Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

16 reviews

meganpbennett's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.0

The Violin Conspiracy is a very tightly-paced, well-plotted thriller. You want to know what happens next, eagerly turning the pages until the very end, when it all comes together. 

Ray is a young black man playing a rented school fiddle when his grandma remembers her grandfather's fiddle, hidden away in the attic for years, and he plays the violin at a few concerts and competitions, winning a scholarship to college. And then he learns that the violin is.... a Strad. A legit, $10 million dollar Italian-made Stradivarius violin. He's immediately famous - the black kid playing a priceless family heirloom that is actually a priceless violin - and plays around the world. 

In the first few chapters - which are set after the violin is stolen from his New York City hotel room - we learn that there are numerous suspects, including his own family. Those chapters are difficult to follow, as Ray is our POV character, and Ray is totally distraught, which means the stream-of-consciousness writing is hard to follow. The first section is really one to power through. The book starts getting really good once the violin's provenance is established, and the Marks family walks into the picture. 
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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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momsmagicreads's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense 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

4.5

I enjoyed this peek into the world of professional musicians, and I've never been so concerned about a violin! It is impossible to keep Ray's story from touching your heart: his gift, his persistence in spite of the racism he is subjected to (and you'll get angry about it, too), the inspiration he gets from the memory of his grandmother, and the opportunities that lead to his success. Although Ray generously provides support to his extended family, they continue to want more. Then the descendants of the family who had enslaved Ray's great-great-grandfather thought they were entitled to a (big) piece of the pie. And then twist - there's always a twist! I am eager to read Slocumb's next novel.
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kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious tense 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? Yes

5.0

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tiasreads's review against another edition

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atamano's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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