Temptation Rag: A Novel
by Elizabeth Hutchison BernardPublish: Dec 03, 2018Historical FictionBook Overview
"Bernard's resonant novel . . . about the birth and demise of ragtime . . . is a lively tale in which romance and creative passions abound."—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY"Could not put the book down. Great idea for your next Book Club reading."—THE HOLLYWOOD TIMES
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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. 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 poor but talented 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. Mike abandons his concert career to become "Ragtime King of the World." But as his professional rivalry with the self-proclaimed Originator of Ragtime, Ben Harney, escalates into obsession, he sinks deeper into a life of self-indulgence and moral depravity. May, trapped in an abusive marriage arranged by her parents, struggles to find freedom through her poetry, involvement in the women's suffrage movement, and yet another forbidden relationship, this one possibly more scandalous than the first. Both continue to conceal painful truths until a chance meeting offers the opportunity to make a life-changing choice. From vaudeville's greatest stars to the geniuses of early African American musical theater, an unforgettable cast of real-life characters populates this richly fictionalized historical saga.
