A Love Song for Ricki Wilde Summary, Characters and Themes
A Love Song for Ricki Wilde by Tia Williams is a genre-bending romantic tale that blends modern Harlem life with echoes of the Harlem Renaissance, laced with magical realism, lush emotion, and ancestral ties. It follows Ricki Wilde, a quirky, artistic woman from an elite funeral home dynasty, as she sets out to build a life on her own terms by opening a flower shop in Harlem.
What begins as a journey of creative self-discovery turns into something far more mystical when she meets Ezra, a man with a haunting past and a mysterious curse. This novel explores love, memory, identity, and legacy across timelines, rooted in the richness of Black culture, art, and intergenerational healing.
Summary
Ricki Wilde, the free-spirited youngest daughter of the prestigious Wilde funeral home family, has never felt at home in their world of business decorum and image control. Her older sisters—perfect, polished, and high-achieving—mirror the legacy their father has worked hard to preserve.
But Ricki is different: she is a fashion-loving, music-obsessed floral designer, hiding her talents behind the title of “Director of First Impressions” at the family firm. Her double life comes to light at a family dinner, where she announces her plan to quit and pursue her true dream—opening a flower shop.
Her father scoffs at her revelation and promptly cuts her off, forcing Ricki to sink or swim on her own.
With only ten days left at her job, Ricki scrambles to find a location for her dream business. Then she meets Ms.
Della Bennett, a 96-year-old Harlem widow who offers Ricki her unused ground-floor apartment to convert into a shop. Sensing a turning point, Ricki leaves Atlanta and relocates to Harlem, where the brownstone at 225½ West 137th Street immediately captivates her.
She names her new brand “Wilde Things” and dives into renovations, using funds from selling her car and old jewelry. Though physically taxing and socially isolating at times, this marks the first phase of her reinvention.
Struggling with loneliness, Ricki attempts to socialize at a local mixer but ends up humiliated. Her life slowly changes through three unexpected encounters.
First, she meets Ali, a charming but emotionally surface-level handyman, and begins a casual romance. Second, she befriends Tuesday Rowe, a once-famous child star turned sardonic but loyal friend.
Third, she opens Wilde Things in December to modest success, filling it with seasonal blooms and high-end designs.
By January, however, her shop falters. Sales plummet, and Ricki’s anxiety soars.
She finds solace in a Harlem community garden, where she smells her favorite flower—night-blooming jasmine—in the winter air. There, she sees a stranger, a man whose presence moves her deeply.
Though they do not speak, Ricki is shaken and invigorated. This mysterious “Garden Gentleman” lingers in her mind as she questions her relationship with Ali and struggles financially.
At a local art event, Ricki discovers that Ali has painted explicit portraits of another woman, whom he admits to sleeping with. The betrayal sends Ricki into a spiral, ending their relationship and prompting her to take a break from men.
As the evening ends, a woman with a European accent appears and offers Ricki $5,000 for the portrait of her that Ali painted, claiming to act on behalf of her “boss. ” She leaves behind only a vague number and mysterious instructions, deepening Ricki’s curiosity.
Ricki confides in Ms. Della about the bizarre turn of events and about her growing obsession with the man from the garden.
Their conversation opens old emotional wounds. Ms.
Della speaks of her late husband and shares that she has her own bucket list to fulfill—suggesting that Ricki, too, must let go of familial expectations and follow her instincts.
The story shifts to 1927, where Breeze Walker, a charismatic bandleader at the Eden Lounge, plays jazz to heal from his trauma: his family died in a racially motivated church fire. He lives with his cousin Sonny, a heroin addict and the sole survivor of the fire.
Breeze notices a captivating chorus girl—his first encounter with Felice Fabienne, a woman destined to change everything.
Back in the present, Ricki and Ezra—who is the mysterious garden man—finally meet again. Their conversation is flirtatious, thoughtful, and strangely familiar.
Ezra confesses he bought the painting of Ricki and has admired her from afar. Their spark intensifies.
Later, Ricki begins leaving her unsold arrangements at historic Harlem landmarks with poetic tags. The posts go viral, attracting attention and leading to a high-profile wedding commission.
Wilde Things gets a much-needed boost, and Ricki finds creative fulfillment once again.
As Ricki and Ezra spend more time together, their connection deepens into something rare and intense. During a day-long date, they wander through Harlem’s markets, music shops, and historical corners, sharing stories and banter.
