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Most of the characters become less interesting as the book progresses. However, I love the part music plays in the story. Not just the quartet, but music is laced in the word choices & is so significant that it is a character itself.
4 people learning life, collaboration and music together.
Oooh this book is so lovely!! Reminded me of Normal People in some ways (time jumps, psychological stuff between people, relationships). A really juicy, wonderful story of a string quartet over twenty years, told from each of their perspectives. Very satisfyingly told, too, thanks to the time jumps and Gabel's absolutely enchanting and excellent writing, particularly the passages that describe the musicians playing! That is hard to do. A perfect summer read. Restores your faith in humanity, in love, in music, in community. This is a book about seeing the people you love, really seeing them, and being seen in return. Even when it feels unbearable, or like you or they don't deserve it. Doing it anyway, because you have to, either because of a promise you've made, or because somewhere along the way, that seeing and allowing yourself to be seen becomes unconditional.
Well-written, but I had trouble connecting with the characters.
Full review at: https://www.everydayiwritethebookblog.com/2021/05/the-ensemble-by-aja-gabel/
I was drawn to Aja Gabel’s novel The Ensemble because I liked the premise: four people spend decades together as members of a string quartet, bridging San Francisco and New York and back to San Francisco, spanning life events like marriages and parenthood, knowing each other more intimately than spouses thanks to the intensity caused by proximity and interdependence. And for the most part, that’s what I got from it, though it was not quite what I expected.
I liked Gabel’s exploration of the role these musicians played in each other’s lives, like a family where you have to accept and depend on each other, for better or worse. The Ensemble is very introspective, with lots of interior shots of these characters’ minds. I was hoping for more about the mechanics of being in an ensemble, from performing together to rehearsals to rivalries and different playing styles. That’s all there, to some extent, but it plays a backseat to somewhat repetitive analyses of the characters’ thoughts and feelings. Lots of telling, not so much showing. I got kind of bogged down in the first two thirds, when the book felt pretty slow, though by the last third I felt more invested and became more patient with Gabel’s writing style.
So The Ensemble was a mixed bag for me. I liked the complexity of the characters and the unique nature of their relationships, but I would have been interested in more emphasis on the music and the workings of the ensemble and less on the characters’ feelings and angst. (Can I point out one line that I loved, though, about Northern California? “This was the kind of California that was so unbelievable that it was nearly unbearable, and there was nothing for Brit to do but relax into it.”)
I was drawn to Aja Gabel’s novel The Ensemble because I liked the premise: four people spend decades together as members of a string quartet, bridging San Francisco and New York and back to San Francisco, spanning life events like marriages and parenthood, knowing each other more intimately than spouses thanks to the intensity caused by proximity and interdependence. And for the most part, that’s what I got from it, though it was not quite what I expected.
I liked Gabel’s exploration of the role these musicians played in each other’s lives, like a family where you have to accept and depend on each other, for better or worse. The Ensemble is very introspective, with lots of interior shots of these characters’ minds. I was hoping for more about the mechanics of being in an ensemble, from performing together to rehearsals to rivalries and different playing styles. That’s all there, to some extent, but it plays a backseat to somewhat repetitive analyses of the characters’ thoughts and feelings. Lots of telling, not so much showing. I got kind of bogged down in the first two thirds, when the book felt pretty slow, though by the last third I felt more invested and became more patient with Gabel’s writing style.
So The Ensemble was a mixed bag for me. I liked the complexity of the characters and the unique nature of their relationships, but I would have been interested in more emphasis on the music and the workings of the ensemble and less on the characters’ feelings and angst. (Can I point out one line that I loved, though, about Northern California? “This was the kind of California that was so unbelievable that it was nearly unbearable, and there was nothing for Brit to do but relax into it.”)
emotional
reflective
slow-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
Beautifully written. Loved the audiobook narrator’s voice. This was an ultra introspective look into the minds and relationships of four people in a quartet over the lifespan of their musical career together. Not a happy book, but a beautiful, messy, ultimately hopeful book.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was so excited to read a book with themes of classical music, this was just too character-driven for me. I guess I‘m more of a plot girl.