Fly, My Darling

A soulful memoir of desire and a woman’s midlife quest to let go—in jazz and in life.

Lisa—a classically trained pianist, wife, and mother—yearns for something she can’t define. After she begins a study of jazz improv with an outspoken, trailblazing musician from the ’70s girl band era, a woman who encourages Lisa to let go musically and emotionally, life takes an unexpected, irrevocable turn. When they become lovers, what began as a desire to learn jazz becomes a lesson in letting go: with music, with an old way of living, and finally with life itself.

With rhythmic, imaginative prose, Fly, My Darling explores the resilience of love, the weight of loss, the undeniable pull toward freedom, and the transformation that occurs when a woman finally asks, What do I really want? Based on Richter’s years together with musician and visionary composer Lynda Roth, past and present weave together in this intimate journey of awakened eroticism, exhilarating joy, nearly unbearable grief, and moments of spiritual renewal. And through it all, there is music. Art must always come first, Lisa is reminded. The connection to the beautiful which transcends. It is how we survive.

Spare, impressionistic, and deeply personal, Fly, My Darling is a soulful journey of self-discovery and of what awaits when a woman striving to be free, finally is.