TEMPTATION RAG: A Novel

Wonderfully written story set against a background of the begins of vaudeville, ragtime, and the blues.

Temptation Rag is one of those rare books full of surprises from beginning to end
Something new for me was learning about the Ragtime era, the Author’s detailed account of that period in American history made me feel like I was transported back in time, 
I absolutely loved the Author’s description of the characters, places and the country’s challenges 
Although I felt all the characters were fully developed and their dialogue realistic, I especially liked May, for me May represented a women growing up in turbulent times, who was determined to redefine herself along with history.  I thought the Author did a magnificent job of portraying May, as some one who valued the "Human Spirit" which allowed her character to demonstrate strength, fortitude, free will and empathy throughout the story, making it easy for me to applaud her wins
There is an organic way the Author tells the story, which I found to be gratifying, stimulating and entertaining  
I highly recommend this book to those who delight in an outstanding story line and fancy taking a peek into the past

Set at the beginning of the 20th century with vaudeville as its background, the story begins with a young man, Mike Bernard, who is a struggling musician.  As a piano teacher at the home of wealthy May Convery, he becomes the "target" for her passion.  As a 17 year old girl, she falls in love with him, writing volumes of poetry, which she keeps in journals, hidden under her bed.  In a situation that embarrasses him and threatens his livelihood, he is forced to flee the home.  However, as the saying goes, "when one door closes another one opens."  For Mike that was exactly what happened when circumstances led him to Tony Pastor, the founder of vaudeville.  He was made Musical Director!  However, May still professing her love for him, finds him at the theater and the rest is history....they are wed. But fate had other plans for May and Mike.  With her father's thunderous interference and threats they didn't stay together. Three months later, she is married to her original fiancé. As for Mike, he went from being a classical musician to playing and becoming "Ragtime King of the World."  Four years later at a charity event, Mike and May meet again.  Will history repeat itself, will May throw herself at Mike again?  Will she finally become a woman and leave her girlish passion behind her?

But this novel is more than a story about two troubled lovers, it is about a world where vaudeville had its beginnings, a world where ragtime was "king" and those who played ragtime were its royalty.  It was also a dark time, where black musicians, for all their talent, were not allowed to play on the same stage as those who were white. There are names in this book you might (or might not) recognize; i.e. Tony Pastor, who was the founding force behind vaudeville, Ben Harney who was named  "Ragtime's Father" in 1938. It was a time when Americans were expressing themselves in different ways, away from the European classical music, more freedom of expression, "busting loose."  As for Mike and May, ragtime might have been their song, or perhaps they could wind up singing the "blues"...for that you will have to read the book and find out for yourselves.  It was a good story.
My thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A story that is rich with details and elements that captivate and draw one back in time. The narration begins as one walks into the New York in the pre-jazz time period.  Bertrand has taken legendary historical figures of ragtime and turned them into relatable common-place fictional characters. 
Even though the role of the protagonist is spoken for by May Convery, the story does justice to all its characters as though it is their own story. The fragile and flawed relationships are brought to the foreground. In a story like this, one cannot ask for good and bad, its life in all its shades. The tale strongly deals with hatred, jealousy, immaturity, foolhardiness and what these downfalls these vice can lead to. But these vices are what make the virtues believable and their stories of success and change acceptable. 
However, the effort to draw the story within important historical time-frames seems a bit over-stretched. The time-leaps are multiple and a lot is left to the imagination of the reader with open loops that remain untied even after the anti-climactic ending. While most characters are drawn with care, some are rushed in and out into unfinished subplots that leave confusion in its wake that is not addressed to at all. 
Amidst the chaos of racial disconnectedness and suffragette movements, the social tension throughout the book is intense. The desire to achieve with the thirst of knowing oneself is palpable. The retrospection that age brings with itself has been depicted and etched into characters in a natural way. Temptation Rag does justice to narrating the enthralling curve of an artistic movement and how everything, no matter how modern or mundane, comes with a shelf life.