"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
The secret that Millicent Moody, widow of jazz great Joss Moody, refers to may have been harmless in life, but when Joss dies and the truth is exposed, it ends up affecting more people than she ever imagined. It gives nothing away to reveal right off that Millicent's late husband was, in fact, a woman--something Millie has known all along but that the Moodys' adopted son, Colman, only discovers after his father's death. Titillating as the subject matter initially seems, in Jackie Kay's capable hands Joss's gender-bending becomes almost a side issue in a novel that is, at its heart, concerned with the essential nature of love.
Kay tells her story from many different perspectives--the doctor who signs the death certificate, the mortician who prepares the body, the opportunistic biographer looking to make a buck and a name for herself, the musicians who knew Joss--but it is Millicent and Colman who bear the brunt of both the pain and the responsibility for telling the tale. Millie Moody is a tremendously sympathetic character; her love for Joss is so powerful, so right that the reader never questions the decisions this odd couple made in life. "I didn't feel like I was living a lie," Millie tells us. "I felt like I was living a life." Colman, on the other hand, is more difficult to like. Though it's easy to understand his anger and confusion upon suddenly learning that the man he regarded as his father for 30 years was actually a woman, one also has the sneaking suspicion that he wasn't a particularly lovable guy before the revelation, either. Still, by the end of Trumpet, there's hope for Colman, peace of mind for Millie, and a satisfying rendering of love in all its permutations for the reader. --Alix Wilber
"It has a humanity and sympathy which engaged me from start to finish. And its energy and directness made it a treat to read. . . .Her book [makes] us see that people apparently very unlike ourselves are in fact very much like ourselves. . . Love is not usually such a triumphant idea in modern writing, but I think Jackie Kay makes it believably and vividly so."
-- Ian Jack, Granta
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780375704635
Book Description Condition: New. Brand New. Seller Inventory # 9780375704635
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Brand New!. Seller Inventory # 0375704639
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # ABLIING23Feb2215580169268
Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. "Supremely humane. Kay leaves us with a broad landscape of sweet tolerance and familial love." The New York Times Book ReviewIn her starkly beautiful and wholly unexpected tale, Jackie Kay delves into the most intimate workings of the human heart and mind and offers a triumphant tale of loving deception and lasting devotion. The death of legendary jazz trumpeter Joss Moody exposes an extraordinary secret, one that enrages his adopted son, Colman, leading him to collude with a tabloid journalist. Besieged by the press, his widow Millie flees to a remote Scottish village, where she seeks solace in memories of their marriage. The reminiscences of those who knew Joss Moody render a moving portrait of a shared life founded on an intricate lie, one that preserved a rare, unconditional love. The death of legendary jazz trumpeter Joss Moody exposes an extraordinary secret, as the reminiscences of those who knew him form the basis for a moving portrait of a shared life founded on an intricate lie. "(A) hypnotic story".--"Time". Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780375704635
Book Description Condition: New. . Seller Inventory # 52GZZZ018EUN_ns
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # IB-9780375704635
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 288. Seller Inventory # 26738180
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Reprint. Special order direct from the distributor. Seller Inventory # ING9780375704635