The Virtuoso is a mainstream contemporary novel laced with the struggles and ambivalence of a young man's desire to be a jazz musician and the forces that move him in another direction - toward the classics. How this dilemma resolves itself and the escapades along the way and beyond will both rouse, yet soothe your quest for escape from the mundane! The Virtuoso is a story of romance. A love story as well as a story with scarlet moments of lust from that oldest story of all - the story of human frailty against the spear of temptation. The lives of John Dupree and Sophia Berry are played out against a canvas of music and on the darker side - prostitution. Be prepared for three dimensional characters and convoluted plots. The Virtuoso will transport you - drawing you into the story to live each scene. From the rough and tumble streets of New Orleans during World War II to the poshness of high-rise living in New York City, we join he and Sophia in the intimacy of their lives. From private piano lessons in Saint Louis to the hallowed halls of Juilliard, we follow his emergence onto the concert stages of the world. Their lives unfold in a fate that spans some 20 years. In many ways this is a symbiotic relationship. She is a benefactress in his formative years as he moves toward becoming a world class pianist while she derives love and companionship from him; something she welcomes and realizes is important in her unconventional life. Through the trauma of Korea to Sophia's court room battles in New York and Federal courts, our couple shares with us the bitter-sweetness of their lives and their love. Check out: http: //aboutthevirtuoso.com