Gertrude Kelly, the daughter of Irish immigrants, dreams of becoming a concert pianist and composer—an aspiration that was unprecedented for women in the early 1900s. Her family wants her to be a nurse so she can take care of herself. She forges ahead to fulfill her dream making choices she will soon regret. However, life’s challenges lead her on an unexpected journey from Savannah, Georgia, to Dublin, Ireland. Falling back on her Irish heritage, she climbs Croagh Patrick in search for a direction in life as she struggles with love, loss, and the societal pressures that threaten to derail her ambitions.
When forced to return to Savannah, Gertrude receives a lifeline from the Sisters of Mercy who teach the nursing program: a chance to hide her abandonment and pregnancy and serve as the winter-time caretaker of a children’s summer camp on Tybee Island. This experience compels Gertrude to learn how to survive alone in a seaside cottage while foraging for food from the sea and meadows. Her survival skills rely heavily on her Irish roots of building a community that includes a sea captain, a boy, a Gullah woman, a blind woman piano tuner, and a French immigrant newspaper reporter. Within this community she shares her Irish music, history and culture. In turn, they help her rediscover her passion for music, even as she grapples with the loneliness and despair of her past. Gertrude must find a new path if she is to reclaim her dream.
Does she have the strength to reconcile her mistakes and embrace her true self? As she delves into her Irish roots and seeks redemption, she must differentiate between loneliness and solitude if she is to reclaim her dream. This is a journey of resilience, transformation, and the enduring power of music.
Paired with the release of the novel, Tybee Rhapsody is a rhapsody composed by Pam Asberry of Atlanta. A QR code is in the book to access Pam Asberry’s Tybee Rhapsody. Pam also plays the harp.
Leara Rhodes 