Vivian In Red

July 1, 2016
A Broadway producer of the 1930s is confronted by a vision from his past that may represent a problem in his present.Getting older isn't what Milo Short bargained for. Instead of being the power behind his company, Milo Short Productions, he ends up being the one managed by his large family, each member of whom has no end of suggestions about how he should be living his life. Well, less so his granddaughter, Eleanor, though that may be because her lack of steady income means she's a target for the Short family's helpful suggestions, too. All Milo wants is to play some piano and live independently, which he can do just fine, thank you very much, but his relatives treat him like an invalid just because he's old. His problem worsens when he suffers a stroke that deprives him of speech. Milo makes a medical recovery, but something seems to be holding him back from talking, though he couldn't explain what was wrong even if he recovered the ability to speak. Seconds before his stroke, a woman from his youth, Miss Vivian Adair, appeared from nothing right in front of his face. He's not sure what to make of this vision in red. His reaction makes it clear that he's done Vivian wrong, but it's not so clear how. Meanwhile, Eleanor, seeking to protect her now-fragile grandfather from outsiders, agrees to write the biography their family is demanding. Perhaps what she uncovers will set Milo free. Switching back and forth between modern times and 1930s Broadway, Riggle (Hope Out Loud, 2015, etc.) plays with a number of possible outcomes between the hero and his mysterious vision, though the mystery is never exactly high-stakes.

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September 1, 2016
Riggle moves away from her issue-driven women's fiction (The Whole Golden World, 2013) into historical fiction, telling the story of Milo Short, a talented pianist who rose to Broadway fame in the golden age of jazz. Short, now nearing 90, still goes to his Manhattan studio every day, though he hasn't written a new lyric in years. One day on the hot sidewalk, he spots a woman who looks exactly like Vivian Adair, the mysterious and lovely lady who played a big role in his pastand her presence startles him into a stroke. Milo's niece Ellie is dispatched to write his biography before it's too late. As she struggles to uncover secrets, the narrative moves easily between the 1930s and the present. Vivian continues to appear only to Milo, Ellie finds her place in the family, and the story of just what happened long ago unfolds at a steady pace. Readers will enjoy this blend of romance, historical fiction, and family drama, especially those with a fondness for New York in the Jazz Age.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)