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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I did not care for this book. I was feeling fairly middling about it until the end, when the tone shifted abruptly from a historical musical mystery to police brutality and two murders . I just didn't find the story believable, even the relationship between Eboni and Bern ... and I read fantasy! No shade if you liked it; I just didn't.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Murder, Toxic friendship
Minor: Suicide
challenging
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
tense
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So good - these characters are written so well, you will really love them or hate them, but you will definitely care what happens to them.
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Sophomore books from authors who had a strong debut scare me. I worry that the second book will fall short of the first. Not to worry here; A Symphony of Secrets was as great as The Violin Conspiracy.
Bern is one of the foremost scholars of the famous American composer Frederick Delaney. Delaney rose to fame in the late 1920s/early 1930s. His most famous works are the Rings opera; a series of operas written to commemorate each Olympic ring. The last of these operas, Red, was lost and Delaney spent 10 years rewriting the piece. On release, it was shockingly bad, and far below Delaney’s usual genius. Now, decades later, the original manuscript of Red has been found and Bern has been hired by the philanthropic and powerful Delaney Foundation to restore it. Bern discovers that Delaney had a companion – a Black woman named Josephine Reed who seems to have had at least some part in helping Delaney with his work. The question Bern and his kick-ass friend, Ebony, need to discover is exactly what role Josephine played in Delaney’s life.
The story is told in a dual timeline – my favorite! In the present-day Bern and Eboni attempt to solve the mysteries of both Josephine Reed, and also the cryptic “Delaney Doodles” that appear throughout Delaney’s compositions, while dodging the attempts of a nefarious organization to stop them. In the 1920s timeline, we follow the relationship between Josephine and Delaney, his rise to fame, and his ultimate decline.
Josephine was an intriguing character and beautifully portrayed. She is a brilliant and musically gifted Black neurodivergent woman. This could have been problematic, but in Slocumb’s hands she was a fully formed complex character written with sensitivity, and she was easily my favorite character.
This book has a lot of elements – music, race, and intrigue. I do not have any musical education, and I did not find that element off-putting in the least. On the contrary, I found it enlightening and I have great appreciation for people who are musically inclined in any way. As in The Violin Conspiracy, the experiences of racism, and everyday life as a Black person, was eye opening (and shame inducing) to me as a white reader. Like The Violin Conspiracy, this book also spotlighted black musicians in a predominantly white playground.
I enjoyed this as much as the Violin Conspiracy, and am grateful that the author created a storyline and characters that were completely different, rather than capitalizing on the formula of his prior success. My only small quibble is that the last 15% or so might have been a bit rushed.
Thanks to Net Galley and FILL IN for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book.
Bern is one of the foremost scholars of the famous American composer Frederick Delaney. Delaney rose to fame in the late 1920s/early 1930s. His most famous works are the Rings opera; a series of operas written to commemorate each Olympic ring. The last of these operas, Red, was lost and Delaney spent 10 years rewriting the piece. On release, it was shockingly bad, and far below Delaney’s usual genius. Now, decades later, the original manuscript of Red has been found and Bern has been hired by the philanthropic and powerful Delaney Foundation to restore it. Bern discovers that Delaney had a companion – a Black woman named Josephine Reed who seems to have had at least some part in helping Delaney with his work. The question Bern and his kick-ass friend, Ebony, need to discover is exactly what role Josephine played in Delaney’s life.
The story is told in a dual timeline – my favorite! In the present-day Bern and Eboni attempt to solve the mysteries of both Josephine Reed, and also the cryptic “Delaney Doodles” that appear throughout Delaney’s compositions, while dodging the attempts of a nefarious organization to stop them. In the 1920s timeline, we follow the relationship between Josephine and Delaney, his rise to fame, and his ultimate decline.
Josephine was an intriguing character and beautifully portrayed. She is a brilliant and musically gifted Black neurodivergent woman. This could have been problematic, but in Slocumb’s hands she was a fully formed complex character written with sensitivity, and she was easily my favorite character.
This book has a lot of elements – music, race, and intrigue. I do not have any musical education, and I did not find that element off-putting in the least. On the contrary, I found it enlightening and I have great appreciation for people who are musically inclined in any way. As in The Violin Conspiracy, the experiences of racism, and everyday life as a Black person, was eye opening (and shame inducing) to me as a white reader. Like The Violin Conspiracy, this book also spotlighted black musicians in a predominantly white playground.
I enjoyed this as much as the Violin Conspiracy, and am grateful that the author created a storyline and characters that were completely different, rather than capitalizing on the formula of his prior success. My only small quibble is that the last 15% or so might have been a bit rushed.
Thanks to Net Galley and FILL IN for the chance to read an advanced copy of this book.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
SYMPHONY OF SECRETS starts out with what I felt was a slowish pace but midway through becomes an intense page-turner with mounting suspense.
Using a dual-timeline construction, author Brendan Slocumb moves back and forth in time, slowly unveiling two stories about fictitious American music composer, the late Frederick Delaney:
• The modern Delaney has the reputation of a brilliant and versatile musician from the 1920s, the musical genius of his era, who wrote everything from operas to popular dance songs. This Delaney used his considerable success to create a charitable foundation which encourages poor children to study music by funding their interest.
• The true story of how Delaney achieved his success is quite different and, as the title suggests, is full of unexpected secrets. This story is revealed when Bern Hendricks, an academic expert and lifelong fan of Delaney, is hired by a Delaney descendant to authenticate a newly found piece of lost music from the late composer.
From there the novel takes off and all a reader has to do is enjoy the ride as you navigate the plot's completely unpredictable twists and turns. Along the way, you'll sit in on the lively New York City music scene of the 1920s, learn how the early music business came together, and why that business subsequently required federal regulation.
Important contemporary issues are woven throughout; like racism, corruption, police brutality, and worse. As well as the secrets behind the lives of the rich and powerful. Perhaps most interesting of all is watching how history is so easily passed down through the generations, lies and all. SYMPHONY OF SECRETS is a completely absorbing novel.
Using a dual-timeline construction, author Brendan Slocumb moves back and forth in time, slowly unveiling two stories about fictitious American music composer, the late Frederick Delaney:
• The modern Delaney has the reputation of a brilliant and versatile musician from the 1920s, the musical genius of his era, who wrote everything from operas to popular dance songs. This Delaney used his considerable success to create a charitable foundation which encourages poor children to study music by funding their interest.
• The true story of how Delaney achieved his success is quite different and, as the title suggests, is full of unexpected secrets. This story is revealed when Bern Hendricks, an academic expert and lifelong fan of Delaney, is hired by a Delaney descendant to authenticate a newly found piece of lost music from the late composer.
From there the novel takes off and all a reader has to do is enjoy the ride as you navigate the plot's completely unpredictable twists and turns. Along the way, you'll sit in on the lively New York City music scene of the 1920s, learn how the early music business came together, and why that business subsequently required federal regulation.
Important contemporary issues are woven throughout; like racism, corruption, police brutality, and worse. As well as the secrets behind the lives of the rich and powerful. Perhaps most interesting of all is watching how history is so easily passed down through the generations, lies and all. SYMPHONY OF SECRETS is a completely absorbing novel.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Racism, Violence, Murder
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
Cool concept! Really enjoyed the last 25% of the book, but it was a bit of a slow and somewhat repetitive build to get there. I think I might have enjoyed reading a hardcopy a bit more - audiobook narrator wasn’t my favorite. Liked it more when I sped up the audiobook speed a lot.