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Vivian In Red
by
Famed Broadway producer Milo Short may be eighty-eight but that doesn't stop him from going to the office every day. So when he steps out of his Upper West Side brownstone on one exceptionally hot morning, he's not expecting to see the impossible: a woman from his life sixty years ago, cherry red lips, bright red hat, winking at him on a New York sidewalk, looking just as
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Hard not to fall for the irrepressible Milo Short, 88, and feisty, still in possession of all his marbles. Famous for a hit musical, notable songwriter and producer in his day, if fact he still goes into his office. Now the head of family that includes many grandchildren and greats, he is doing fine until...... he sees a ghost from the past, Vivian Adair, a dark haired beauty wearing a red hat, the only problem, Vivian Adair is dead, died long ago. Milo has a stroke and now he is not doing so fi
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So many engrossing novels about the entertainment industry in the 1920’s and 1930’s have been written this year. Vivian in Red focuses on the magic of Broadway in its early years, and the evolution from vaudeville to staged musicals. Riggle also weaves in the role Tin Pan Alley played in contributing to the theater.
As the book opens, 88-year-old Milo Short, a Broadway lyricist and producer, still participates in his family business Milo Short Productions. As he is leaving work one day, he sees a ...more
As the book opens, 88-year-old Milo Short, a Broadway lyricist and producer, still participates in his family business Milo Short Productions. As he is leaving work one day, he sees a ...more
Vivian in Red was a dual timeline historical fiction book set in modern and 1930s NY. Kristina had a way of making me feel like I was experiencing the story. Also, her characters were well developed and likable. Highly recommended for fans of Broadway and theatre lovers in general. It was a nice book with themes of family, following your dream, confronting the past, and secrets. 3.5★s though I hovered over 4★s for a bit. By the way, Xe Sands and Chris Lutkin did a good job of narrating.
What a wonderful novel about confronting your past when it rears its head. It's about family bonds and how they can survive even the smallest glimmer of doubt.
I loved Mili, Vivian and Eleanor they were all very distinct characters that were bound together by family and history. ...more
I loved Mili, Vivian and Eleanor they were all very distinct characters that were bound together by family and history. ...more
This was the first novel I have sat down with and throughly enjoyed reading. I wish I had taken the time to write down all the amazing one liners in this story but I was too caught up in the reading. I adore that Milo and Eleanor. Such a delicious read.
Loved this book--didn't want to put it down!
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Outstanding.
At first I was intrigued but I am not one to like "ghosts." I tried to adapt to that concept...I kept reading until the story began to drag on and on, becoming quite predictable. Meh.
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Famed Broadway producer Milo Short may be eighty-eight but that doesn't stop him from going to the office every day. So when he steps out of his Upper West Side brownstone on one exceptionally hot morning, he's not expecting to see the impossible: a woman from his life sixty years ago, cherry red lips, bright red hat, winking at him on a New York sidewalk, looking just as beautiful as she did back in 1934.
The sight causes him to suffer a stroke. And when he comes to, the renowned lyricist discov ...more
The sight causes him to suffer a stroke. And when he comes to, the renowned lyricist discov ...more
Jul 31, 2017
Elizabeth Sulzby
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
no one
Recommended to Elizabeth by:
Unfortunately, a local bookstore that I like
Shelves:
drudgery-to-read,
fiction
I love the theatre and New York City. I love stories about pre-World War II Jewish families in New York. And I live in Michigan and even drove to Ludington for a weekend after a break-up. Plus I bought this book because it was a Michigan author. But it was nevertheless so dull that I kept having to make myself read it.
SPOILERS, A WARNING:
Having a lead author who has had a stroke and cannot take is hard, especially when that goes on for 4/5th or more of the book. I grew to sort of like Milo Schwa ...more
SPOILERS, A WARNING:
Having a lead author who has had a stroke and cannot take is hard, especially when that goes on for 4/5th or more of the book. I grew to sort of like Milo Schwa ...more
The main character is just that--a character. Milo Short is eighty-eight but still goes to the office every day. He is a famed Broadway producer. He believes he must unravel his complicated history with Vivian Adair in order to win back his When he steps out of his Upper West Side brownstone one morning, he sees a woman from his life sixty years ago winking at him on a New York sidewalk, looking as beautiful as she did back in 1934. The shock causes him to suffer a stroke and lose the ability to
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Another great book from Kristina Riggle!! I can tell the amount of time, effort and study goes into her books. My 2 favorite quotes: "Life is short, except when it's long, and then you have so many more years to regret.". And the one that is really stuck in my brain "...Are we telling ourselves lies and stories all the time? But if that's so, why don't we tell happier stories?". Everyone should read at least ONE Kristina Riggle book!!!
