Rhythm: A Novel [Paperback]

Robin Meloy Goldsby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

Meet teenage drummer Jane Bowman. She’s fifteen, funny, and wounded by the loss of her famous percussionist mother. Robin Meloy Goldsby’s touching and humorous coming-of-age musical odyssey invites us to tap our toes in time to Jane’s powerful music—cheering her on as she mends her shattered heart, finds her groove, and discovers the tragic beauty of human resilience.

“Goldsby, who marries the pathos of her plot line with the whimsy and near-magical-realism of her characters, deserves comparison with John Irving, a modern master.”
Marion Winik, NPR commentator and author of First Comes Love

“Rhythm conveys the magic of sound plus the transformative power of music, and the words—like a well-played melody—ring true.”
Peter Erskine, drummer and author of Time Awareness for All Musicians

Editorial Reviews

Review

A coming-of-age novel about a teenage musician grappling with love and loss.

At 15, Jane Bowman has yet to emotionally process the fiery death of her mother, a famed Latin-jazz percussionist who perished three years prior in the nightclub where she was performing. Jane lives in tony Sewickley Heights, Pa., with her novelist father Sam and two outspoken housekeepers ("Mary One and Mary Two") and forces herself to practice drumming, though the pastime reminds her too much of her beloved mother. At private school, Jane pals around with gay childhood friend Leo, but mostly keeps to herself, struggling with abandonment issues and weighty emotions always simmering just beneath the surface of her gruff, tomboyish exterior. Leo introduces her to Olivia Blue, a seasoned music teacher at a school for delinquent boys, hoping to stimulate Jane's love for music. Their meeting stimulates Olivia to recruit Jane as the newest lead drummer of her school's Allegheny Gatehouse Band, but it also ignites a romance between Olivia and Sam. After graduation, Jane heads to New York City, where her career as a percussionist blossoms with an eventful but short-lived stint with all-girl band Sisterhood of Soul, along with some heady sexual experimentation. The death of her grandparents creates a windfall of inherited wealth for Jane, but she manages to keep her bearings even in the midst of an opportunity to play with vulgar, cantankerous R&B star Bobby Angel. Love hits hard with a man from Jane's past and the development of her own group nicely buoys the melodramatic denouement. Goldsby's first novel (after her 2005 memoir Piano Girl), spans 15 years in the life of her gritty, resilient protagonist and is told with lyrical prose and deft characterization. Well-written, sympathetically earnest fiction. --Kirkus Discoveries

About the Author

Robin Meloy Goldsby is also the author of Piano Girl: A Memoir. Her thirty-year career as a musician has taken her from roadside dives to New York City's poshest venues, exclusive resorts, and on to the European castles where she now performs. Robin has three solo piano recordings to her name: Twilight, Somewhere in Time, and Songs from the Castle, and has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered and Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland. Robin is a Steinway Artist. She currently lives in Cologne, Germany with her husband--jazz bassist John Goldsby--and their two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419699393
• ISBN-13: 978-1419699399
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,939,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

'Goldsby has seen it all from her piano and she dishes it up with a true storyteller's gusto. As refreshing as a frozen daiquiri . . .' Jeff Yanc, Book Sense Picks and Notables

Pianist, composer, and author Robin Meloy Goldsby mesmerizes listeners with her three solo piano CDs: Somewhere in Time, Songs from th Castle and Twilight. The recordings
frame Goldsby's career as a pianist in some of the world's finest hotels and restaurants.

Goldsby's first book, Piano Girl: A Memoir, made its hardcover debut in spring, 2005. The book presents a collection of autobiographical short stories' some funny, some poignant'that explore the life of a working musician. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, hailed Piano Girl as 'big-hearted, funny, truly eye-opening memoir.'

Book Sense, the leading organization representing independent bookstores in the United States, chose Piano Girl, now available in paperback, as one of the 'Picks of the Summer, 2006.'

Goldsby has appeared on NPR's All Things Considered, the Leonard Lopate Show in New York City, and the Mark Farrell Show on CD 101.9. Recently she taped two installments of Marian McPartland's NPR Piano Jazz, which aired in October 2006 and December 2007. Marian McPartland says, 'Piano Girl is certainly one of the funniest books I've ever read.'

Robin performs live, in a variety of settings. Her performances in the past year have included a reading and concert in the rotunda at Steinway Hall in Manhattan, a performance at the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival, a reading at the Bechstein Concert Hall in Cologne Germany, and an Advent Concert in Candlelight at Schlosshotel Lerbach, a beautiful castle and 5-star hotel in the hills of Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, where she appears regularly.

