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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
So page turning. I couldn't put this down. A great look at music, dreams, passion, and race. I wish in both timelines the antagonist could've had a worse time in the end, but i feel like there was enough finding out that i was happy.
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
READ REVIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! SOME SPOILERS
Honestly, this is going onto the favorites list!
Things to know: lots of music/notes talk that doesn't carry as much weight as one would think. (IMO of course) Once I let go of trying to keep up with that, the story started to flow and was way more entertaining! Lots of racial things as well; including police brutality which can be triggering for a lot of us.
This aside, the character development was chef's kiss! The loathing of Fred just continued to grow and grow as things developed. Once you learn of his murderous ways, there is no turning back. He's horrid enough, and it just keeps getting worse.
The ending left me punching the air in the best way! Also, dont sleep on Eboni 😏
Honestly, this is going onto the favorites list!
Things to know: lots of music/notes talk that doesn't carry as much weight as one would think. (IMO of course) Once I let go of trying to keep up with that, the story started to flow and was way more entertaining! Lots of racial things as well; including police brutality which can be triggering for a lot of us.
This aside, the character development was chef's kiss! The loathing of Fred just continued to grow and grow as things developed. Once you learn of his murderous ways, there is no turning back. He's horrid enough, and it just keeps getting worse.
The ending left me punching the air in the best way! Also, dont sleep on Eboni 😏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Classism
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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
You don't have to love (or even like) classical music to get sucked into this story about a music professor tasked with transcribing a lost symphony who get much much more than he bargained for.
This book made me so angry...not because the writing was bad (because it was excellent), but the fact that our nation was built on the backs of black and brown people (and immigrants). We seem to lose fact about this in our politically charged environment. The novel tells the tale of 1900s composer and songwriter Frederic Delaney and the realization that the majority of his songs were written by Josephine Reed (an African-American woman). The representation of a neurodivergent individuals was amazing. She would hear sounds as musical notes which inspired her music. It is told in two different narratives; that of the time that Delaney was alive and present-day where a professor (Dr. Hendrix) makes the discovery (when he is hired by the Foundation to do research on the newly discovered Delaney "Red" piece-each of the operas is a color represented by one of the Olympic rings). The Delaney Foundation will stop at nothing to ensure this information will not be released. I loved Slocumb's author note at the end and I am so in love with his first book, The Violin Conspiracy that it felt an injustice to put this at the same level. However, if I could give half-stars, it would be 4.5. I will always be supporting his writing because through all the interviews I have seen of him, he is putting so much goodness into the world.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Another great book by Brendan Slocumb. I enjoyed the mystery and the author's compelling explorations of music, history, and race. The one area that didn't quite stand up for me was the characters: Josephine and Eboni were quirky to the point of manic pixie dream girls (speaking as someone who has synesthesia myself) whose lives inexplicably revolved around a man, Bern has little personality despite being the protagonist, Fred's personality seems to shift to whatever the plot requires, and there's an unnecessary romance that doesn't really add anything to the narrative. Overall though, this is a well-written and readable book I recommend to anyone interested in the subject matter.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes