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thereisalwaystimeforbooks's review
2.0
Well, I’m not really sure how I feel. I don’t think a book has left me wondering if I enjoyed it before
elentarri's review
3.0
"The Piano Room" is a rather bleak and gothic retelling (of sorts) of 'Faust', in which musically talentless Sandor bargains with the devil for freedom from parental expectations and ends up with the unintended and unanticipated results thereof. This is a dual timeline novel, set in an old mansion along the Danube in 1970 from Sandor's perspective, and in Prague in 1980 from Ferdi's perspective. The personalities of the characters (major and minor) are well written, especially Ferdi's growth from innocent plaything of the devil to a person of his own agency. Velentza manages to capture atmosphere and setting very well - from the bleak, winter setting at an old mansion to the bustling city of Prague, but the plot dragged a bit in places and something was just missing from the story. Never the less, still an interesting and enjoyable story.
abigailwantstoread_01's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
This book was so good! it was twisty and glorious from start to finish. It took me a couple of chapters to get into it and to understand what was actually happening. Although I still don't fully know what was going on I really liked that aspect of the book. The romance was unexpected but was great to read. It is definitely a book that I need to think about for a while after finishing it to fully gather all my thoughts about it.
nini23's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I love Faustian bargains, and this involves the exchange of musical talent and freedom from a predetermined constricted life in a Hungarian setting. Sandor Esterhazy comes from a long line of distinguished musicians and he is expected to enter the Academy of Music to follow in the family's footsteps. The problem is that he has neither inclination nor talent at the piano. In a fit, he performs a ritual in a forest to summon the Devil. After the damned agreement, there is a created doppelganger of Sandor, intended to be a replacement in his life while he goes free. This replica he names Ferdi who we meet a decade later living an independent life as a dishwasher at a tavern. The tale is bleak and menacing, shards of light in Ferdi's life are in his found family Dieter, Erzsi and Petar. His undeniable skill at the piano also leads to some lovely mentors giving him a legup in performance exposure. Ferdi though struggles with the question of whether he is real and what nefarious purpose he was created for. Both Sandor and the Devil reappear in his life, whoever sees both him and Sandor mark them as unnatural monsters.
A gothic feverish claustrophobic dream involving dark alleys, murders, a resurrection and rings along the Danube River in abandoned mansions.
A gothic feverish claustrophobic dream involving dark alleys, murders, a resurrection and rings along the Danube River in abandoned mansions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Confinement
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