A February Song

By John Guernsey

A February Song travels back to the Maryland suburbs of Washington in the 1960s. Such is the setting for what is part coming-of-age novel, part mystical journey, and part exploration of musical worlds ranging from the blues to classical. We meet a sixteen-year-old Austin Cowley as he begins a bittersweet exploration of D.C. jazz clubs, underaged drinking, acne, interracial love, and an upbringing of class, privilege, and liberal ideals. The path to story's end is long, winding, and full of surprises -- and not all of them are pleasant for Austin. There is another aspect to A February Song -- it is a love note to a Washington now but half-remembered. From browsing through the Sunday papers at a Hot Shoppes restaurant to Miles Davis playing the Howard Theater to road trips to Ocean City and Assateague Island, it echoes with memories of how things used to be as the story weaves back and forth through time. The story begins on a wintry night at Chevy Chase Circle in 1964 and continues on an emotionally bumpy and spiritual ride in and out of the fantastic, ranging as far as Washington's seaside playgrounds, but also to locales as far off -- and as close at hand -- as the human heart. The real and the imagined become entwined, to the point where we are not sure which is which. The universal truths of adolescence make sudden, mystical, twists and turns, and take Austin to places he has never been before, even as he comes full circle.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1719545995
• ISBN13: 9781719545990
• Release Date: May 2018
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 1.31 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.8" x 6.7"