Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

15 reviews

scrummyb's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This one is a hard one to rate. First off, this book is not about a missing violin. That is just a mechanism, that in my opinion, the author most likely used so he could write a book that wasn't just a semi auto biography, and would propel the story along. He himself is a black man & a classical musician and without looking anything else up about him, I'm sure these events were inspired by his real life experience. So for the "mystery" of the missing violin, only 2.5-3 stars. It was pretty obvious from the beginning. But as I said, that's not really what the book is about. This book is about a black man's experience in the classical music world. About systemic racism, generational trauma, & about his identity and his relationship with his family. And its a fantastic read when that's what you're rating. I know nothing about the classical music world and it was fascinating to read about it and have that as the back drop for the story. I grew attached to the main character and his grandmother and I felt the emotions along with him. So while I entered into this book thinking it was predominantly a mystery about a violin, it still gets 4.25 stars because it's a beautiful read that invokes powerful feelings as well as is an interesting look into the world of classical music.
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rebeccarudisill's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

5.0

Ray is the absolute heart of this book. His genuine love for music and his soul level goodness made me love him from page one. He approaches everything and everyone from a place of genuine kindness, and his love for his grandmother was truly touching. The story is fantastic and keeps you engaged until the end. I am so thankful for the opportunity to know Ray and to know the pieces of Brendan Slocumb himself that were woven into this sorry. Also, on behalf of Baton Rouge, I am truly sorry for the way our people treated you. It was wrong, and we will do better. 
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etalton's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

3.5

The way Brendan Slocumb writes whenever Ray picks up the violin is utterly enchanting. You could omit the words ‘Ray picked up the violin’ completely and know just by the way the words pick you up and start dancing around you. I listened to the audiobook, which has violins playing between each part. It is a wild story; parts of it were hard to believe, and other parts were rather predictable. 



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eicart_reads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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