announced I get so excited. I don’t even need to read the blurbs anymore. Here are some things I know to expect: unique stories, compelling characters, love, struggle, a new perspective on real life. Her words are THAT magical.⁣

THE SONGBOOK OF BENNY LAMENT proves that once again. The writing style of this book fit the story so perfectly. It’s raw and intense but still with the Amy Harmon stamp of profound words that dig deep into your mind and soul, explores so many human emotions including, or especially, the ugliness. You’re thrust into that right from the very first page when you meet little Benny as just a child. I absolutely love that this is written from his POV and the journey we go on with him was fascinating. ⁣

Then there’s Esther Mine. Small but mighty, she’s just fierce. I loved her passion and determination. But also how she really had no fear to face anything, but instead wanted to stand and inspire others and show them hope was still there.⁣

And one more thing… obviously this book features music. The lyrics in this book are so good I now need someone to record them so I can actually listen to them on repeat! ⁣

If you’re looking for a story of strength and resilience, with a bit of heartbreak for good measure and complex, compelling characters, look no further. Perfect for fans of DAISY JONES AND THE SIX.⁣

“If you want people to change, you have to show them what it looks like.”