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An unusual lead character (88 year old man who has had a stroke) and an interesting setting (Broadway 1936) kept me going through some slow places. It picked up as it went and my overall impression was "Good book!"
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Just ok
Vivian
An easy book with lots of sentiment but little depth. It might be a 30's movie musical with a struggling song writer but no stage honey. ...more
An easy book with lots of sentiment but little depth. It might be a 30's movie musical with a struggling song writer but no stage honey. ...more
Thoroughly enjoyed. Milo was my favorite character. He's one that I thought of during the day. I had to know how it ended, so I took a break from work to finish the last few chapters!
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Sadly I just couldn’t get into the book. Too much going on. Dual timelines with multiple voices. Ugh. Disappointed.
"Famed Broadway producer Milo Short may be eighty-eight but that doesn't stop him from going to the office every day. So when he steps out of his Upper West Side brownstone on one exceptionally hot morning, he's not expecting to see the impossible: a woman from his life sixty years ago, cherry red lips, bright red hat, winking at him on a New York sidewalk, looking just as beautiful as she did back in 1934.
The sight causes him to suffer a stroke. And when he comes to, the renowned lyricist disc ...more
The sight causes him to suffer a stroke. And when he comes to, the renowned lyricist disc ...more
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. I follow Kristina Riggle on goodreads and have read almost all her books so I was looking forward to reading this book . It's a good historical fiction based on New York in the 1930's jazz age. A family drama with some famous composers mentioned. I really enjoyed it....
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A beautiful read about a decades old mystery, Vivian in Red is the story of famed Broadway producer Milo Short. One day, as he's strolling down a New York City street, he sees a woman from his past: Vivian Adair. But seeing Vivian isn't what makes Milo's heart stop. It's the fact that Vivian looks exactly the same as she did 60 years ago.
With this intro, Kristina Riggle takes us on a journey of Milo's past and his story with Vivian, alongside the story of Milo's granddaughter Eleanor who is reco ...more
With this intro, Kristina Riggle takes us on a journey of Milo's past and his story with Vivian, alongside the story of Milo's granddaughter Eleanor who is reco ...more
Having recently visited Broadway, I was especially excited to read this novel. While something of a departure for Riggle -- it takes place in NYC, as opposed to somewhere in Michigan, and spans decades, as opposed to a matter of days or weeks -- her usual understanding of family dynamics, humor, and deft plotting come into play. This one kept me entertained and guessing till the end. Loved it!
I have read all of Kristina's books, and this is my favorite! It kept my interest all the way through, I loved the character Milo, he is funny, and I could totally picture him, that comes with great writing, and detail. The flashbacks, the present, how he saw Vivian now, all came together Beautifully ;) I'm looking forward to your next book, and supporting a fellow Michigander😊
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Loved this book! Great story about the writing of a musicals. Love the comic side of Milo and the serious granddaughter. Vivian was the vision that held the story together. Looking forward to reading more books by this author and it's a plus that she is from Michigan!
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I'm a huge fan of Kristina Riggle but I will be honest and say the first fifty pages were a bit hard for me. However, that's where writing other great books pays off because I stuck with it because I trust her as an author and really ended up enjoying this book a lot and I definitely recommend it!
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I really enjoyed it, but the constant back and forth was very hard for me to read it consistently
Enjoyable reading
I have read all of this author's books and found them all enjoyable. She doesn't stick to one particular genre or topic so I never know what to expect. ...more
I have read all of this author's books and found them all enjoyable. She doesn't stick to one particular genre or topic so I never know what to expect. ...more
Leaning towards 3.5 to 3.75 Highly enjoyable, if not deep.
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Readers also enjoyed
Kristina Riggle lives in West Michigan, where she writes character-driven novels about complex personal dynamics. Her debut novel, Real Life & Liars, was a Target "Breakout" pick and a "Great Lakes, Great Reads" selection by the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association. Her latest novel, Vivian in Red, is a story of 1930s Broadway and today about a lyricist, the clouded history of his most
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