Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
weird. This book was weird. It was interesting to be inside Lucy's head but she was kind of messed up!! And Will!!! WOW! What a tool! I was disappointed in how he ended up. Interesting book.
I've admired Sara Zarr's writing knack since I read Story of a Girl so it pained me to give this book 2 stars. It's unfortunate that The Lucy Variations fell flat on the characterization and the lack of any real problems evident in the discreet but profound Story of a Girl. As much as I hate to compare, it's inevitable to think that the two books were written by the same author.
I didn't get the "daddy issues" that was very much present in the character of Lucy. From hitting on her English professor in hopes of becoming the teacher's pet slash jailbait, to full-on luring her brother's piano teacher because of her desperate need for attention and acceptance. It's weird that she was constantly targeting these older, married figures when her family seemed stable enough and her father, supportive and loving enough. The story didn't provide much back story (even in the 3rd person POV) to make me understand why Lucy got the hots for poetic older guys.
The problems shown here were pretty much #privilegedpeopleproblems and it didn't contribute much to alleviate the slow progress of the book, nor the development of the main characters. Idk, as much as I wanted to like the story because it tackled music and passion and ambition, the way it was told just wasn't my tempo.
I didn't get the "daddy issues" that was very much present in the character of Lucy. From hitting on her English professor in hopes of becoming the teacher's pet slash jailbait, to full-on luring her brother's piano teacher because of her desperate need for attention and acceptance. It's weird that she was constantly targeting these older, married figures when her family seemed stable enough and her father, supportive and loving enough. The story didn't provide much back story (even in the 3rd person POV) to make me understand why Lucy got the hots for poetic older guys.
The problems shown here were pretty much #privilegedpeopleproblems and it didn't contribute much to alleviate the slow progress of the book, nor the development of the main characters. Idk, as much as I wanted to like the story because it tackled music and passion and ambition, the way it was told just wasn't my tempo.
Lucy was a great concert pianist, until she decided to give it all up one day. Piano had become her life and she was missing important family interactions because her mother and grandfather wanted to continue pushing her further to the path of stardom. Flash forward several months. Lucy's brother is on the same piano path as she was when his piano teacher dies during a lesson. The family hires a new teacher, Will, who seems more like a friend than rigid teacher. Lucy begins to have feelings for him and toys with the idea of playing again. Lucy struggles with coming to terms with what she really wants.
There were several seemingly inappropriate romantic-esq relationships between adults and teens, which is always a big turn off for me. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters. Though I was interested in the professional piano world.
There were several seemingly inappropriate romantic-esq relationships between adults and teens, which is always a big turn off for me. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters. Though I was interested in the professional piano world.
This book reminds me of the beautiful things in life and I really needed that this weekend. Lucy, sixteen, a piano prodigy, is facing stressful situations with her family but through it all, she reaffirms and holds on to things she loves, like music, and also certain simple pleasures of life. It's told in third person and it's a fast read but has depth and Lucy's inner growth.
The Lucy Variations was a very meditative and contemplative book. Zarr devoted most of the pages to Lucy’s internal struggle between her desire to play piano again and her familial duty. In focusing on that struggle, Zarr significantly developed Lucy’s character but had little time to create additional well-rounded characters, like Lucy’s family and friends. I expected more to happen in the novel but action was limited due to Lucy’s introspective conflict and the reliance on flashbacks to detail key events. The dynamics between characters were limited and forced; Zarr could have developed a more complex relationship between Lucy and her brother’s piano teacher, Will, but the relationship resolved itself unsatisfactorily at the end. However, it was a good book overall. The themes in the novel of coming-of-age, music, and being true to yourself are universal and very relatable, which makes it a meaningful read.
Ehhhhhh... Didn't really like this. At all...
I found that it was wildly implausible, rather concerning (romance-wise), and not even that well written. The entire premise seemed blown out of proportion (to me). And Will? Dear. Lord. It was so uncomfortable! Not to mention worrying...? Part way through, I realized there was no good way for it to end, and I kind of braced myself for the rest of the book. And it didn't end well. Surprise, surprise. Also, the characters didn't really appeal to me. Except for Carson. So yeah. I finished the book unsatisfied and vaguely disgusted.
Overall: quite disappointing, and rather questionable
I found that it was wildly implausible, rather concerning (romance-wise), and not even that well written. The entire premise seemed blown out of proportion (to me). And Will? Dear. Lord. It was so uncomfortable! Not to mention worrying...? Part way through, I realized there was no good way for it to end, and I kind of braced myself for the rest of the book. And it didn't end well. Surprise, surprise. Also, the characters didn't really appeal to me. Except for Carson. So yeah. I finished the book unsatisfied and vaguely disgusted.
Overall: quite disappointing, and rather questionable
I think this book captures so perfectly what I love about Sara Zarr. Everything is so meaningful, but nothing is dramatic. It's just a quiet kind of story with characters living their every day lives, but that doesn't mean that it lacks importance. Everything that happens matters so much to the characters and their lives, but it lacks melodrama.
One thing that I love so much is how this book captures Lucy's differences from the average teenagers. And I don't mean this in a "not like other girls" way. Lucy is a 16 year old in high school, but she didn't always go to school full time. For a lot of her life, she was a professional musician and spent more time around adults. It changes how she perceives relationships between adults and teenagers, and how she perceives her own role in the world. It's subtly done and she does have teenage friends as well, but I really loved the execution of that element.
I also really liked the family dynamic. Lucy lives with her parents, grandfather, and younger brother, and each brings their own unique and important relationship to the story. It never felt like their were too many moving pieces or anyone got left out. They were always so well crafted and I really enjoyed seeing each of them played out in the story.
