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DNF: all the characters are bitter, selfish, whiny and unlikable. I have to have someone to root for and there wasn't anyone in this story.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I started this book and right away felt like the author was addressing me. As someone who just graduated college with a degree in music, it's so refreshing to read a book about young musicians that I can relate to--and that's so superbly written! The thing I liked the most about this book is how well the author describes music and human emotions: accurately and beautifully and with just the right amount of words. I found that the novel's ending didn't really matter so much as the journey that the quartet goes through and the range of experiences/emotions covered. Thank you, Aja Gabel, for a lovely book!
I absolutely loved this book. I’m not sure I’ve ever read such beautiful writing about making music. It made me realize how much I miss my former musical life.
This book transported me back to my undergraduate days when classical music was the world I lived inside. I loved how @annebogel described this one as fitting into the dysfunctional family genre, and that’s how I read it. Four people whose lives intersect in complicated ways and rely on each other to reach one shared goal.
I didn't expect to enjoy this book so well, but as someone who played in ensembles all throughout high school, I found it not only a spectacular look into the weight that musicianship has on its devotees, but intricately and lyrically written as if the book were music itself.
Reading The Ensemble reminded me very much of A Secret History, getting to know this insular group of people. While none of the characters were entirely likeable, I loved watching them group both individually and as a quartet through their 18 years together.
I loved that each section started with a list of pieces that would become focal points of the following chapters. It made me feel as if I were living in the same world as the characters (and had the delightful side effect of turning my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist into a string quartet haven for a couple weeks)
I loved that each section started with a list of pieces that would become focal points of the following chapters. It made me feel as if I were living in the same world as the characters (and had the delightful side effect of turning my Spotify Discover Weekly playlist into a string quartet haven for a couple weeks)
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it’s the kind of book I like - rich prose, character-driven, with coming of age themes. But on the other hand, the characters and their relationships as longtime members of a string quartet were not convincing to me. Too many times I wondered, would he/she/they really do that? Much of what purportedly drove each character’s behavior and actions was told, not shown. And the characters were weirdly distant from themselves and each other, making them all really hard to connect with. I did enjoy the backdrop of the music and performance industry.
This book hit just the right spots with me. It made me miss/ long for the times when I could play chamber music. But at the same time, I gained a new appreciation for the fact that my career will never be so inextricably tied to three other individuals. The Ensemble is a beautiful look at a modern (fictional) string quartet, complete with all their triumphs, failings, and idiosyncrasies. One of the things I loved the most about this book, aside from the discussion of chamber music, was the true emotions that flooded off the page, but without the feeling that the author was trying too hard to get a reaction from the reader. The end felt like the most perfect goodbye, sorrowful yet sweet, and I just enjoyed it all.