Booklist Review
Riggle moves away from her issue-driven women's fiction (The Whole Golden World, 2013) into historical fiction, telling the story of Milo Short, a talented pianist who rose to Broadway fame in the golden age of jazz. Short, now nearing 90, still goes to his Manhattan studio every day, though he hasn't written a new lyric in years. One day on the hot sidewalk, he spots a woman who looks exactly like Vivian Adair, the mysterious and lovely lady who played a big role in his past and her presence startles him into a stroke. Milo's niece Ellie is dispatched to write his biography before it's too late. As she struggles to uncover secrets, the narrative moves easily between the 1930s and the present. Vivian continues to appear only to Milo, Ellie finds her place in the family, and the story of just what happened long ago unfolds at a steady pace. Readers will enjoy this blend of romance, historical fiction, and family drama, especially those with a fondness for New York in the Jazz Age.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Milo Short is the head of a successful Broadway production company. At 88, he has seen great success and raised his family from poverty to wealth. Then he heads for his office one morning and sees a woman from his past, looking as beautiful as she did 60 years ago. When she winks at him, he suffers a stroke, losing his power of speech and the use of his left hand. At the same time, Milo's granddaughter Eleanor has been ordered by the family to write his biography in the hope that the book and a new production of his most famous musical will restore the company to its former affluence and fame. As Eleanor digs into Milo's past, she discovers a woman named Vivian Adair, who played a significant role in Milo's first Broadway hit, and she realizes that Milo keeps seeing some kind of vision that prevents him from regaining his speech. Verdict Riggle (The Life You've Imagined) has written an entrancing novel that gives readers insight into the Broadway theatrical world in its heyday. It also presents a nuanced picture of a large, unwieldy, but loving family and examines the mistakes people make in their youth that eventually come back to haunt them.-Andrea Kempf, formerly with Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
