by Martyn Burke
Originally published by Bantam Books and hailed by critics, this love story, set in 1950s New York, Havana, and the deep south, begins with a divorce. In the eyes of Christie, their young daughter, Leo and Tina Klein, mismatched and volatile, belong together. Leo, a charming rogue and a player in New York’s garment industry, skates too close to the mob. Tina, a leftist activist who regularly pickets on behalf of the disadvantaged, has appointed herself manager of Joseph (“Ivory Joe”) Coulter, an ex boxer and a heart-busting black musician at a turning point in popular music history. Meg Wolitzer wrote in the New York Times: “Mr. Burke weaves a deft plot involving the attempted theft of one of Ivory Joe’s songs, ‘Ghost Lover,’ and the ensuing escapades are frantic and convincing….Martyn Burke knows his territory and he keeps a jazzed up pace appropriate to the story and the era. …A real pleasure.”
Praise for Ivory Joe:
“Ivory Joe is the kind of book that reminds you that reading can be tremendous fun…Burke handles competing story lines with the gutsy elan of a ringmaster and his circus has a dazzling array of rings…Martyn Burke is a storyteller of lavish generosity.”
Washington Post
“Thanks to a rollicking story and a motley crowd of engaging characters, Ivory Joe is entertaining and compelling, and author Martyn Burke’s enthusiasm for and knowledge about the era, especially its music, makes [for an] agreeable reading experience.”
Chicago Tribune
“Mr. Burke weaves a deft plot involving the attempted theft of one of Ivory Joe’s songs, Ghost Lover, and the ensuing escapades are frantic and convincing….Martyn Burke knows his territory and he keeps a jazzed up pace appropriate to the story and the era. …A real pleasure.”
Meg Wolitzer, New York Times
“…a raucous rock extravaganza with heart and soul.”
Publishers Weekly
“Burke is a master at dialogue, comic subplots and vivid energy…Ivory Joe is wonderfully satisfying, leaving the reader grinning contentedly long after the book’s end.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Read or write a review for Ivory Joe on Goodreads here.
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