TEMPTATION RAG: A Novel
by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
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Pub Date Dec 03 2018 | Archive Date Nov 15 2018
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Description
Seventeen-year-old May Convery, unhappy with her privileged life in turn-of-the-century New York City, dreams of becoming a poet. When she meets the talented young Mike Bernard, an aspiring concert pianist, she immediately falls in love. But after their secret liaison is discovered, neither is prepared for the far-reaching consequences that will haunt them for decades. As Mike abandons serious music to ruthlessly defend his hard-won title, Ragtime King of the World, May struggles to find her voice as an artist and a woman. It is not until years after their youthful romance, when they cross paths again, that they must finally confront the truth about themselves and each other. But is it too late?
The world of ragtime is the backdrop for a remarkable story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness. From vaudeville’s greatest stars to the geniuses of early black musical theater, an unforgettable cast of real-life characters populates this richly fictionalized historical saga.
A Note From the Publisher
Author is available for interviews, blog tours, autographed tours, autographed book giveaways, contests, and book club discussions. This book is also available in Ebook.
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About the Author:
Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is an award-winning author of historical fiction. Her first novel, The Beauty Doctor, has been recognized by the Eric Hoffer Book Award (2018, Fiction Finalist), the Arizona Literary Awards (2017, Honorable Mention, Published Fiction), and the Book Readers Appreciation Group (Medallion Honoree). She toured for nearly a decade as a professional vocalist, flutist and songwriter. A summa cum laude Communications graduate of Northwestern University, Bernard eventually traded her microphone for a pen. She settled in California, promoting international expositions for the music trade (Director of Public Relations, NAMM). She later moved to New York City, where she was the Communications Director for the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. She was instrumental in founding the internationally subscribed Aesthetic Surgery Journal and served as its Executive Editor. Later, she was a primary consultant to the National Cosmetic Network, in partnership with the plastic surgery program of Johns Hopkins University, and an editorial consultant for the book Be Your Best: A Comprehensive Guide to Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Currently a full-time author, Bernard lives in Arizona with her husband and their black lab, Pearly Mae.
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 47558
Wonderfully written story set against a background of the begins of vaudeville, ragtime, and the blues.
Ethel F, Reviewer
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.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan
General Fiction (Adult), Literary Fiction, Women's Fiction