A cocktail-lounge pianist for 30 years, Goldsby worked her way through Chatham College, an elite women's school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by playing piano in local hotel lounges and roadhouse bars. After moving to New York City in 1980, she began playing in many of Manhattan's leading hotels where she cultivated her skills and captivated audiences with her unique musical style. In addition to her five-star experiences in New York City and her no-star gigs in small regional lounges, Goldsby's musical adventures have taken her to exclusive island resorts, Third World countries, and the castles in Europe where she currently performs.

Goldsby's second book, a novel called RHYTHM was published in October 2008: Meet teenage drummer Jane Bowman. She's fifteen, funny, and wounded by the loss of her famous percussionist mother. Robin Meloy Goldsby's touching and humorous coming-of-age musical odyssey invites us to tap our toes in time to Jane's powerful music'cheering her on as she mends her shattered heart, finds her groove, and discovers the tragic beauty of human resilience.

'Goldsby, who marries the pathos of her plot line with the whimsy and near-magical-realism of her characters, deserves comparison with John Irving, a modern master.'
Marion Winik, NPR commentator and author of First Comes Love

'Rhythm conveys the magic of sound plus the transformative power of music, and the words'like a well-played melody'ring true.'
Peter Erskine, drummer and author of Time Awareness for All Musicians

Robin is married to jazz bassist John Goldsby. They have two children, and live near Cologne Germany.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Rhythm is gonna get you, January 30, 2008

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
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This is a beautifully written excerpt, alive with the sound of drums and various percussion instruments, yet expressively and tenderly telling the tale of a girl who lost her mother in a tragic accident, but who continues to feel the rhythm in her life.

Music was always a part of Jane's world, compliments of her mother Helen, "a hard playing, heavy-hitting Latin-jazz conguera" and her grandmother Isabella, "a sizzling singer in a Cuban mambo band" back in the day.

The story so far focuses on Jane, her relationship with her family, and her life following the passing of her mother, but also takes the time to develop the other characters, and provide an excellent backdrop for the story yet to come.

Regardless of the outcome of the ABNA competition, this one truly deserves a book contract, if only for my selfish reason of wanting to read the rest of it.

Note: This review is based on the excerpt submitted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and awarded a place in the semi-finals.

Amanda Richards, January 30, 2008

October 12, 2008

Just a note to say that the review above was based on a short excerpt, and not the entire book. I've now had the honor and privilege of reading this book, and I consider it one of the best books I've read this year.

I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down, and by the end I was sobbing like a baby.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

"Rhythm is a dancer,
it's a soul's companion,
you can feel it everywhere"
(Snap)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music Therapy, January 31, 2008

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
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Jane's a fifteen year old girl still grieving from the loss of her Mom. Truth be told, she will grieve that loss all her life.

"These days, memories of Mom sneak up on me." Time doesn't heal the grief, current events just capture your attention and then the grief comes fresh when you see a photo or hear a scrap of music that reminds you of a time you spent together. "There's no rhythm more hollow than a broken heart..."

She and her father have made a 'museum' of their home, where her Mother's pictures are everywhere. She conjures images of the sparkle of drum kits with silver framed photos next to them--that faery shine holding her Mother's memory.

The story is beautifully written with strong emotional language. The author keeps hold of the musical theme clear through the piece and it's so strong, you can hear scraps of her playlist in your head as you're reading. Each chapter ends with a line that engraves itself on your mind.

This is another excerpt that I believe is ready for publication and should go straight to the finals. It's beautifully done and well worth the read--and listen.

Good luck to you, Robin Melody Goldsby. You have an amazing gift and I hope that I will hear from you soon.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Winner from Robin Meloy Goldsby, January 17, 2008

By 

Ann C. Rawsthorne "Ann Rawsthorne" (Mercer, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Being an avid reader and having read Goldsby's Memoir, Piano Girl, I have been looking forward to another book. Ms. Goldsby's writing is not only refreshing and honest but also totally captivating. My priority for reading a book is good characterization. Already, Jane Bowman, who tells her story in Rhythm, has consumed me with the need to see how her life evolves while encountering different people and experiences. Everything in life seems to fall into varying categories. In the first pages of Rhythm, Jane Bowman has shown how she tries to handle read life while dealing with her frailties. I look forward to more and know that I will not be disappointed.