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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Took me a sec to get into it but I got hooked! I’d say it’s a bit miss titled, I don’t really think it was a *conspiracy* but I digress…
I don't read a lot of mystery thrillers but I picked this up because I loved the premise of a rare violin being stolen!
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the mystery, but the twist really took me out of the story, it really frustrated me. I absolutely loved Ray's story of learning his love of music, falling in love with his PopPop's fiddle and bringing it back to health, finding out its a rare Stradivarius, and his love for his grandmother was absolutely heartwarming <3
Highly recommend the audiobook, it was phenomenal!
I was on the edge of my seat for most of the mystery, but the twist really took me out of the story, it really frustrated me. I absolutely loved Ray's story of learning his love of music, falling in love with his PopPop's fiddle and bringing it back to health, finding out its a rare Stradivarius, and his love for his grandmother was absolutely heartwarming <3
Highly recommend the audiobook, it was phenomenal!
I liked but didn’t love this book. Those who have spent time in the world of classical music will find much familiar here.
What could be more intriguing that a story obout Black classical musician whose family heirloom violin and a Stradivarius at that, is stolen before he competes in the most prestigious music competition in the world?
Ray McMillian loves playing violin and dreams of becoming a profession musician. Despite his mother not believing in him and thinks he should get a real job, and with the racism he’s experiencing in the classical music world, it does not stop him from playing. When he discovers that his grandfathers fiddle is a priceless Stradivarius, he is suddenly in the centre of attention and starts to make a name for himself. He’s preparing for the Tchaikovsky Competition for months and his violin is stolen on the eve of the companion. Ray is determined to get it back at all costs. But with his family and the family of the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s grandfather are staking claims, Ray will do everything to find his beloved piece and proves it truly belongs to him.
I love and enjoy reading this one. I like the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the violin and that keeps me reading this until the end. I hate the racism here and how the people, his family, the police, the music industry, treat him because of the color of his skin. I feel bad about it but I like how Ray perseveres that despite all his bad experiences he still gives back to those people that needs help.
There is some predictability here as to who stole the violin and I wish there’s more in-depth story behind its disappearance. I also feel the ending is a bit rush and wrap up nicely. But I enjoy the overall story, the history, the mystery, the classical symphonies even though I don’t understand how to play and what goes into the music.
I love the author’s note at the end. I didn’t know that only 1.8 percent of musicians performing in classical symphonies are Black, 12 percent are people of color. And even after playing violin for forty years, he is still confronted with conscious and unconscious discrimination. When will we ever learn as people and as human, sigh.
Ray McMillian loves playing violin and dreams of becoming a profession musician. Despite his mother not believing in him and thinks he should get a real job, and with the racism he’s experiencing in the classical music world, it does not stop him from playing. When he discovers that his grandfathers fiddle is a priceless Stradivarius, he is suddenly in the centre of attention and starts to make a name for himself. He’s preparing for the Tchaikovsky Competition for months and his violin is stolen on the eve of the companion. Ray is determined to get it back at all costs. But with his family and the family of the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s grandfather are staking claims, Ray will do everything to find his beloved piece and proves it truly belongs to him.
I love and enjoy reading this one. I like the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the violin and that keeps me reading this until the end. I hate the racism here and how the people, his family, the police, the music industry, treat him because of the color of his skin. I feel bad about it but I like how Ray perseveres that despite all his bad experiences he still gives back to those people that needs help.
There is some predictability here as to who stole the violin and I wish there’s more in-depth story behind its disappearance. I also feel the ending is a bit rush and wrap up nicely. But I enjoy the overall story, the history, the mystery, the classical symphonies even though I don’t understand how to play and what goes into the music.
I love the author’s note at the end. I didn’t know that only 1.8 percent of musicians performing in classical symphonies are Black, 12 percent are people of color. And even after playing violin for forty years, he is still confronted with conscious and unconscious discrimination. When will we ever learn as people and as human, sigh.
4.5 stars. This was a 5 star book and possibly one of my top books of the year but the last 30 pages were such a let down compared to the rest of the book that I ended up having to drop my rating a bit. I loved the underlying tension throughout the book as the MC tries to figure out who stole his violin while we also get the background on events leading up to the disappearance. A very unique book where there's a mystery but it's almost background to an incredible story of a Black violinist making it against the odds.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was so much more than I expected. I knew going in that it was a mystery novel about a stolen violin, but I did not expect it to be an exploration of the Black experience, specifically the Black classical musician experience, or how it would dive into the family's history or the intricacies of the classical music world.
