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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Y'all, this book literally gave me anxiety. Like I was 2/3 of the way through and I had to stop and take a Klonopin. I'm not exaggerating. But - still so good, and so important.
I was expecting more of a straightforward mystery/thriller. A chase to find out who stole the Stradivarius, and why. (Professor Plum in the billiard room with a wrench is not one of the options.) But the mystery was really more of a framing device for Ray's story of becoming a musician despite both a family and a broader world that does not want him to be. It was also a story of his love for his instrument, an instrument whose value (to him) has nothing to do with its maker.
So many characters in this book made me SO ANGRY. Not Ray. Not his grandma. And there were a couple others who escape my wrath. But in general, I wanted to scream at all of them. Ray's family who initially wanted him to give up his dreams, then reluctantly support him only as long as he sends home half his paycheck. And the outside world, ugh. The white people in this story are, by and large, not depicted in a complimentary way. And I want to knee-jerk respond "We're not all like that!" But the author is a black musician, and he writes frankly in the afterward just how much struggle he faced, and how much harder he had to work just to be taken half as seriously. So while I don't like to face it, and want to believe it's exaggerated, I'm sure it's not. I do not find racism to be entertaining reading, but I'm not supposed to. I had to shut the book after each of those passages, while remaining painfully aware that being able to ignore it for a little while is a part of my white privilege.
If you're looking for a breezy beach read thriller, this is not it. But if you're looking for a story you've never read before, and looking to educate yourself while still maintaining the enjoyment of a good mystery, give it a try.
(Mild spoiler alert:
.
.
.
things do work out for him. Not ideally, not perfectly; he does experience some loss and heartache. But it's ultimately positive.)
I was expecting more of a straightforward mystery/thriller. A chase to find out who stole the Stradivarius, and why. (Professor Plum in the billiard room with a wrench is not one of the options.) But the mystery was really more of a framing device for Ray's story of becoming a musician despite both a family and a broader world that does not want him to be. It was also a story of his love for his instrument, an instrument whose value (to him) has nothing to do with its maker.
So many characters in this book made me SO ANGRY. Not Ray. Not his grandma. And there were a couple others who escape my wrath. But in general, I wanted to scream at all of them. Ray's family who initially wanted him to give up his dreams, then reluctantly support him only as long as he sends home half his paycheck. And the outside world, ugh. The white people in this story are, by and large, not depicted in a complimentary way. And I want to knee-jerk respond "We're not all like that!" But the author is a black musician, and he writes frankly in the afterward just how much struggle he faced, and how much harder he had to work just to be taken half as seriously. So while I don't like to face it, and want to believe it's exaggerated, I'm sure it's not. I do not find racism to be entertaining reading, but I'm not supposed to. I had to shut the book after each of those passages, while remaining painfully aware that being able to ignore it for a little while is a part of my white privilege.
If you're looking for a breezy beach read thriller, this is not it. But if you're looking for a story you've never read before, and looking to educate yourself while still maintaining the enjoyment of a good mystery, give it a try.
(Mild spoiler alert:
.
.
.
things do work out for him. Not ideally, not perfectly; he does experience some loss and heartache. But it's ultimately positive.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I was hooked from the first sentence and it kept my attention the whole time. Highly recommend this to anyone.
Audiobook review: wow! What an amazing g tale. Great mystery. Wonderfully gripping and educating. A truly great way to end my year!
Three stars for this skippable book.
A very weak mystery easy to predict and way too much information about how to practice violin. So much so, that if you were to take out all the parts where the author is talking about practicing, classical music, and playing, you’ll be left with less than a short story.
I’m sure there are people out there that will enjoy that type of stuff, but It is too much for me, and I’m a musician.
Do yourself a favor, and find something else.
A very weak mystery easy to predict and way too much information about how to practice violin. So much so, that if you were to take out all the parts where the author is talking about practicing, classical music, and playing, you’ll be left with less than a short story.
I’m sure there are people out there that will enjoy that type of stuff, but It is too much for me, and I’m a musician.
Do yourself a favor, and find something else.
I enjoyed the suspense and learning more about the world of classical music. However, most of the Black characters, particularly the mother, were so stereotypical that it was distracting. The mother, who seemed to hate him for no reason at all, wants him to give up the violin, drop out of high school and work at Popeye's so he can buy her a new TV. His father is never mentioned and if he was, it was so quick that I missed it. I also wanted more of a confrontation with the culprit at the end.
This hurt me, infuriated me, inspired me, made me cry….all of the emotions that music can make you feel, I felt because of Brendan Slocumb’s words. For the anger I felt on Ray’s behalf, it was hard to pick up, but for the thrill I also felt, it was hard to put down. Bravo!
Too much cursing in the first couple chapters.
OH MY GOD this book was brilliant. I genuinely was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Did I suspect pretty early on who it was? Yes. But that's not what made this book so good. It's the world of classical music that Slocumb has described, the brutality of being an outsider in an institution that has barely changed in thousands of years. And all of that following Ray, who you can't help but love. This was a fantastic book and I cannot wait to follow Slocumb's works.