Publisher's Synopsis
Described by author Linda Dahl as ""a combination of Dorothy Parker and Doris Day, Sylvia Plath and Sylvia Sims, a fascinating blend of toughness and innocence, chiseled wit and girlish wonder,"" Susannah McCorkle began her music career as a disciple of Billie Holiday. Ultimately she went on to develop a carefully crafted style of her own, performing in New York's famed Algonquin Hotel and in venues around the world. Yet all along, few of those close to McCorkle knew that she wrestled with bi-polar disorder. Finally, in 2001, unable to overcome her crippling bouts of deep depression, McCorkle threw herself from the window of her apartment in New York. Most of those in the overflow crowd at her memorial service were in shock, for McCorkle was as convincing a performer at hiding her despair as she was at singing. ""Haunted Heart"" follows two stories: the downward curve of McCorkle's emotional life as she descended into her illness, and the upward arc of her singing career as it lurched uncertainly toward success. Just as important and fascinating is the light Dahl sheds on the musicians and writers of the '70s, 80s, and 90s who created and informed public perceptions about the music of the jazz and cabaret world. By turns glamorous and brutal, this demi-monde fed both the talents and insecurities of those who called it their home.
