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A review by samdalefox
Music & Silence by Rose Tremain
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
This is not my usual genre. I don't typically read historical fiction, romance, or stories focussing upon monarchs. However, this was the next pick for one of my book clubs and I thought I'd try something new. I'm proud that I finished it, but I can't say that I enjoyed it, would read it again, or pick something else up from this genre again.
The book follows several characters set in and around the court of King Christian IV of Denmark during 1629-1630. Each chapter follows a different character, mostly set during the present, but in the case of King Christian sometimes in his past. It takes a few chapters to get used to this back and forth, but once you've figured out who all the characters are it's fine to follow along (I listened to this via audiobook during my commute hours). There is no central plot to speak of, just a meandering story of the various lives the charcters are leading. The themes are of love and relationships, the role of music, the role of women in society at the time, and rich vs poor.
The book is long and I can't say I found much of it interesting. However, if you like low stakes royal court politics and drama, this is a good book for you. You can read more interesting commentary from my book club conversation prompt questions and thoughts below:
THEMES (ideas) in the novel:
* MUSIC - it is the title of the book so must be important. What does it represent in the novel?
Christian loves it; Johnnie goes mad because of it; Kirsten ‘detests it’ …
* WOMEN’S ROLE - eg Kirsten compares women with slaves, owned as drudges or ornaments by fathers and husbands (in this way her conscience is ‘eased’ through her sexual exploitation of the slaves who are brought to court.) Emilia is ‘enslaved’ to Kirsten too. Vibeke is ‘used’ to tempt Christian into his third marriage. To what extent is women’s power only related to their sexuality - or if older, their wealth? (eg Queen Sofie and Kirsten’s mother, Ellen Marsvin)
* DEATH - George Middleton almost dies; Bror Brorson’s encounter with death as a boy and eventual death in battle; the sailors in the plague ship; Karen dying in childbirth…
* CHILDREN - Bror and young Christian; Karen’s children ‘taken over’ by Magdalena; poor Marcus; Johnnie’s frightened children; Kirsten’s 12 children she doesn’t like!
* MONEY - Queen Sofie and her precious gold ingots, Christian’s need for money; Kirsten’s love of gold; Charles 1 bailing out his nephew; poverty of the masses
* RICH VS POOR
* The poor button maker, whose gift to Christian leaves him obsessed with ‘shoddiness’
* The poverty of the peasants after the mine explodes and their preacher’s efforts to get help from Christian
* The poor woman who helps Kirsten when she goes into labour on her travels
* The poor man whose wife is in prison for borrowing some sheets who is trying to sell bits of rubbish outside his house when the King visits
* The Dowager Queen Sofie hoarding gold ingots that would help her son and his country. Why is she obsessed with keeping them hidden?
* Kirsten’s desire for gold and gifts
* Harsh treatment of the musicians having to play in the cellar (the poor hens too!)
* SEX
* MARRIAGE
* POLITICS
CHARACTERS:
1. Kirsten Munk, King Christian’s morganatic wife is a fascinating, strong, sexually empowered character. There is a lot of humour in Kirsten’s ‘private papers’ and the reader learns her innermost thoughts and secrets as she just turns 30. Did you sympathise with her, or like her, as a character? If you did, was there a point you lost sympathy and if so, where and why?
2. King Christian - good king or bad king? Very complex man. Longest serving monarch in Denmark’s history apparently. What does he decide to do with Charles !’s bail out money?!
3. Magdalena is a challenging character - she is another female character with a powerful sexuality. What did you think about her behaviour with her stepsons? What does this tell us about women’s power (or lack of it) in society?
4. Peter Claire - believable? A bit one-dimensional?
5. Emilia - escaped Magdalena but abandoned Marcus. Rescuing the hen from the cellar - symbolic? Why is she so fond of Kirsten?
6. Many others eg Countess O’ Fingal and mad husband Johnnie; Bror Brorson; Johann …who were you most interested in?
RELATIONSHIPS:
1. Kirsten and King Christian - 21 years older than her. He seems to adore her. Did she ever love him? Is she cruel or is her behaviour understandable?
