A review by msgtdameron
The Conductor by Sarah Quigley

3.0

Sara Quigley has written a good historical fiction novel about a piece of music. These are the words that may have been said by those caught in Leningrad in 1941-42. Shostakovich is writing his 7th Symphony in the fall and winter of 1941. He has not allowed himself and family to be evacuated from the city. Karl Eliasberg is the conductor of the Leningrad radio orchestra. They meet during the siege and, in this work criticize each other. Eliasberg to Shostakovich face to face and Shostakovich in Eliasberg mind. The story takes the reader into Leningrad as a civilian saw the siege. The cannibalism, food fights, the struggle to survive and the death that surrounded every one everywhere. It also shows the humor and good moments that can happen during times of stress. But the real story in this read is not in the book itself. The real story is when you Google Shostakovich's 7th and listen to it on your device. It is only then that you totally understand the story that Quigley is trying to tell. I believe this is so true that the book should be sold new with a CD of the 7th attached to it. With out the music this is a medico book, but once you hear the 7th you understand what Shostakovich and Eliasberg were trying to do during fall, winter 41 and spring 42. It is with the music that his book comes alive and the story becomes not just a fictional account of a great event in that 900 day siege but brings the reader closer to the principals who lived in that time of fire and ice. A three for the book alone but a five for the book along with the 7th symphony.