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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
“Alone, we are a solutary violin; a lonely flute; a trumpet singing in the dark. Together, we are a symphony.”
This is so much more than a mystery. I get why it’s pitched that way given the trends, but it is so much deeper and so much more than that. Fantasticly written and spoken in audio. I could not recommend this enough. I just picked up Slocumb’s latest novel as well - can’t get enough!
This is so much more than a mystery. I get why it’s pitched that way given the trends, but it is so much deeper and so much more than that. Fantasticly written and spoken in audio. I could not recommend this enough. I just picked up Slocumb’s latest novel as well - can’t get enough!
This is excellent. High pressure from the start, a can’t-put-it-down kind of thriller without the part where people are dying. I just pulled it off the library shelf because violin. Glad I did. Wish there had been more resolution on his personal life at the end but I understood the focus on the professional.
inspiring
reflective
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
This book ended up being a good read for me. It wasn’t the mystery in the story that got me, it was how I related to the main character so much.
I wanted the book to have more of a thriller feel but it wasn’t that for me. Just like the main character, I remember that feeling, when you first experience deliberate racism. I connected with many of the experiences the main character had.
I was able to guess the conclusion of the story but the main character was so likable that I was not left disappointed.
Another thing this book did well was the dialogue. The voice of each character came through as very spot on.
I would recommend this book, especially anyone looking to understand the Black experience.
Great book
I wanted the book to have more of a thriller feel but it wasn’t that for me. Just like the main character, I remember that feeling, when you first experience deliberate racism. I connected with many of the experiences the main character had.
I was able to guess the conclusion of the story but the main character was so likable that I was not left disappointed.
Another thing this book did well was the dialogue. The voice of each character came through as very spot on.
I would recommend this book, especially anyone looking to understand the Black experience.
Great book
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:
N/A
emotional
inspiring
The characters in this book felt overly stereotyped and at times the story moved slowly. The author clearly has extensive musical knowledge and I enjoyed the descriptions of the violin playing.
Ray(quan) is a musician who struggles to continue to play the music and violin he loves. From the beginning his mother discourages it. She demands he support her financially and get a real job.
Ray plays various gigs and is eventually gifted his great grandfather's violin to the chagrin of his family. Ray soon discovers this violin that he holds dear is a $10 million Stradivarius made in Italy around 1724. Ray finds himself in a lawsuit with not only his family who want to sell it for millions, but also the descendants of a family (Marks) who are claiming to have once owned the violin and Ray’s great grandfather.
Then the violin is stolen.
Before the violin is found, Ray settles on a deal with his family where he pays them over time. The lawsuit with the Marks family is dropped when a letter is discovered in the original violin case, proving that Ray’s great grandfather was gifted the violin along with his freedom. Ray also wins second place in the world-famous Tchaikovsky Competition.
The mystery of the missing violin all clicks into place when Ray’s girlfriend, Nicole, complains about the mundane business of needing another oil change for her car. Ray realizes she drove from New York to her home in Erie and her story doesn’t check out. He eventually is led to a storage unit where he finds his priceless violin.
Ray plays various gigs and is eventually gifted his great grandfather's violin to the chagrin of his family. Ray soon discovers this violin that he holds dear is a $10 million Stradivarius made in Italy around 1724. Ray finds himself in a lawsuit with not only his family who want to sell it for millions, but also the descendants of a family (Marks) who are claiming to have once owned the violin and Ray’s great grandfather.
Then the violin is stolen.
Before the violin is found, Ray settles on a deal with his family where he pays them over time. The lawsuit with the Marks family is dropped when a letter is discovered in the original violin case, proving that Ray’s great grandfather was gifted the violin along with his freedom. Ray also wins second place in the world-famous Tchaikovsky Competition.
The mystery of the missing violin all clicks into place when Ray’s girlfriend, Nicole, complains about the mundane business of needing another oil change for her car. Ray realizes she drove from New York to her home in Erie and her story doesn’t check out. He eventually is led to a storage unit where he finds his priceless violin.
Fantastic read. The characters are believable and I found myself engrossed in the story. Couldn’t put it down. I am an amateur violinist and loved the details of violin playing and violin repertoire. The historical references made it even more interesting.
“When you begin to hate them just because they hate you, you turn into them, and then they win.”
I love when my attention is brought to something that I am generally unaware of. I don’t know about you guys, but in the world of classical music, I know little to nothing. However, Slocumb with this book reminds me that racism can exist in a lot of places even in the places we don’t think about.
Who knew a story about a black man and his love for playing the violin could unfold a story of family history, determination, family dynamics, and of course, racism, both overt and covert. I enjoyed being on this journey with Ray, and knowing that much of this is inspired by Slocumb’s life makes me connect to it more. I love that I could feel Ray’s passion every time he spoke about his dreams as a violinist, and it broke my heart that it’s through his dreams that he discovers how far racism goes.
Although this book is also advertised as a thriller, I really felt that it could get away with not describing it as such because those parts were pretty predictable. Luckily, the story is more focused on Ray, and his journey which more than made up for this. And although this story deals with hard subjects, it didn’t feel like a book full of riddles and complicated literary devices but a story that anyone can read and understand.
I would absolutely recommend it!
I love when my attention is brought to something that I am generally unaware of. I don’t know about you guys, but in the world of classical music, I know little to nothing. However, Slocumb with this book reminds me that racism can exist in a lot of places even in the places we don’t think about.
Who knew a story about a black man and his love for playing the violin could unfold a story of family history, determination, family dynamics, and of course, racism, both overt and covert. I enjoyed being on this journey with Ray, and knowing that much of this is inspired by Slocumb’s life makes me connect to it more. I love that I could feel Ray’s passion every time he spoke about his dreams as a violinist, and it broke my heart that it’s through his dreams that he discovers how far racism goes.
Although this book is also advertised as a thriller, I really felt that it could get away with not describing it as such because those parts were pretty predictable. Luckily, the story is more focused on Ray, and his journey which more than made up for this. And although this story deals with hard subjects, it didn’t feel like a book full of riddles and complicated literary devices but a story that anyone can read and understand.
I would absolutely recommend it!