2. Christian and Peter Claire - he confides in the lutenist about his love for Kirsten and the fact she no longer loves him. Why does he need a musician as a confidant?
3. Christian and Bror Brorson? Bror’s harsh treatment at school is upsetting to read. Christian ‘fights Death’ when Bror is dangerously ill and this creates a deep bond between them. How do you feel about how Christian later treats Bror, once he is crowned King? What is Bror’s purpose in the novel do you think? Are there some similarities with Christian’s later relationship with Peter Claire?
4. Peter Claire and Emilia - in some ways the least interesting relationship in the book? Relevant that they’re fictional?
5. Emilia and Kirsten - genuine affection, or toxic dependency? (Or both!)
6. Johann and Magdalena - does he come good towards the end?
7. Marcus and Emilia - rescuing Marcus causes friction with Kirsten and Emilia realises it could mean she never gets married
8. Charlotte Claire and George Middleton - genuine love and affection? Why is this relationship in the novel?
9. Francesca and Johnnie O’ Fingal - what is their purpose in the novel?
STRUCTURE:
There are three main sections but also various flashbacks to Christian’s boyhood and chapters follow the thoughts and experiences of different characters… did you enjoy these many narrative viewpoints or find the structure confusing?
Did you like the ending? It ends with Kirsten’s thoughts about music, men and her slaves. Why?
HISTORICAL DETAILS - fascinating!
* Knitting being banned, so Christian’s mother knitted in secret on the island
* Keeping the baby Prince Christian in a sealed room for six weeks so the Devil could not steal his soul (disgusting descriptions of the Devil doing this!)
* The musicians having to play in a dark, freezing cold cellar so the music would float ‘magically’ up through the trapdoor to the King and his visitors.
* The financial problems that befell Denmark due to costly wars and Christian’s efforts to make money with the disastrous silver mine & whaling projects. Charles 1 of England bailing him out at the expense of his own people (and we know he was executed in a revolution 19 years later!)
* The ‘plague ship’ - I wanted to know more about this!
The book follows several characters set in and around the court of King Christian IV of Denmark during 1629-1630. Each chapter follows a different character, mostly set during the present, but in the case of King Christian sometimes in his past. It takes a few chapters to get used to this back and forth, but once you've figured out who all the characters are it's fine to follow along (I listened to this via audiobook during my commute hours). There is no central plot to speak of, just a meandering story of the various lives the charcters are leading. The themes are of love and relationships, the role of music, the role of women in society at the time, and rich vs poor.
The book is long and I can't say I found much of it interesting. However, if you like low stakes royal court politics and drama, this is a good book for you. You can read more interesting commentary from my book club conversation prompt questions and thoughts below:
* MUSIC - it is the title of the book so must be important. What does it represent in the novel?
Christian loves it; Johnnie goes mad because of it; Kirsten ‘detests it’ …
* WOMEN’S ROLE - eg Kirsten compares women with slaves, owned as drudges or ornaments by fathers and husbands (in this way her conscience is ‘eased’ through her sexual exploitation of the slaves who are brought to court.) Emilia is ‘enslaved’ to Kirsten too. Vibeke is ‘used’ to tempt Christian into his third marriage. To what extent is women’s power only related to their sexuality - or if older, their wealth? (eg Queen Sofie and Kirsten’s mother, Ellen Marsvin)
* DEATH - George Middleton almost dies; Bror Brorson’s encounter with death as a boy and eventual death in battle; the sailors in the plague ship; Karen dying in childbirth…
* CHILDREN - Bror and young Christian; Karen’s children ‘taken over’ by Magdalena; poor Marcus; Johnnie’s frightened children; Kirsten’s 12 children she doesn’t like!
