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A review by laureninthebuf
The Great Passion by James Runcie
4.0
I keep going back and fourth between 3-4 stars. Call it a 3.5. I’m most glad I read this for all of the times it so accurately put into words how music makes people feel and why it matters so much. I love historical fiction, but it had been a while since I found a story that I felt hadn’t been covered tirelessly in some other way - so I also liked this book very much for that fact.
Those two things being said - this book takes work. I think without some working knowledge of musical composition it would be entirely over a reader’s head. I even wish I had been reading it on Kindle - so that I could use the translate and wiki functions. I think there would have been so much more to take in - so much more of the author’s work to appreciate - if I’d been to willing to dive a little deeper on some of the topics.
There were so many lines in this that warranted a second read - because they just SAID so much. Things about life you want to write down and think about because they make you say “yes, that’s true. Exactly that.”
Those two things being said - this book takes work. I think without some working knowledge of musical composition it would be entirely over a reader’s head. I even wish I had been reading it on Kindle - so that I could use the translate and wiki functions. I think there would have been so much more to take in - so much more of the author’s work to appreciate - if I’d been to willing to dive a little deeper on some of the topics.
There were so many lines in this that warranted a second read - because they just SAID so much. Things about life you want to write down and think about because they make you say “yes, that’s true. Exactly that.”