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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
5 Stars for Symphony of Secrets by Brendon Slocumb. Premise: Bern Hendricks is one of the world’s experts on 20th century composer Frederick Delaney. When Mallory (Delaney) Roberts, a board member of the Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece (his famous lost opera, RED). With the help of his tech-savvy friend Eboni, Bern soon discovers clues about the strange doodles that are drawn all over the sheet music, which brings them to believe that Delaney either had help or flat out stole music from a savant, Josephine Reed, a young Black natural prodigy who hears "the music she wants to hear" in colors. Jumping btwn the present and the 1920s when Josephine meets and indavertantly becomes his "silent partner," Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real taltented, musical genius? The Foundation does not seem to like what Bern and Eboni are uncovering.
It was hard to read how (in my opinon), Delaney used Josephine to improve his career. At first, he seemed to be thankful, grateful, for her lessons and how her true musicality improved his own playing, but it was heartbreaking to watch him become more and more greedy, and to exploit her. It was also really hard to read how Bern and Eboni were treated, threatened and bullied by powerful white people, who I am sure would have NEVER asked Bern to examine the music if they had known the truth that he was uncovering. The book was entertaining, and the ending was satisfactory, but still the scar of how Blacks were/are treated and exploited by White people is just heartbreaking and frustrating.
It was hard to read how (in my opinon), Delaney used Josephine to improve his career. At first, he seemed to be thankful, grateful, for her lessons and how her true musicality improved his own playing, but it was heartbreaking to watch him become more and more greedy, and to exploit her. It was also really hard to read how Bern and Eboni were treated, threatened and bullied by powerful white people, who I am sure would have NEVER asked Bern to examine the music if they had known the truth that he was uncovering. The book was entertaining, and the ending was satisfactory, but still the scar of how Blacks were/are treated and exploited by White people is just heartbreaking and frustrating.
Bern Hendricks, a professor of music at University of Virginia, is a brilliant scholar who has idolized Frederic Delaney, the most famous American composer and a man he regards as the best composer who ever lived. As a young, poor Black boy, Henricks was given a chance to develop his musical talent through the belief and support of the Delaney Foundation. Hendricks was a proud "DF Kid". The organization was created to support children like Bern and to protect the legacy of Delaney, whose works in the last years of his short life were noticeably inferior to his earlier works.
Bern is invited by the Foundation to come to New York City to work on the long-lost fifth and final part of Delancey's masterpiece opera, the Rings of Olympia, which was just found. He jumps at the opportunity. With the help of Bern's computer whiz friend Eboni, clues emerge that a Black woman named Josephine Reed may have been involved in the creation of Delaney's music. Could she have been the true composer? Not only would this change everything for Bern but this would be a huge blow to the Foundation and Delaney's legacy. This riveting, dual timeline story takes us back to when Delaney was struggling to create his own music and met Josephine, a person with a unique talent to develop a wide range of beautiful music through absorbing her surroundings and putting it all down in a series of unique doodles.
If you read and enjoyed author Brendan Slocumb's debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, you won't want to miss Symphony of Secrets. It is so creative in its plot and characters, including the special, neurodivergent Josephine and the passionate Bern who wants to ensure that Josephine's contribution to music is not forever erased. And when it comes to historical fiction, I love when New York City is the setting, especially during the Jazz Age with its vibrant music scene. As a mystery, it's a very enjoyable ride.
Many thanks to the author and Anchor Books for the advance copy. You don't need to be a music lover to enjoy this book. But if you are, Symphony of Secrets will be a real treat.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Bern is invited by the Foundation to come to New York City to work on the long-lost fifth and final part of Delancey's masterpiece opera, the Rings of Olympia, which was just found. He jumps at the opportunity. With the help of Bern's computer whiz friend Eboni, clues emerge that a Black woman named Josephine Reed may have been involved in the creation of Delaney's music. Could she have been the true composer? Not only would this change everything for Bern but this would be a huge blow to the Foundation and Delaney's legacy. This riveting, dual timeline story takes us back to when Delaney was struggling to create his own music and met Josephine, a person with a unique talent to develop a wide range of beautiful music through absorbing her surroundings and putting it all down in a series of unique doodles.
If you read and enjoyed author Brendan Slocumb's debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, you won't want to miss Symphony of Secrets. It is so creative in its plot and characters, including the special, neurodivergent Josephine and the passionate Bern who wants to ensure that Josephine's contribution to music is not forever erased. And when it comes to historical fiction, I love when New York City is the setting, especially during the Jazz Age with its vibrant music scene. As a mystery, it's a very enjoyable ride.
Many thanks to the author and Anchor Books for the advance copy. You don't need to be a music lover to enjoy this book. But if you are, Symphony of Secrets will be a real treat.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This sophomore effect was very good. The modern story unraveling the mystery of the early 20th century characters was not as strong, but a page turner nonetheless. I was caught up in Josephine’s story and her relationship with Freddy. I wish the author was not so heavy handed with his themes and a bit less neat in tying up the loose ends.
What a great book! I had a hard time getting into it in the beginning but so glad I stuck around. What would you do if you discovered your favorite composer may have stolen music from a female Black Jazz Age prodigy? This story follows the heroic journey of Bern and Eboni to uncover the secrets of the past. Intertwined with their story is the past stories between Fredrick and Josephine. It was such a lovely and heartbreaking story all around. I found myself happy for Josephine to have found someone in the beginning and then downright mad at the appalling way she is treated. Eboni is a kick ass girl boss and I’m glad she was there with Bern! I loved her character. Loved how it tied up at the end. Everything was great! I honestly cannot wait to go back and read Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Books for allowing me to read this ARC of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Books for allowing me to read this ARC of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
4.75 — This book is such a page turner that I finished the last half in the middle of the night. The dual timelines building alongside each other were done so well, it's a heavy story but it's one that will grip you until the very end.
Like his previous book, The Violin Conspiracy this combines detailed musical genius with an intriguing mystery and racism
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Such an interesting book and had a very important examination of who owns creative works and how dangerous good intentions can sometimes be
This is the most intriguing book I've read this year. I gave it five stars primarily because of its ability to hold my attention for very long periods. The personalities and characters of the cast were very slowly revealed to expand to a grand closing. There were times when I felt that the author was being a bit long-winded; however, that seemed to be on purpose to leading to a dramatic scene. This isn't a perfect story. In some ways the historical aspects do not fit with contemporary knowledge, but we are to forget reality for a bit and just enjoy the ride. The author's previous novel, The Violin Conspiracy, has some of the same elements: building the mystery from past experiences, contemporary attempts to resolve problems, and technical music themes.