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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This book was good, if not exactly what I expected going in. There is a mystery — who stole Ray's violin? — but the majority of the book is squarely literary fiction, giving us the story of Ray's life and how he ended up with the $10 million violin that is stolen in the opening pages. If the author hadn't started in media res I'm not sure I would have found it as compelling, as it seems like the deck is stacked against Ray from the beginning and his musical career is doomed, between his mother's discouragement and the outright racism he faces along the way. But knowing that he was going to eventually end up famous, it was worth investing the time to see how he got there, painful step by painful step.
The mystery itself was somewhat satisfying in the end, even if Raydisobeyed every order to leave the sleuthing to the professionals. I couldn't believe that there were no consequences for him breaking and entering — that should have made most of the evidence inadmissible as there was no way to prove he wasn't in on the whole thing . I didn't figure out ahead of time who the culprit was, but I did call that Pop-Pop's papers would be in the alligator skin case, though there wasn't a good reason for Grandma Nora not to tell him that except to further the plot . There were a couple of plot points that I felt weren't well explained, like how Ray participated in regionals after his teacher refused to let him try out, or how Ray could offer to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get his family off his back after we'd just been told he didn't have enough money to pay a $30,000 retainer for a lawyer.
That said, it's an engaging story, very well done on audio. (I enjoyed the violin interludes between parts!) And I'm glad that it's gotten so much attention and is shedding more light on how much discrimination there is in the world of classical music. And just in general — apparently a lot of (white) people were surprised to get to the author's note and learn that the racist incidents Ray endured were true stories form Slocumb's own life. Maybe this book can push people to think a little differently.
The mystery itself was somewhat satisfying in the end, even if Ray
That said, it's an engaging story, very well done on audio. (I enjoyed the violin interludes between parts!) And I'm glad that it's gotten so much attention and is shedding more light on how much discrimination there is in the world of classical music. And just in general — apparently a lot of (white) people were surprised to get to the author's note and learn that the racist incidents Ray endured were true stories form Slocumb's own life. Maybe this book can push people to think a little differently.
3.75 ⭐ but still marinating on this one.
Ray is quiet kid from rural North Carolina who loves the violin with every fiber of his being. Unseen by the world and unappreciated by his family except his grandmother Nora, Ray's dream is to play classical music. When Ray's grandmother gifts him an ancestral violin, Ray's future begins to take shape. A professor sees Rays talent and begins mentoring him to become the spectacular solist he is capable of. Soon after, Ray discovers the violin his grandmother gave him is actually an extremely rare and valuable violin worth millions of dollars. On the cusp of the world's most famous classical music competition, Ray's violin get stolen.
Things I liked:
- Ray. He was so kind (just like grandma Nora taught him). He had a lot of really crappy things happen and crappy people in his life. His drive and passion for music made him such an easy character to root for. The evolution of Ray's character over the course of the book was great. Everytime he stood up for himself I was mentally hugging him.
- Janice and Aunt Rochelle. I'm so glad Ray had SOME people in his corner. Without these two characters, Ray would not have been able to succeed. They were both bright spots in a lot of very dim situations.
- the ending. I'm glad Ray found happiness in the end and he was able to keep all his promises to his grandmother.
- the themes. The blatant racism that Ray dealt with was horrible. The fact that so many of the scenes were based on the author's own experiences was sickening. I appreciated how this story opened my eyes to a lot of engrained bias that exist in the classical music field. I think Slocumb's discussion of race and the unifying abilities of music is so, so, so ,so important. I loved the authors note at the end, it was the cherry on top.
- the storyline of the violin. I loved Grandma Nora's story and how important that was to Ray and his journey. I also loved the idea that this violin was played and pasted on for generations, especially considering the surrounding details of how PopPop got it in the first place.
Things I didn't like:
- the pace. I really struggled to get into this book initially and I think it's because of the layout. If we would have met young Ray and his family first I think that the pace of the book could have been stronger.
- almost all of Ray's entire family. His mom was the absolute worse person. I wish so many times he would have cut them off.
- the Marks family and their disgusting narrative. I'll leave it at that.
- the culprit. I was disappointed how it unraveled although I did not see the twist coming.
Ray is quiet kid from rural North Carolina who loves the violin with every fiber of his being. Unseen by the world and unappreciated by his family except his grandmother Nora, Ray's dream is to play classical music. When Ray's grandmother gifts him an ancestral violin, Ray's future begins to take shape. A professor sees Rays talent and begins mentoring him to become the spectacular solist he is capable of. Soon after, Ray discovers the violin his grandmother gave him is actually an extremely rare and valuable violin worth millions of dollars. On the cusp of the world's most famous classical music competition, Ray's violin get stolen.
Things I liked:
- Ray. He was so kind (just like grandma Nora taught him). He had a lot of really crappy things happen and crappy people in his life. His drive and passion for music made him such an easy character to root for. The evolution of Ray's character over the course of the book was great. Everytime he stood up for himself I was mentally hugging him.
- Janice and Aunt Rochelle. I'm so glad Ray had SOME people in his corner. Without these two characters, Ray would not have been able to succeed. They were both bright spots in a lot of very dim situations.
- the ending. I'm glad Ray found happiness in the end and he was able to keep all his promises to his grandmother.
- the themes. The blatant racism that Ray dealt with was horrible. The fact that so many of the scenes were based on the author's own experiences was sickening. I appreciated how this story opened my eyes to a lot of engrained bias that exist in the classical music field. I think Slocumb's discussion of race and the unifying abilities of music is so, so, so ,so important. I loved the authors note at the end, it was the cherry on top.
- the storyline of the violin. I loved Grandma Nora's story and how important that was to Ray and his journey. I also loved the idea that this violin was played and pasted on for generations, especially considering the surrounding details of how PopPop got it in the first place.
Things I didn't like:
- the pace. I really struggled to get into this book initially and I think it's because of the layout. If we would have met young Ray and his family first I think that the pace of the book could have been stronger.
- almost all of Ray's entire family. His mom was the absolute worse person. I wish so many times he would have cut them off.
- the Marks family and their disgusting narrative. I'll leave it at that.
- the culprit. I was disappointed how it unraveled although I did not see the twist coming.
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this tale. There were some parts when I wanted to reach out and smack Ray's family for the way they treated him and it definitely hurt a lot to read how people treat others. I was pulling for Ray all along, a little disappointed that he didn't win it all, but that would have been a little over the top if he had. I love a happy ending, which it did have one, but not quite the side romance I am always hoping for. But, a happy ending all the same.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
No
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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:
Complicated
I enjoyed this book— but it’s much more than a thriller. It’s a story about racism, stereotypes, family drama. It’s about doing what you love.
Audiobook was well done. I enjoy JD Jackson’s narration. And the authors note read by the author gave the book much more meaning.
Audiobook was well done. I enjoy JD Jackson’s narration. And the authors note read by the author gave the book much more meaning.