I LOVED this book! I listened to it on audible and the narrator (Rob Shapiro) was fantastic, too. He brought ALL the characters so richly to life for me.
I had been wanting to read this book since I first caught sight of it, and had even nominated it for my Zoom Reading Circle, but it didn’t make the cut. That is too bad! This was a great book. An exciting storyline, interesting and well fleshed out characters, a glimpse into an historical time of great interest (the music scene, particularly the black music scene in the 1960’s)... all elements of a super engaging story.
Benny Lament is an Italian (Sicilian he corrects) musician trying to make a name for himself in New York City in 1960. He has a complicated relationship with his family, due in large part to the fact that they are “Family”, too... His Dad is an enforcer for the mafia with his Uncle Sal being a kingpin. As scenes from his past are slowly revealed we get insight into the many layers of his story.
It is his father who takes him to a bar to hear Esther Mine sing, encouraging Benny to work with her and ‘maybe write her a song’. Benny is blown away the very first time he hears Esther sing. Although he really doesn’t want to do anything his Dad suggests, and has questions about why he is suggesting, Benny finds himself longing to help her. They begin a collaboration that quickly puts them on a national stage where they receive accolades and also unwanted attention - their pairing as a white man and black woman adds to the latter, as does Esther’s determination to find out more about her family background and lineage, which the mob seems to not want her to discover.
I loved this book! I can also see it making a terrific movie - and I would love for someone to write music for the songs that we get to know so well... that are the backdrop for Benny and Esther’s romance and rise to stardom. Hopefully that will happen one of these days!
I rated this book a 5 for sure!
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