I'm honestly struggling with what else to say. I just enjoyed this book thoroughly. It hasn't been my favorite of Zarr's books, but it's definitely up there. It's such a worthwhile, wonderful book and I'd highly recommend it.
One thing that I love so much is how this book captures Lucy's differences from the average teenagers. And I don't mean this in a "not like other girls" way. Lucy is a 16 year old in high school, but she didn't always go to school full time. For a lot of her life, she was a professional musician and spent more time around adults. It changes how she perceives relationships between adults and teenagers, and how she perceives her own role in the world. It's subtly done and she does have teenage friends as well, but I really loved the execution of that element.
I also really liked the family dynamic. Lucy lives with her parents, grandfather, and younger brother, and each brings their own unique and important relationship to the story. It never felt like their were too many moving pieces or anyone got left out. They were always so well crafted and I really enjoyed seeing each of them played out in the story.
I'm honestly struggling with what else to say. I just enjoyed this book thoroughly. It hasn't been my favorite of Zarr's books, but it's definitely up there. It's such a worthwhile, wonderful book and I'd highly recommend it.
Reading books about professional performers tends to be an engrossing experience for me. As a passionate person and a choir singer myself, I can relate to their dedication to music, although I am never anywhere near their level. Their personal crises fascinate me, spellbinding in their illustration of what talent of that caliber can do to a person. I am almost always riveted, attached to the characters and unwilling to turn away from the world.
This was not the case with The Lucy Variations.
Music books often begin with the protagonist on the top, just beginning to teeter, but this tale opens with Lucy already having left her instrument behind. She admits that she worries she has lost her heart, her ability to love, after snapping in the face of expectations. She shows this shift by drawing away from her family and dancing through conflicted, not-quite-romantic mentorships with older men in her life. As much as she wants to feel again, people's expectations have pushed her passion away, ultimately leaving her with no choice but to pen it up, and this deeply buried emotion under a façade of apathy creates a disconnected character that a third-person narrative does not help bring to life. With such strange, difficult-to-relate-to characterization, the author makes it nearly impossible for readers to connect with Lucy the way I usually can with fictitious musicians. However, despite her distance, I fell in love with the protagonist anyway.
Although Lucy's personality was new for me and eerily unpleasant at first, the more intensely I looked into it, the more fascinated I became with her conflicted character. She begs for dissection, and Sara Zarr dares readers to analyze her every action, examining her family dynamics, her friendships, and her in-between relationship with Will. I adore this kind of strange character who I must ponder and theorize about in order to not hate, but as much as I grow to understand them, I rarely end up connecting with them. This is not a problem for me; while I do like relating to protagonists, I find equal enjoyment in watching them from the outside if they are as intriguing as Lucy. However, the main character's initial distant quality may present a problem for some readers.
But those who, like I was, are initially put of by or even continue to be put off by Lucy's early aloof personality should continue reading because, unlike other music-based YA I have read, her tale is one more about rediscovering a love of song than losing it. The protagonist grows so much in her ability to express herself through notes, actions, and words and becomes warmer and more human by the chapter. Her shifts in desires and decisions will have readers cheering for her and even beginning to connect with her just a bit.
With its removed protagonist and distancing third-person narrative, The Lucy Variations creates an emotional setup hidden from readers, providing a rewarding journey for both the characters and those who encounter them. Working to understand Lucy is a battle well worth it because hers is the kind of characterization that requires work from the reader, not just the author. And once she clicks into clarity, her story shines in a splendor even more entrancing than the crystalline notes she creates on her slender, ivory-colored keys.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.
This was not the case with The Lucy Variations.
Music books often begin with the protagonist on the top, just beginning to teeter, but this tale opens with Lucy already having left her instrument behind. She admits that she worries she has lost her heart, her ability to love, after snapping in the face of expectations. She shows this shift by drawing away from her family and dancing through conflicted, not-quite-romantic mentorships with older men in her life. As much as she wants to feel again, people's expectations have pushed her passion away, ultimately leaving her with no choice but to pen it up, and this deeply buried emotion under a façade of apathy creates a disconnected character that a third-person narrative does not help bring to life. With such strange, difficult-to-relate-to characterization, the author makes it nearly impossible for readers to connect with Lucy the way I usually can with fictitious musicians. However, despite her distance, I fell in love with the protagonist anyway.
Although Lucy's personality was new for me and eerily unpleasant at first, the more intensely I looked into it, the more fascinated I became with her conflicted character. She begs for dissection, and Sara Zarr dares readers to analyze her every action, examining her family dynamics, her friendships, and her in-between relationship with Will. I adore this kind of strange character who I must ponder and theorize about in order to not hate, but as much as I grow to understand them, I rarely end up connecting with them. This is not a problem for me; while I do like relating to protagonists, I find equal enjoyment in watching them from the outside if they are as intriguing as Lucy. However, the main character's initial distant quality may present a problem for some readers.
But those who, like I was, are initially put of by or even continue to be put off by Lucy's early aloof personality should continue reading because, unlike other music-based YA I have read, her tale is one more about rediscovering a love of song than losing it. The protagonist grows so much in her ability to express herself through notes, actions, and words and becomes warmer and more human by the chapter. Her shifts in desires and decisions will have readers cheering for her and even beginning to connect with her just a bit.
With its removed protagonist and distancing third-person narrative, The Lucy Variations creates an emotional setup hidden from readers, providing a rewarding journey for both the characters and those who encounter them. Working to understand Lucy is a battle well worth it because hers is the kind of characterization that requires work from the reader, not just the author. And once she clicks into clarity, her story shines in a splendor even more entrancing than the crystalline notes she creates on her slender, ivory-colored keys.
This review originally appeared at www.foreverliterary.blogspot.com.