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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
“This opera is her masterpiece,’ he said. ‘And her name is Josephine Reed.’ ” p. 424
5 Stars
Symphony of Secrets is a story about every voice, no matter who they are, should have a voice, and it should be known. I could not put this book down, and I could not stop thinking about it when it was down. This is a real page-turner. I feel like I had every emotion reading this book. The way that Brendan Slocumb wrote the characters and the scenes made it feel like I was in them and was visually seeing everything in my head. Every time there was a scene with pizza, I was always hungry because Slocumb was so descriptive, and it was great. Also, the ways that he would describe the music and tell what everything sounded like. I could hear everything like I was listening to the music myself. Also, the neurodivergent representation was excellent because that topic is overlooked, and the way that Slocumb wrote it was a perfect representation of someone with high-functioning Autism. The central theme of this book was the role of race and power.
This book has a lot of racial slurs and racial themes, but that sadly is how it was during that period, and sadly, it is still happening today. Reading this has opened my eyes so much, and I have more of an understanding of how they feel every day. We say so many things during that day that could hurt someone or be taken the wrong way, and we don’t even know it.
I have read his first book, Violin Conspiracy (5-star read), and this one was so much better. I will read anything that Brendan Slocumb writes.
Liked: I like the beginning of the friendship and work relationship between Fredrick and Josephine because he was with her all the time, and the moment when she heard her music for the first time with the band was so sweet, and I teared up a little. Also, I am all for the little romance with Bern and Eboni at the end of the book.
Disliked: I did not like how horrible Fredrick got throughout the end of the book. He turned into the average white male in the 1920s and treated Josephine like everyone would treat her. He did not care about her anymore and only cared about the music and making a name for “himself.”
Shocked: I was so shocked when Fred Killed Miles and then Josephine. When he killed Josephine, I was so mad. Why, what was the reason? Also, it haunted him for the rest of his life, like, dude, that was the biggest regret. Also, I was shocked that the board agreed with the proposition faster than I thought it would. I thought there was a point that it was going to court.
5 Stars
Symphony of Secrets is a story about every voice, no matter who they are, should have a voice, and it should be known. I could not put this book down, and I could not stop thinking about it when it was down. This is a real page-turner. I feel like I had every emotion reading this book. The way that Brendan Slocumb wrote the characters and the scenes made it feel like I was in them and was visually seeing everything in my head. Every time there was a scene with pizza, I was always hungry because Slocumb was so descriptive, and it was great. Also, the ways that he would describe the music and tell what everything sounded like. I could hear everything like I was listening to the music myself. Also, the neurodivergent representation was excellent because that topic is overlooked, and the way that Slocumb wrote it was a perfect representation of someone with high-functioning Autism. The central theme of this book was the role of race and power.
This book has a lot of racial slurs and racial themes, but that sadly is how it was during that period, and sadly, it is still happening today. Reading this has opened my eyes so much, and I have more of an understanding of how they feel every day. We say so many things during that day that could hurt someone or be taken the wrong way, and we don’t even know it.
I have read his first book, Violin Conspiracy (5-star read), and this one was so much better. I will read anything that Brendan Slocumb writes.
Spoiler
Loved: I loved how the MCs in the present wanted to do everything to bring justice to Josephine. They risked everything they had to find a way to show the world that She wrote the music, not Fredrick. The way that Josephine would write and describe her music was fascinating. I wish there were pictures of what the papers looked like.Liked: I like the beginning of the friendship and work relationship between Fredrick and Josephine because he was with her all the time, and the moment when she heard her music for the first time with the band was so sweet, and I teared up a little. Also, I am all for the little romance with Bern and Eboni at the end of the book.
Disliked: I did not like how horrible Fredrick got throughout the end of the book. He turned into the average white male in the 1920s and treated Josephine like everyone would treat her. He did not care about her anymore and only cared about the music and making a name for “himself.”
Shocked: I was so shocked when Fred Killed Miles and then Josephine. When he killed Josephine, I was so mad. Why, what was the reason? Also, it haunted him for the rest of his life, like, dude, that was the biggest regret. Also, I was shocked that the board agreed with the proposition faster than I thought it would. I thought there was a point that it was going to court.
Another excellent book by this author! I listened to the audiobook (via Libby from my library, thank you public libraries).
Slocumb's author's note at the end was on target for the purpose of this book. He wanted to elevate people whose contributions have been overlooked. People of color, women, and neurodivergent people. Given Slocumb's background, he also made this story about music.
The story alternates between current day work by a music expert trying to decipher a long lost important piece of music and the 1920s when this music was being composed. There's a very interesting mystery involved in the plot which is not difficult to figure out as you follow along.
Be prepared to be a outraged at times but all is good at the end.
Highly recommend.
Slocumb's author's note at the end was on target for the purpose of this book. He wanted to elevate people whose contributions have been overlooked. People of color, women, and neurodivergent people. Given Slocumb's background, he also made this story about music.
The story alternates between current day work by a music expert trying to decipher a long lost important piece of music and the 1920s when this music was being composed. There's a very interesting mystery involved in the plot which is not difficult to figure out as you follow along.
Be prepared to be a outraged at times but all is good at the end.
