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samaira's review against another edition
4.0
this is what feels right. It's a combination of the prose and the story for me but I think mostly the prose.
dommdy's review against another edition
3.25
I like the quality of the writing but dislike most of the characters, particularly Michael, the protagonist. He has no ability to regulate his emotions and if he weren’t so overbearing he wouldn’t have been able to seduce his first love, Julia into a painful reenactment of their original doomed relationship. He was the one who ruined it the first time. The relationship does have the all consuming quality of first love, the myopic inability to see that the attraction was almost exclusively sexual, except for the shared love of music. Julia, who was married with a child, in my opinion, fell again with Michael as he so forcefully desired her.
The best parts of the story were about the music and the musicians, the functional and dysfunctional ways they worked together and shared their visions of what the music is and should be. I believe Michael’s love for his violin was equal to his love for Julia. This book is worth reading, my rating would be higher if Michael had been a better person.
The best parts of the story were about the music and the musicians, the functional and dysfunctional ways they worked together and shared their visions of what the music is and should be. I believe Michael’s love for his violin was equal to his love for Julia. This book is worth reading, my rating would be higher if Michael had been a better person.
ninni880's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
annamiller5540's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.75
kath61's review against another edition
3.0
To be immersed in the narrow world of a string quartet is an experience that the author manages to depict in startling detail. The sensitivities and foibles of classical string players as well as their deep connection to their instruments are integral to the story. Lesser themes are treated with detail and emotional richness. However, I found the main theme of a passionate and often destructive love affair rekindled quite suddenly after ten years rather unpleasant as well as somewhat unlikely.
jwebster's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed this! The perfect mixture of music and London and Vienna and love and poetry - the distress in the final part was particularly well expressed.
kats__bookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kjboldon's review against another edition
1.0
I fully expected to love this book. I read Seth's A Suitable Boy a few years ago and was enamored of it, and sorry to finish it and thus end my time with those characters. These characters I couldn't stand from the get go, and never warmed to them. The story and its characters felt dreary to me. I was glad to finish this book so I can move on to something else.
georges_mom's review against another edition
4.0
A 90s-era classical music romantic lit fic I found via googling "novels about classical music." It's kind of sad that this very good book seems to have come out right before the internet/Amazon was taking off and is therefore (I think) out of print and not available as an ebook. I purchased a used copy.
In general, I really liked this novel, once the plot got going. It's very contemplative and not hurried at all. This type of pacing may not be for everyone...for example, the protagonist and his ex-lover, whose rekindled romance is the A-plot of the book, don't speak until over 50 pages in, if I'm recalling correctly.
My only real complaint (and the reason I didn't rate it as five stars) is the sheer volume of music shop talk. I think a good quarter of this not-short book is comprised of blow-by-blow rehearsal or performance scenes. Maybe it says something about me, but as a non-serious musician, I don't even like going to rehearsal that much, let alone reading about fictional characters' rehearsals. I can't imagine non-musicians would like those parts at all. I found myself easily distracted in the middle of the book and read several other things cover to cover as I was avoiding finishing this.
In the last 50-100 pages, the story became much more engrossing. Honestly, I felt more emotion in the subplot of the protagonist being potentially deprived of his loaned violin (that he'd been playing for decades) than the love story...which I'm not sure was the intent. But, overall, I generally liked this a lot.
In general, I really liked this novel, once the plot got going. It's very contemplative and not hurried at all. This type of pacing may not be for everyone...for example, the protagonist and his ex-lover, whose rekindled romance is the A-plot of the book, don't speak until over 50 pages in, if I'm recalling correctly.
My only real complaint (and the reason I didn't rate it as five stars) is the sheer volume of music shop talk. I think a good quarter of this not-short book is comprised of blow-by-blow rehearsal or performance scenes. Maybe it says something about me, but as a non-serious musician, I don't even like going to rehearsal that much, let alone reading about fictional characters' rehearsals. I can't imagine non-musicians would like those parts at all. I found myself easily distracted in the middle of the book and read several other things cover to cover as I was avoiding finishing this.
In the last 50-100 pages, the story became much more engrossing. Honestly, I felt more emotion in the subplot of the protagonist being potentially deprived of his loaned violin (that he'd been playing for decades) than the love story...which I'm not sure was the intent. But, overall, I generally liked this a lot.
jaime00's review against another edition
3.0
Conflicting book. On the one hand, this book's writing is poetic, captivating and addictive. The writer manages to portray his love for music in a way that incites a great sentiment in those who feel the same. I just love how it's written.
On the other hand, the plot was a bit weak. The characters' relation was questionable. The reader wasn't molded nor invited into it hence making it feel shallow and distant. Plus, the characters had no 'book charisma' which didn't help the case.
As a whole, the writing made me want to give it 5 stars but the characters/plot a 1.
On the other hand, the plot was a bit weak. The characters' relation was questionable. The reader wasn't molded nor invited into it hence making it feel shallow and distant. Plus, the characters had no 'book charisma' which didn't help the case.
As a whole, the writing made me want to give it 5 stars but the characters/plot a 1.