Reviews tagging 'Injury/Injury detail'

A Conspiração Do Violino by Brendan Slocumb

11 reviews

marioosa517's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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ladyzbyrd's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This was a fun and emotional read. I was so angry and sad the whole way through, scattered with bits of joy, only to be turned to rage again and again. What a way to mess with a reader’s heart and still come out of the book and say yes, this was an amazing read! 

There were definitely some parts that’s defy realism when it comes to procedures in various fields that made certain scenes difficult to believe, and I had to set that aside. Reading this slower on my second go around with a group, I ended up in several rabbit holes, mostly due to the above-mentioned procedures in different scenes. 

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language_loving_amateur's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

 The tension was higher than I expected, but very good and the book kept me on my toes. 

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chloemakesbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Fairly trite mystery revolving around a talented black violinist. I liked the writing style, which moved along at a great clip, and I wanted to like the characters, but they all felt fairly two-dimensional and often were used to manipulate the reader's emotions (eg, Grandma Nora and the epilogue with Janice). I never like to figure out the mystery ahead of time if I can help it, but this one I saw coming fairly early - no real twist. Loved the descriptions of classical music and performance art, and of course, the book makes important points about promoting diversity in classical music and racism in America. I wish the author had done a better job of framing the racist incidents in particular; Ray seems utterly blindsided by every single one, which seems strange.

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pershie13's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

It took me a long time to finally finish this book while completing my last semester of undergrad, but this book turned out fantastic! The book follows the story of violinist Ray McMillan, who received no formal training on his instrument until he reached college. Mentored by his violin professor Dr. Janice Stevens, Ray becomes one of the best at his craft. Along with following his journey as a violinist, the story also places an emphasis on the instrument he plays, a Stradivarius violin passed down to him by his grandmother. The story turns into a sort of mystery/thriller as we find out in the opening pages that this violin has been stolen and requires a multi-million dollar ransom for its return. This story covers many of the issues that Black people often face in the field of classical music, as well as the themes of hard work, family, and mentorship. The story definitely took unexpected turns, and I questioned to the very end what was going to happen to Ray, his violin, and his musical career. The book was fantastic, and I enjoyed every twist and turn!

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mgraceoliver's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

4.75


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tome's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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

4.75

It is truly rare that one finds a book that floors the reader. In spite of that, this review is being written lying on my apartment floor. Riveting from start to finish, what was meant to be a light hour of afternoon reading became the whole afternoon to finish the novel. Slocumb masterfully weaves the plot together, easily transitioning between past struggles, current anguish, and the ever looming worries of the Tchaikovsky competition. Even between the deeply emotional aspects of Ray's journey, details about the mystery are well interspersed throughout the novel, though the ending reveal still shocked me. This was truly an amazing read that I cannot recommend enough.

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andloveistoolong's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative 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? It's complicated

5.0


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whatcassiedid's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

I've been thinking about this all day since finishing it, it's going to stick with me for a while. It's very interesting to me that while the inciting incident of the story is the theft of the violin, it sets off a chain of events and back and forth in Ray's history that by the time the story got back to the stolen violin, I almost didn't need to know the whodunnit of it all because it was such an intricate story. Interesting stuff on property and ownership that I don't really have the words to discuss. There are a couple instances of police brutality as well as a very brief but graphic scene of violence towards slaves, so read with care

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ktdakotareads's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0


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