Highly recommend.
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On the surface, this book is a historical mystery with dual timelines that involves music theory. However, the book is much more than that. It’s an indictment to the marginalization of African Americans both in the past and the present.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read music and can’t read it today, but it certainly helps to know a little bit about music. That was my original draw to the book. Wrapped up in a man’s music is a mystery of how he could be so wildly successful, and then create something so bad that the public turns on him, leading to tragic results.
If I were you, I’d skip the author’s note at the beginning and save it for the end, because it gives away part of the plot. I hope, when published, the note is put at the end of the book.
The first 20% of the book is the story of Bern and Eboni, who have been hired to recreate the great Frederic Delaney’s lost opera called Red. It’s the final installment in a series of five operas written for the Olympics, one opera for each ring on the Olympic flag. The first four were published in the early 1920’s and were outstanding hits. Then, years pass and Red is nowhere to be found. Delaney claims to have lost his score in 1926, and takes years to recreate it, but when it’s released, the public and critics hate it. In recent times, the missing score is reportedly found and needs work to make it complete.
There are doodles all over the score, and while trying to figure what they mean, Bern and Ebony get ahold of some old documents and photos. In them is an African American woman. Who is it? What’s her connection to Delaney? Research indicates that she’s Josephine Reed, but there’s scant information about her. Eboni thinks Reed maybe was Frederic Delaney’s mistress or baby mama. So the digging continues.
The deeper Bern and Eboni go into the past, the less the Delaney Foundation likes it and goes to extreme measures to stop the two from digging any further. I won’t go into details into what happens, but let’s just say that crooked cops and racial profiling still happen to this day.
The book also goes back in time to Delaney’s time, which starts in 1918, and follows his career trajectory, with Josephine at his side. He’s very protective of her because she helps him with his music. That’s all I’ll say without giving away plot points.
This was a very twister thriller/historical mystery; so good that I’m afraid to give up any of the “Symphony of Secrets” the story entails. If you like those types of stories, you’ll enjoy this book.
On the surface, this book is a historical mystery with dual timelines that involves music theory. However, the book is much more than that. It’s an indictment to the marginalization of African Americans both in the past and the present.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read music and can’t read it today, but it certainly helps to know a little bit about music. That was my original draw to the book. Wrapped up in a man’s music is a mystery of how he could be so wildly successful, and then create something so bad that the public turns on him, leading to tragic results.
If I were you, I’d skip the author’s note at the beginning and save it for the end, because it gives away part of the plot. I hope, when published, the note is put at the end of the book.
The first 20% of the book is the story of Bern and Eboni, who have been hired to recreate the great Frederic Delaney’s lost opera called Red. It’s the final installment in a series of five operas written for the Olympics, one opera for each ring on the Olympic flag. The first four were published in the early 1920’s and were outstanding hits. Then, years pass and Red is nowhere to be found. Delaney claims to have lost his score in 1926, and takes years to recreate it, but when it’s released, the public and critics hate it. In recent times, the missing score is reportedly found and needs work to make it complete.
There are doodles all over the score, and while trying to figure what they mean, Bern and Ebony get ahold of some old documents and photos. In them is an African American woman. Who is it? What’s her connection to Delaney? Research indicates that she’s Josephine Reed, but there’s scant information about her. Eboni thinks Reed maybe was Frederic Delaney’s mistress or baby mama. So the digging continues.
The deeper Bern and Eboni go into the past, the less the Delaney Foundation likes it and goes to extreme measures to stop the two from digging any further. I won’t go into details into what happens, but let’s just say that crooked cops and racial profiling still happen to this day.
The book also goes back in time to Delaney’s time, which starts in 1918, and follows his career trajectory, with Josephine at his side. He’s very protective of her because she helps him with his music. That’s all I’ll say without giving away plot points.
This was a very twister thriller/historical mystery; so good that I’m afraid to give up any of the “Symphony of Secrets” the story entails. If you like those types of stories, you’ll enjoy this book.
If you loved The Violin Conspiracy, then this one will not disappoint. When a music professor is brought in to vet a previously lost work by a legendary composer, he quickly starts to realize that something is amiss. Once he and his computer-savvy friend start to investigate, they discover something that will change history forever. Told in two story lines (then and now), the reader gets is transported into the music scene of the 1920s and the systematic racism that was the norm. Great story! Highly recommended.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
This novel was excellent. Bern Hendricks is called upon by the Delaney Foundation, to authenticate a piece that was written by Federick Delaney. Bern Hendrick's expertise on this 20th century composer, qualifies him for the task. Bern gets the foundation to hire his friend Eboni. The 2 of them put their heads together, and uncovered some really embarrassing facts. The director of the foundation goes to some crazy extremes, to make sure this information does not get out. This read has a little romance, some crime and some mystery. This is a must read for anyone who loves, a really good book.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Predictable.
Symphony of Secrets is another great book from Brendan Slocumb. It is his second book and I have to say that it is better than his debut. Its a story of a professor hired to authenticate and transcribe a lost opera from a famed composer from the 1920s. What he finds is not as straight forward as he probably had hoped. The narrative feels so much deeper and fleshed out than his first novel. I will be recommending this book to anybody asking.