The Baroness - Softcover

Rothschild, Hannah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1471316521 ISBN 13: 9781471316524

Publisher: Paragon, 2013

Synopsis

A Rothschild by birth and a Baroness by marriage, beautiful, spirited Pannonica - known as Nica - seemed to have it all: children, a handsome husband and a trust fund. But in the early 1950s she heard a piece by the jazz legend Thelonious Monk. The music overtook her like a magic spell, and she abandoned her marriage to go and find him. Arriving in New York, Nica was shunned by society but accepted by the musicians. They gave her friendship; she gave them material and emotional support. Her convertible Bentley was a familiar sight outside the clubs and she drank whisky from a hip flask disguised as a Bible. Her notoriety was sealed when drug-addicted saxophonist Charlie Parker died in her apartment. But her real love was reserved for Monk, whom she cared for until his death in 1982. The Baroness traces Nica's extraordinary, thrilling journey - from England's stately homes to the battlefields of Africa, passing under the shadow of the Holocaust, and finally to the creative ferment of the New York jazz scene. Hannah Rothschild's search to solve the mystery of her rebellious great aunt draws on their long friendship and years of meticulous research and interviews. It is part musical odyssey, part dazzling love story. (Large Print Edition)

About this title

Review

Riveting, touching and insightful (Daily Telegraph)

An extraordinary achievement - perfectly structured, astonishingly objective, wise, perceptive and beautifully written (Antony Beevor)

Wholly gripping (Rachel Cooke Guardian)

Eloquently-written labour of love (Daily Mail)

Nimble writing and brilliant story (Independent)

It's a gripping yarn that more than proves that life is stranger than fiction' (Literary Review)

Book Description

Part musical odyssey, part dazzling love story The Baroness traces Nica's extraordinary, thrilling journey - from England's stately homes to the battlefields of Africa, passing under the shadow of the Holocaust, and finally, to the creative ferment of New York's 1950s jazz scene.

Edition details

• Publisher: Paragon
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1471316521
• ISBN 13: 9781471316524
• Binding: Paperback