Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Violin Conspiracy

Overall I really enjoyed the book, related to some of the main character's struggles and felt the pacing matched the story however I felt one character lacked history, and the last section felt a bit rushed. I think this book is well suited for Book Clubs or Buddy read, with its' clear sections, themes around racism, perseverance, and music alongside the available spotify playlist and the many poignant quotes throughout.

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noicky's review

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informative inspiring mysterious 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? No

4.5

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mekilouise's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

2.25

I liked the plot but the execution missed for me.

“Musicians of color are severely underrepresented in the classical music world.” This, according to the author, was one of his motivations for writing the book. But the racism and the violin conspiracy plot were disjointed. There were two books here and neither was done a service - the mystery was boiled down to a theft and then a realization that led to the solution. The racism experience was a relentless series of events, unmoored from any other experiences with the violin or the mystery.

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adrienneleigh's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? No

4.5

I really enjoyed reading about Ray and his connection to music and his connection to his family through the music. My favorite scenes were his performances, especially the Tchaikovsky competition. The instances of racism were hard to read, and I’m glad that the author included in the author’s note that these were real things that had happened to him.

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passionatereader78's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

This book is an emotional read. It's so sad. Ray is a great violinist! His mother hates that he plays and wants money. He faces racism at every turn. The only light is his grandmother. She tells a story about her grandfather playing a fiddle like Ray plays the Violin. She loves hearing Ray play. She gives Ray the fiddle and asks him to use that as his instrument. When Ray has the instrument cleaned and appraised he finds out it is a rare Violin worth millions. Ray wants to honor his grandmother and great grandfather and play the instrument. Everyone else has other ideas.

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sfunk's review against another edition

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5.0

This was one of the best books I've read in a while!

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disguisedposer's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious sad fast-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? No

5.0

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