Their bond crescendos into an emotionally vulnerable night together, during which Ezra finishes a musical composition that has haunted him for nearly a century.
The next day, Ezra confesses the truth: he is a “Perennial”—a man cursed with immortality after his 1920s lover, Felice, cast a fatal spell on him. Since then, Ezra has reappeared in Harlem every leap-year February, destined to fall in love and lose his beloved on February 29.
The curse renders him unforgettable only to those in close proximity, and he has lived through decades anonymously shaping American music while mourning love after love. Ricki is horrified, believing him to be mad, but strange inconsistencies in memory—and a secret investigation by Tuesday into Ezra’s home filled with relics and century-old music—point to the truth.
As the cursed date approaches, Ezra and Ricki confront their fate. Ricki’s grandmother, Ms. Della, reappears in her life and reveals painful truths about her own estrangement from Ricki’s mother, Felice, who was once romantically involved with Ezra. In a final act of reconciliation and love, Ms.
Della chooses to die—sacrificing herself to break Felice’s curse and save Ricki.
On the morning of February 29, Ricki awakens alive. Ezra, too, finds that his immortality has ended.
They realize Ms. Della’s act of love saved them both.
In the epilogue, twelve years later, Ricki and Ezra are married with children, living a peaceful life full of love and legacy. Ezra teaches music, Ricki’s floral business thrives, and on her wedding day, Ricki visits Della’s old room, whispering her thanks into the wind—forever grateful for the gift of a future made possible by one woman’s sacrifice.
Characters
Ricki Wilde
Ricki Wilde is the heart and soul of A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, a vibrant and fiercely independent woman determined to carve out a space for herself in a world that has tried to pigeonhole her. As the youngest daughter of the prestigious Wilde family, known for their national funeral home empire, Ricki is a black sheep in designer knock-offs, more enchanted by petals and pop culture than mourning suits and mergers.
Her quirky fashion, love for thrift finds, and obsession with cannabis candy and music history set her apart from her hyper-polished, career-driven sisters. What defines Ricki most is her deep longing for authenticity and creative freedom.
She secretly builds a thriving Instagram floral brand while working as the “Director of First Impressions” at the family business, hiding her horticultural credentials and artistry from her judgmental family. Her journey begins with rejection—her family dismisses her dreams—but this only galvanizes her spirit.
Moving to Harlem to start her floral shop, Ricki transforms a decaying brownstone into Wilde Things, pouring her heart, sweat, and aesthetic vision into the space. She is emotionally complex, battling social anxiety and romantic confusion while fiercely pursuing her dreams.
Her relationships—with Ms. Della, Tuesday, Ali, and eventually Ezra—reveal her evolution from someone craving familial approval to a woman bold enough to trust her instincts and chase an impossible, enchanted kind of love.
Ezra “Breeze” Walker
Ezra Walker, also known by his jazz-era name Breeze, is a man haunted by time and a curse that rendered him immortal. Introduced as the mysterious “Garden Gentleman,” Ezra is a magnetic presence whose elegance and artistic soul captivate Ricki from the moment they meet.
His past is as rich as it is tragic: a Harlem Renaissance bandleader who lost his family in a racially motivated church fire and later became the victim of a supernatural curse by a former lover, Felice. This curse dooms him to eternal life, repeatedly falling in love only to watch his soulmate die on February 29.
Ezra is an enigma—eternally stylish, emotionally layered, and burdened by decades of grief and longing. He has moved anonymously through history, contributing to the musical legacies of legendary figures while remaining unseen.
Despite his pain, Ezra remains deeply romantic and open to wonder, clinging to the belief that love might yet redeem his suffering. His relationship with Ricki is both salvation and peril, offering a chance at human connection but at the cost of her life.
As the story unfolds, Ezra’s vulnerability and his willingness to risk everything for love become the fulcrum of the novel’s emotional weight. His transformation—from immortal recluse to mortal partner—completes his century-long arc of love, loss, and finally, peace.
Ms. Della Bennett
Ms. Della Bennett is Ricki’s landlady, mentor, and eventually, the spiritual anchor of the story.
A 96-year-old widow with an irreverent wit and elegant flair, Della sees in Ricki the kind of spirited defiance she once had but buried beneath decades of societal expectation and personal grief. Della has her own emotional arc, one steeped in generational trauma, lost love, and estrangement from her daughter Felice—Ricki’s mother.
Despite her advanced age, Della is neither frail nor faded. Instead, she’s vibrantly present, with pink hair on her bucket list and a desire to revisit passion and freedom in her final days.