* MONEY - Queen Sofie and her precious gold ingots, Christian’s need for money; Kirsten’s love of gold; Charles 1 bailing out his nephew; poverty of the masses
* RICH VS POOR
* The poor button maker, whose gift to Christian leaves him obsessed with ‘shoddiness’
* The poverty of the peasants after the mine explodes and their preacher’s efforts to get help from Christian
* The poor woman who helps Kirsten when she goes into labour on her travels
* The poor man whose wife is in prison for borrowing some sheets who is trying to sell bits of rubbish outside his house when the King visits
* The Dowager Queen Sofie hoarding gold ingots that would help her son and his country. Why is she obsessed with keeping them hidden?
* Kirsten’s desire for gold and gifts
* Harsh treatment of the musicians having to play in the cellar (the poor hens too!)
* SEX
* MARRIAGE
* POLITICS
CHARACTERS:
1. Kirsten Munk, King Christian’s morganatic wife is a fascinating, strong, sexually empowered character. There is a lot of humour in Kirsten’s ‘private papers’ and the reader learns her innermost thoughts and secrets as she just turns 30. Did you sympathise with her, or like her, as a character? If you did, was there a point you lost sympathy and if so, where and why?
2. King Christian - good king or bad king? Very complex man. Longest serving monarch in Denmark’s history apparently. What does he decide to do with Charles !’s bail out money?!
3. Magdalena is a challenging character - she is another female character with a powerful sexuality. What did you think about her behaviour with her stepsons? What does this tell us about women’s power (or lack of it) in society?
4. Peter Claire - believable? A bit one-dimensional?
5. Emilia - escaped Magdalena but abandoned Marcus. Rescuing the hen from the cellar - symbolic? Why is she so fond of Kirsten?
6. Many others eg Countess O’ Fingal and mad husband Johnnie; Bror Brorson; Johann …who were you most interested in?
RELATIONSHIPS:
1. Kirsten and King Christian - 21 years older than her. He seems to adore her. Did she ever love him? Is she cruel or is her behaviour understandable?
2. Christian and Peter Claire - he confides in the lutenist about his love for Kirsten and the fact she no longer loves him. Why does he need a musician as a confidant?
3. Christian and Bror Brorson? Bror’s harsh treatment at school is upsetting to read. Christian ‘fights Death’ when Bror is dangerously ill and this creates a deep bond between them. How do you feel about how Christian later treats Bror, once he is crowned King? What is Bror’s purpose in the novel do you think? Are there some similarities with Christian’s later relationship with Peter Claire?
4. Peter Claire and Emilia - in some ways the least interesting relationship in the book? Relevant that they’re fictional?
5. Emilia and Kirsten - genuine affection, or toxic dependency? (Or both!)
6. Johann and Magdalena - does he come good towards the end?
7. Marcus and Emilia - rescuing Marcus causes friction with Kirsten and Emilia realises it could mean she never gets married
8. Charlotte Claire and George Middleton - genuine love and affection? Why is this relationship in the novel?
9. Francesca and Johnnie O’ Fingal - what is their purpose in the novel?
STRUCTURE:
There are three main sections but also various flashbacks to Christian’s boyhood and chapters follow the thoughts and experiences of different characters… did you enjoy these many narrative viewpoints or find the structure confusing?
Did you like the ending? It ends with Kirsten’s thoughts about music, men and her slaves. Why?
HISTORICAL DETAILS - fascinating!
* Knitting being banned, so Christian’s mother knitted in secret on the island
* Keeping the baby Prince Christian in a sealed room for six weeks so the Devil could not steal his soul (disgusting descriptions of the Devil doing this!)
* The musicians having to play in a dark, freezing cold cellar so the music would float ‘magically’ up through the trapdoor to the King and his visitors.
* The financial problems that befell Denmark due to costly wars and Christian’s efforts to make money with the disastrous silver mine & whaling projects. Charles 1 of England bailing him out at the expense of his own people (and we know he was executed in a revolution 19 years later!)
* The ‘plague ship’ - I wanted to know more about this!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Misogyny
Minor: War, Violence, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Colonisation, Racism, and Slavery