I enjoyed the writing style and felt drawn in by the plot, the descriptions of how it felt to lose yourself in music, and the sections struggling with unfair treatment (at a wedding, with police, in his family's past). As far as the main mystery goes, I didn't see the ending coming. I didn't play the violin at a high level (I played from preK through 8th grade, then turned to flute) but I appreciated the musical moments and the technical discussion of violin-playing.
p.55 "There are moments in life when the clouds lift and the curtain of rain blows back and suddenly the world stands before you, stark and vast, and you teeter on the edge of an enormous precipice of knowledge, of understanding with every fiber in your soul, every hair on your head; and this was one such moment."
p.56 "And none of that mattered. No matter how nice the suit, no matter how educated his speech or how strong the handshake, no matter how much muscle he packed on, no matter how friendly or how smart he was, none of it mattered at all. He was just a Black person. That's all they saw and that's all he was."
p. 152 "Final page. He decided to increase the tempo even more: the surf crept higher, past the beach, onto the dunes, roaring like a tsunami toward houses sleeping under the moon, unaware of what was pounding toward them. The wave built on itself, gathered like a giant feral cat, about to pounce: and then that final chord. He drew it out as long as possible. The water subsided. The village was safe."
p. 192 "Yeah, sure, white cops beat Black guys up, or shot them. But he was a college grad on his way to a classical music performance. That kind of thing couldn't happen to him."
p.274 "They circled each other like hermit crabs, claws extended, holding champagne glasses, hiding behind the crowd like rocks in the sand."
p. 281 "And finally -- finally! -- Tchiakovsky, of course. Let's be clear here: Ray may have looked like a Black American, but secretly -- secretly! -- he was Russian. Secretly he'd spent his life ladling borscht and nibbling pelmeni. Vodka, not blood, surged through his veins. He was melancholy because it was always winter in St. Petersburg, and jovial because Muscovites are good-hearted people who love to laugh. He killed the Tchiakovsky. He left the Serenade melancolique bawling its eyes out onstage. He bowed."
p. 293 "[Ray] would tell you that music is truly a universal language, and that we, the listeners, will always impose our own fears and biases, our own hopes and hungers, on whatever we hear."
p. 309 "Something curled in the back of his head, a question mark."
p. 337 Author's Note "My hope is that Ray's story will inspire all of you -- white or Black, Asian or Native American, straight or gay, transgender or cisgender, blond or dark haired, tall or short, big feet or small -- to do what you love."
I enjoyed the writing style and felt drawn in by the plot, the descriptions of how it felt to lose yourself in music, and the sections struggling with unfair treatment (at a wedding, with police, in his family's past). As far as the main mystery goes, I didn't see the ending coming. I didn't play the violin at a high level (I played from preK through 8th grade, then turned to flute) but I appreciated the musical moments and the technical discussion of violin-playing.
p.55 "There are moments in life when the clouds lift and the curtain of rain blows back and suddenly the world stands before you, stark and vast, and you teeter on the edge of an enormous precipice of knowledge, of understanding with every fiber in your soul, every hair on your head; and this was one such moment."
p.56 "And none of that mattered. No matter how nice the suit, no matter how educated his speech or how strong the handshake, no matter how much muscle he packed on, no matter how friendly or how smart he was, none of it mattered at all. He was just a Black person. That's all they saw and that's all he was."
p. 152 "Final page. He decided to increase the tempo even more: the surf crept higher, past the beach, onto the dunes, roaring like a tsunami toward houses sleeping under the moon, unaware of what was pounding toward them. The wave built on itself, gathered like a giant feral cat, about to pounce: and then that final chord. He drew it out as long as possible. The water subsided. The village was safe."
p. 192 "Yeah, sure, white cops beat Black guys up, or shot them. But he was a college grad on his way to a classical music performance. That kind of thing couldn't happen to him."
p.274 "They circled each other like hermit crabs, claws extended, holding champagne glasses, hiding behind the crowd like rocks in the sand."
p. 281 "And finally -- finally! -- Tchiakovsky, of course. Let's be clear here: Ray may have looked like a Black American, but secretly -- secretly! -- he was Russian. Secretly he'd spent his life ladling borscht and nibbling pelmeni. Vodka, not blood, surged through his veins. He was melancholy because it was always winter in St. Petersburg, and jovial because Muscovites are good-hearted people who love to laugh. He killed the Tchiakovsky. He left the Serenade melancolique bawling its eyes out onstage. He bowed."
p. 293 "[Ray] would tell you that music is truly a universal language, and that we, the listeners, will always impose our own fears and biases, our own hopes and hungers, on whatever we hear."
p. 309 "Something curled in the back of his head, a question mark."
p. 337 Author's Note "My hope is that Ray's story will inspire all of you -- white or Black, Asian or Native American, straight or gay, transgender or cisgender, blond or dark haired, tall or short, big feet or small -- to do what you love."
A great story! A rags-to-riches plot with a depth that goes way beyond a typical whodunit. The author conveys an understanding of musical performance that brings character, instrument and great music to life, and at the same time addresses family dysfunction, societal perceptions, and the racism that is imbued in so many aspects of life.
A well crafted story with those twists you kick yourself for not seeing earlier.