Reviews with content warning for Classism - The Violin Conspiracy

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

15 reviews

mavemarie's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The journey of this story's structure mimics both what we expect, and what we fail to see in the world around us. It highlights the flaws in doing so.

It sets out to unravel a traditionally coded crime mystery, simply from a black perspective on the surface, but instead, the story lulls and expands to showcase a background with ranging intricacies and a more prominent, and more worthy, story instead. It is tense and uncomfortable. Heartwarming and soothing. Prideful, encouraging and sometimes disappointing as well. And it is a love note to music in every single page. I wish I had more of a musical background to appreciate it more.

As a contemporary piece, it makes the encounters within the story that much more jarring. We have all gone to school with Ray. We have sat next to him on the plane. Listened to him play at our aunts wedding. We have all seen him on the side of the road next to some flashing lights. Hearing the authors life experiences as they inform the story and these moments... is beyond heartbreaking.

The time spent diverging from its genre makes rating it as a simple thriller/mystery... almost lackluster. But this is not just a story about a missing violin. It is about connection, trust, perseverance, family, and friendship. It is about race, culture, heritage and hardship. It is about love.

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thissagreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

I give this book a 2.5/5 for concept but it was NOT a thriller. Mysterious yes, but nothing close to a thriller like I thought. I liked getting to know the world of a professional violinist and that the main character -Ray- was so in love with classical music. That being said, I think the book moved a bit too slow for me, and I wanted to see Ray thrive and put up some actual boundaries with his family. But he never did, and that was incredibly frustrating. It also felt like we learned a lot about his past and upbringing (including the event that led to the missing violin) but it didn’t seem like Ray had much personality. Honesty he was stiff, tense and boring in my opinion, and the way Ray handled all the hatred from his family, and racism from white people was mostly frustrating. Yes there were some moments that he definitely did a great job handling, but as a black person myself who’s been dealing with racism and classism my entire life, I think his lack of personality and (in my opinion) how he navigated bigots and racists, was lackluster. For me, it is why the booked seemed to drag on longer than it needed. Lastly: finding out the “why” behind his violin being stolen. It was disappointingly rushed and brushed over. All that time the writer talked about Ray’s past, but he didn’t flesh out the ending enough!? So frustrating. Not to mention, as the reader, I pretty much assumed who it was fairly quickly so that was a bummer.

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kelly_e's review against another edition

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emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Title: The Violin Conspiracy
Author: Brendan Slocumb
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: February 1, 2022

T H R E E • W O R D S

Original • Poignant • Reflective

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music.

When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I'd initially added The Violin Conspiracy to my TBR when it was selected as a GMA pick (I've had previous success with GMA picks in the past), yet what really solidified me wanting to pick it up was it being on the 2022 end-of-the-year favourites list of two trusted friends. All of this made it an easy choice to include as part of my 12 recommendations from 12 friends in 2023.

Quick take: I absolutely loved this book! It was exactly the type of book that reminds me why I love reading to begin with. It combined so many elements I love (a heist, a mystery, a messy family, some history, an underdog story...) and evoked a whole range of emotions. Ray is one of those memorable characters that will stick with me. He knows what he wants, and despite facing so much adversity and many obstacles, he remains determined to pursue his dreams.

Throughout the narrative, there was also the opportunity for me to learn and gain an understanding of the classism and racism in the classical music industry. I cannot say this is a topic I have thought about in the past, but this book certainly sparked a curiosity. Slocumb talks about his personal experience as a black musician in the classical music world in his author's note, and I think this is a valuable addition to the book. I would by no means considered myself a classical music fan, yet I was absolutely drawn into the history of the violin and Ray's world. Slocumb has interwoven so many moving passages about the power and beauty of music.

The audiobook, read by JD Jackson, is absolutely fantastic - I could easily listen to his voice all day long. There are also beautiful pieces of classical music interspersed between chapters, which really connected me to the story. It made for the perfect tandem read.

I had my suspicions as to whodunit early on, but it never detracted from my interest. With only three months left in the year, it is safe to say The Violin Conspiracy will be finding a way onto my 2023 favourites, and my copy will be finding a home on my favourites shelf. After his fantastic debut, I am really looking forward to reading his follow up, Symphony of Secrets.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• everyone!
• fans of the underdog
• book clubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Alone, we are a solitary violin, a lonely flute, a trumpet singing in the dark. Together, we are a symphony."

"He would tell you that music is truly a universal language, and that we, the listeners, will always impose our own fears and biases, our own hopes and hungers, on whatever we hear. He would tell you that the rhythm that spurred Tchaikovsky is the same rhythm that a kid in a redneck North Carolina town would beat with a stick against a fallen tree. It is a rhythm in all of us. Music is about communication - a way of touching your fellow man beyond and above and below language; it is a language all its own."

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alisonfaith426's review

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mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.25

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chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Fairly trite mystery revolving around a talented black violinist. I liked the writing style, which moved along at a great clip, and I wanted to like the characters, but they all felt fairly two-dimensional and often were used to manipulate the reader's emotions (eg, Grandma Nora and the epilogue with Janice). I never like to figure out the mystery ahead of time if I can help it, but this one I saw coming fairly early - no real twist. Loved the descriptions of classical music and performance art, and of course, the book makes important points about promoting diversity in classical music and racism in America. I wish the author had done a better job of framing the racist incidents in particular; Ray seems utterly blindsided by every single one, which seems strange.

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pershie13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective tense 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

5.0

It took me a long time to finally finish this book while completing my last semester of undergrad, but this book turned out fantastic! The book follows the story of violinist Ray McMillan, who received no formal training on his instrument until he reached college. Mentored by his violin professor Dr. Janice Stevens, Ray becomes one of the best at his craft. Along with following his journey as a violinist, the story also places an emphasis on the instrument he plays, a Stradivarius violin passed down to him by his grandmother. The story turns into a sort of mystery/thriller as we find out in the opening pages that this violin has been stolen and requires a multi-million dollar ransom for its return. This story covers many of the issues that Black people often face in the field of classical music, as well as the themes of hard work, family, and mentorship. The story definitely took unexpected turns, and I questioned to the very end what was going to happen to Ray, his violin, and his musical career. The book was fantastic, and I enjoyed every twist and turn!

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