Performance Anxiety - Red Dress Ink Author:Betsy Burke it ain't over until the fat lady sings. Right? — Miranda Lyme, mezzo-soprano, is in love with the infamous and, okay, technically married conductor-composer Kurt Hancock. So what if he lives in London, and she. . .doesn't. Their secret rendezvous are more than enough for now. — Besides, Miranda's life is full and frenetic: fou... more »r part-time jobs, plus singing in the opera chorus, voice lessons with Madame Klein and looking for her long-lost father. Who's got time for a full-time beau?
Miranda craves the good life and is certain that's what she'll have once Kurt officially ends his marriage and she rises to stardom. But there are glitches. Like the fact that Kurt is still technically faithful to his wife and he insists that Miranda keep their relationship a secret. He promises it won't be like this forever. Yeah, sure. . .the truth, when it finally arrives, is so shocking that it causes Miranda to lose her voice.
But the show must go on. And just as the baton is about to be swung and the curtain is about to go up, Kurt appears, in full swagger mode, offering the complete package. Will it be a night to remember or one to utterly forget?« less
Well, well. I was not expecting the book to be about the world of opera, an area about which I know little and don't really care all that much, either. But Miranda is an endearing heroine, whose situations don't exactly transcend the world of opera but are universal nonetheless. Burke does another fine job with her characterizations, I feel like I know all the everyone personally, from Grace and Fern and Betty, to Pat and Tina. Worth the time!