She offers Ricki not only a physical space to grow but emotional guidance, challenging her to heal, confront her pain, and pursue joy. In a final act of unmatched love and selflessness, Della chooses to sacrifice her own life to break the curse threatening Ricki, dying so that the younger woman may live and love freely.
Della’s quiet strength, eccentric wisdom, and ultimate choice position her as the emotional heroine of the story—proof that love, even at the end of life, can transform generations.
Tuesday Rowe
Tuesday Rowe is Ricki’s no-nonsense best friend and former child star whose past fame is matched only by her biting sarcasm and intense loyalty. A recovering alcoholic with a sharp eye for bullshit, Tuesday functions as Ricki’s sounding board, comic relief, and emotional defender.
She’s fiercely independent, honest to a fault, and always willing to call Ricki out when she loses herself in romantic delusions or self-doubt. But beneath her tough exterior lies a woman scarred by the industry, struggling to find relevance and peace in a world that only values her past.
Her friendship with Ricki is tender, protective, and deeply authentic. When Ricki is hesitant to believe Ezra’s fantastical claims, Tuesday takes matters into her own hands—literally breaking into Ezra’s home to investigate.
Her discovery of the truth underscores her devotion and courage. Tuesday’s unflinching honesty and ride-or-die loyalty make her an irreplaceable figure in Ricki’s life, as much a sister as any of Ricki’s biological siblings.
Her presence balances the magical realism of the story with gritty, grounded humor and emotional clarity.
Ali
Ali is Ricki’s short-lived romantic interest, a handsome and laid-back artist who initially seems like the perfect casual distraction. Easygoing and uncomplicated, Ali appeals to Ricki’s desire for a no-strings relationship, especially during a turbulent phase of her life.
However, their relationship quickly becomes unsatisfying as Ricki realizes that Ali lacks emotional depth and sensitivity. His betrayal—revealed through his nude paintings of Ricki and his art class model/lover—exposes his immaturity and selfishness.
Ali’s character serves a crucial role in the narrative by highlighting what Ricki doesn’t want in a partner: someone who diminishes her complexity and uses emotional aloofness as an excuse for carelessness. His flippant comparison of himself to Picasso after being caught cheating underscores his narcissism and lack of accountability.
Ultimately, Ali is a mirror through which Ricki recognizes her patterns of self-abandonment and reclaims her time and emotional boundaries, making way for her deeper connection with Ezra.
Felice Fabienne
Felice, Ricki’s estranged mother and Ezra’s doomed lover from the 1920s, is more of a spectral presence in the novel, but her legacy looms large. Once a fiery chorus girl consumed by passion and vengeance, Felice is the originator of the curse that drives the novel’s central conflict.
Her grief, rage, and mystical power resulted in Ezra’s immortality and doomed cycles of tragic love. As Ricki learns more about Felice through stories and visions, she begins to understand the complexity of her lineage—a mix of creativity, pain, and untamed emotion.
Felice’s ghost, both literal and figurative, haunts the women of her bloodline, shaping their relationships with love, legacy, and power. Yet, in the end, Felice is forgiven, her story humanized by Della’s final act of grace.
Her character serves as both villain and victim, embodying the destructive and redemptive forces of love when it goes unchecked.
Themes
Reclaiming Identity and Autonomy
Ricki Wilde’s journey in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is rooted in her fierce pursuit of selfhood and personal autonomy in the face of familial and societal expectations. Raised within the domineering legacy of the Wilde family’s funeral home empire, Ricki is constantly positioned as the outlier—creative, whimsical, and uninterested in the cold professionalism that defines her parents and sisters.
The expectations imposed on her as the family’s receptionist, despite her horticulture degree and success as an anonymous floral designer, exemplify how her identity has long been suppressed. Her decision to leave the family business and pursue “Wilde Things” is more than a career shift; it’s a declaration of independence, a refusal to conform to the lifeless mold designed for her.
Ricki’s renovation of the Harlem brownstone apartment becomes an emotional and physical reclamation of space, voice, and purpose. Through every financial hurdle, moment of self-doubt, and relationship misstep, Ricki is forced to confront the ways she has historically given away power—to romantic partners, to family, to fear—and slowly begins to assert control over her life.
Her evolution from “Director of First Impressions” to a visionary floral artist illustrates the reclamation of agency and the reshaping of identity outside inherited definitions.
