The Drummer’s Widow
The Drummer’s Widow is an extraordinary book of love, loss, and the lonely courage it takes to go on alone after decades of a fulfilled and happy marriage.
Jules and Marisa Bridges were more than just husband and wife; he was a famous drummer and she managed his international career. Their partnership was what gave her life meaning.
So when Jules is diagnosed with cancer and dies months later, Marisa withdraws into a lonely, dark corner, shutting herself away from family and friends. Fortunately, she is able to keep a dialogue going in her mind with Jules, and his suggestions are all positive and encouraging as they had always been.
She decides, without asking Jules, to sublets rooms in their Manhattan loft to pay her expenses. She finds her first tenant, Martin Starks, at her local bar after he tells her that he is a Juillard-trained jazz guitarist and then Cassandra Blanche, a bartender at Manhattan’s Bitter End, answers her Craigslist ad.
By chance Martin hears CiCi singing at Marisa’s piano and is blown away by her sultry voice. She confesses that she is CiCi Belle, a famous diva. She is in disguise, hiding out from her demanding career in Hollywood, enslaved by her abusive, controlling manager.
Impulsively, Martin asks Cassandra to join his band’s tour. She says no until her manager shows up at the Bitter End and threatens her life if she doesn’t immediately come back to Hollywood with him. After Cassanda accepts Martin’s offer, they ask Marisa, a well-respected artist manager, to promote their band.
With Jules’ silent encouragement, Marisa catapaults herself back into the music business and using her contacts she books Martin’s quartet on a European summer festival tour. Their jagged road trip exposes the tension between those onstage under the brilliant limelight and those standing in the shadowy wings, responsible for getting them there.
By returning to her career and the music that makes her heart sing, Marisa conquers her grief and loneliness. As she adjusts to her new freedom, she rediscovers the possibility of having a good life, even without Jules by her side; his voice slowly fades away from her mind as she finds joy in being alive again.
The Drummer’s Widow
The Drummer’s Widow is an extraordinary book of love, loss, and the lonely courage it takes to go on alone after decades of a fulfilled and happy marriage.
Jules and Marisa Bridges were more than just husband and wife; he was a famous drummer and she managed his international career. Their partnership was what gave her life meaning.
So when Jules is diagnosed with cancer and dies months later, Marisa withdraws into a lonely, dark corner, shutting herself away from family and friends. Fortunately, she is able to keep a dialogue going in her mind with Jules, and his suggestions are all positive and encouraging as they had always been.
She decides, without asking Jules, to sublets rooms in their Manhattan loft to pay her expenses. She finds her first tenant, Martin Starks, at her local bar after he tells her that he is a Juillard-trained jazz guitarist and then Cassandra Blanche, a bartender at Manhattan’s Bitter End, answers her Craigslist ad.
By chance Martin hears CiCi singing at Marisa’s piano and is blown away by her sultry voice. She confesses that she is CiCi Belle, a famous diva. She is in disguise, hiding out from her demanding career in Hollywood, enslaved by her abusive, controlling manager.
Impulsively, Martin asks Cassandra to join his band’s tour. She says no until her manager shows up at the Bitter End and threatens her life if she doesn’t immediately come back to Hollywood with him. After Cassanda accepts Martin’s offer, they ask Marisa, a well-respected artist manager, to promote their band.
With Jules’ silent encouragement, Marisa catapaults herself back into the music business and using her contacts she books Martin’s quartet on a European summer festival tour. Their jagged road trip exposes the tension between those onstage under the brilliant limelight and those standing in the shadowy wings, responsible for getting them there.
By returning to her career and the music that makes her heart sing, Marisa conquers her grief and loneliness. As she adjusts to her new freedom, she rediscovers the possibility of having a good life, even without Jules by her side; his voice slowly fades away from her mind as she finds joy in being alive again.