Goodbye Without Leaving

A Novel

The enchanting and insightful story of a woman trying to reconcile her rock-and-roll past with her respectable present

When Geraldine Colshares drops out of graduate school to become the only white backup singer in an R&B band, nobody thinks it is a good idea. Not her parents, who are sure she is on drugs. Not her best friend, who sees going on tour as a way of staving off real life. Not even Doo-Wah Banks, her Juilliard-trained bandmate and crush, who suggests she find a nice white husband. But to be a Shakette—as in Vernon and Ruby Shakely and the Shakettes—has been the burning desire of Geraldine’s heart since puberty, and when she steps on stage in her chartreuse dress and luminescent shoes, she knows she is exactly where she belongs.

All good things must come to an end, however, and after two years on the road Geraldine quits the band and settles down to the kind of conventional routine—marriage, children, dinner parties—she never expected. To her family and friends, Geraldine seems to have it all, but the question remains: Once you’ve been a Shakette, will anything else ever feel so right?

A hilarious and touching novel about staying true to yourself while moving on with life, Goodbye Without Leaving stars one of Laurie Colwin’s most distinctive and delightful heroines.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Laurie Colwin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.