Legacy, Ancestry, and Historical Memory
The narrative is saturated with the echoes of the past, making legacy not just a backdrop but a powerful, living force in Ricki and Ezra’s story. The Harlem brownstone that becomes Ricki’s shop is a symbolic anchor—an architectural relic filled with the energy of past lives, including Ms.
Della’s memories and Ezra’s historical footprint. Ezra himself, cursed with immortality since 1928, embodies the literal weight of memory, carrying within him the untold stories of jazz legends, racial violence, artistic revolutions, and personal heartbreak.
His presence links the Harlem Renaissance to the present, suggesting that history is never truly behind us; it lingers, shapes, and often haunts. Ricki’s lineage is similarly steeped in unresolved grief and familial fragmentation, particularly with her estranged mother, Felice, and the reconciliation that only materializes through Della’s sacrifice.
As the story toggles between the 1920s and modern Harlem, it reminds readers that legacy isn’t only about inheritance but about choices—what is remembered, what is repeated, and what is broken. Ricki’s eventual success and her partnership with Ezra rewrite a cursed history into one of renewal, demonstrating that it’s possible to inherit pain and still choose healing.
The Cost and Redemption of Love
Love in A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is simultaneously redemptive and destructive, tender and tragic. Ricki’s romantic entanglements—from her unfulfilling relationship with Ali to the earth-shaking pull she feels toward Ezra—reflect a woman who has long sought connection without fully understanding her own worth.
Ali’s betrayal is less a singular rupture and more an awakening that forces Ricki to reevaluate the pattern of accommodating men who diminish her. Ezra, by contrast, challenges her to reckon with a love that is all-consuming, magical, and terrifying in its stakes.
The revelation of his curse—that each time he falls in love he loses his partner on the same date—forces both of them to confront the fragility of love and the price of surrendering to it. But it is not romantic love alone that carries thematic weight; the friendship between Ricki and Tuesday, and the maternal bond she shares with Della, provide different forms of loyalty, sacrifice, and affection.
Della’s final act—sacrificing her own life to break Ezra’s curse and save Ricki—recasts love as something eternal and transformative, even in death. It suggests that the truest love may lie not in grand declarations, but in quiet, unseen acts of courage.
Creativity as Survival
Floral artistry is not just Ricki’s profession but her survival mechanism. Throughout the novel, her creations are imbued with emotion, meaning, and memory.
When Wilde Things struggles financially, Ricki doesn’t abandon her vision; instead, she adapts—leaving poetic arrangements across Harlem, reconnecting with the soul of her work, and transforming the city into a gallery. Her creativity becomes a form of resistance to invisibility, to failure, and to her family’s dismissal.
Similarly, Ezra’s long history as an anonymous musical genius, composing work for legends while being forgotten himself, reflects the painful intersection of genius and erasure—particularly as a Black man in 20th-century America. His “unfinished songs,” titled for every lost muse, symbolize how art can carry grief, hope, and longing across lifetimes.
Both characters express themselves through nonverbal, sensory mediums—flowers and music—which serve as bridges between worlds, emotions, and generations. Creativity in the novel is not a luxury or indulgence but a sacred act of persistence, allowing both Ricki and Ezra to remain alive, even when isolated, cursed, or overlooked.
It becomes the language through which love is declared, pain is processed, and identity is affirmed.
Breaking Generational Patterns
Intergenerational trauma haunts many of the relationships in the novel. Ricki’s strained dynamic with her family, especially the emotional absence of her mother, echoes Della’s own unresolved tensions with Felice.
These women, bound by blood but splintered by silence, illustrate how pain can be passed down when left unspoken. The Wilde family’s rigid expectations and surface-level unity conceal a deeper void—a denial of individuality that has long isolated Ricki.
Della’s journey from a composed, elegant elder to a woman who dyes her hair pink, openly desires companionship, and ultimately chooses sacrifice reflects a break in that chain. Her ability to evolve in her 90s, to reconcile with the memory of her daughter and love her granddaughter fully, is as radical as Ricki’s decision to pursue her dream.
The leap year curse also functions as a metaphor for repetitive trauma—the same outcome, on the same date, across decades—until someone chooses differently. Della becomes that someone.
Her choice to end the cycle reclaims not only Ricki’s future but Ezra’s as well. The novel makes clear that breaking a generational pattern doesn’t require perfection, but rather bravery, love, and the willingness to bear witness to pain.
In that witnessing lies the power to change the story.