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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
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:
Complicated
loved the mystery and twists turns of this read, was the right level of academic while being engaging and hard to put down. was the perfect plane / travel book since it changed perspectives often and kept me on my toes
challenging
mysterious
tense
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
This was not my usual read but I really enjoyed this whole story. Every aspect of it was intriguing. Narration was fantastic.
Between 2022's The Violin Conspiracy and this new novel, Brendan Slocumb has already carved out a bit of a niche for himself as an author of socially conscious thrillers about the classical music world. I haven't read his first book, but my library got so many requests for this one that I kept an eye on our ebook copy and checked it out once demand for it had subsided a bit. It's worth the hype.
About halfway through, the novel pushes into thriller territory, and at first I was disappointed that it had. I really liked the characters and the historical mystery they were uncovering, and I wasn't especially interested in reading about violence being done to them in the name of raising the stakes. As I went, though, it became clear that these genre conventions were necessary to make a point.
The novel is about the ways that women, racial minorities, and neurodivergent folks in music composition are often forgotten or barred outright from succeeding in the industry, through implicit barriers put in place to maintain patriarchal, white supremacist, and neurotypical societal standards. The mystery composer was forgotten because she was Black in the 1930s and '40s, but the protagonists are unraveling her story in the present day, where the long-term systemic results of her erasure are obvious.
But this story must be a thriller because these implicit barriers are, ultimately, enforced by violence. This story without the violence, as much as I might have enjoyed it more, would have been a lie, which I realized as soon as the antagonists called on the support of law enforcement to keep their conspiracy under wraps. It doesn't matter that this made the mystery novel about music less comforting; if anything, the intent was to make readers less comfortable even though they're reading about subject matter that's usually considered pretty tame.
I'll have to check out Slocumb's first book at some point, and keep an eye on him going forward. He proved himself to be an even cannier writer than I'd originally given him credit for.
About halfway through, the novel pushes into thriller territory, and at first I was disappointed that it had. I really liked the characters and the historical mystery they were uncovering, and I wasn't especially interested in reading about violence being done to them in the name of raising the stakes. As I went, though, it became clear that these genre conventions were necessary to make a point.
The novel is about the ways that women, racial minorities, and neurodivergent folks in music composition are often forgotten or barred outright from succeeding in the industry, through implicit barriers put in place to maintain patriarchal, white supremacist, and neurotypical societal standards. The mystery composer was forgotten because she was Black in the 1930s and '40s, but the protagonists are unraveling her story in the present day, where the long-term systemic results of her erasure are obvious.
But this story must be a thriller because these implicit barriers are, ultimately, enforced by violence. This story without the violence, as much as I might have enjoyed it more, would have been a lie, which I realized as soon as the antagonists called on the support of law enforcement to keep their conspiracy under wraps. It doesn't matter that this made the mystery novel about music less comforting; if anything, the intent was to make readers less comfortable even though they're reading about subject matter that's usually considered pretty tame.
I'll have to check out Slocumb's first book at some point, and keep an eye on him going forward. He proved himself to be an even cannier writer than I'd originally given him credit for.
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Another creative musical based mystery! I read and reviewed this author's debut novel (The Violin Conspiracy) a few months ago and liked it a bit better, but this one was still very interesting!
I liked Josephine's 1920s timeline best. She was a brilliant pianist and composer. I admired her, I liked her, and I really felt for her. The limitations placed on her as a neurodivergent black female at that time in history, and her disadvantageous and dependent position as a composer, were heartbreaking. But as the story progressed, seeing her come into her own and be brave was heartwarming!
Downsides were that elements were redundant in places, and I wished characters in the present day timeline had definitive closure around Josephine's death. (Not a spoiler since she didn't live to be 125+ years old.)
The consensus in book club meeting was (1) there were some holes we wish had been filled in, (2) we all enjoyed it, but those that had read his first novel enjoyed that one better overall, and (3) we didn't feel deeply for present day characters as people (contributing to a 3⭐ storyline for me), but loved Josephine's storyline (5⭐ plotline).
I will definitely read this author every time for his uniqueness surrounding the musical element and the expertise he brings from his own musical experience.
I liked Josephine's 1920s timeline best. She was a brilliant pianist and composer. I admired her, I liked her, and I really felt for her. The limitations placed on her as a neurodivergent black female at that time in history, and her disadvantageous and dependent position as a composer, were heartbreaking. But as the story progressed, seeing her come into her own and be brave was heartwarming!
Downsides were that elements were redundant in places, and I wished characters in the present day timeline had definitive closure around Josephine's death. (Not a spoiler since she didn't live to be 125+ years old.)
The consensus in book club meeting was (1) there were some holes we wish had been filled in, (2) we all enjoyed it, but those that had read his first novel enjoyed that one better overall, and (3) we didn't feel deeply for present day characters as people (contributing to a 3⭐ storyline for me), but loved Josephine's storyline (5⭐ plotline).
I will definitely read this author every time for his uniqueness surrounding the musical element and the expertise he brings from his own musical experience.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
adventurous
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:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes