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wbashant 's review for:
The Violin Conspiracy
by Brendan Slocumb
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is the polemical story of Ray and his struggle with racism in music. There are a number of fantastical plot points that require a suspension of disbelief: a Stradivarius violin makes it 50 years mouldering in a Georgia attic, a person, who, after playing a school violin in High School suddenly is concertizing with major orchestras after 4 years at a non-music centered University; a professor can just suspend her job and become Ray's agent to get him top-playing gigs; the Mozart Concerto is an hour long piece (it's not. It's about 35 minutes long.)
It's a shame, because there is a story to be told about privilege in the music world. This is just too blunt and naive to make the plot believeable.
The plot: a boy is gifted a violin from his grandmother that turns out to be a Strad. He feels imposter syndrome, faces racism, the Strad is stolen, he competes in a competition. And then goes on to be a world class violinist. Oh yeah, and the recovery of the violin feels like a complete after-thought.
The pace was slow and s few times I considered not finishing. The writing is accomplished.
It's a shame, because there is a story to be told about privilege in the music world. This is just too blunt and naive to make the plot believeable.
The plot: a boy is gifted a violin from his grandmother that turns out to be a Strad. He feels imposter syndrome, faces racism, the Strad is stolen, he competes in a competition. And then goes on to be a world class violinist. Oh yeah, and the recovery of the violin feels like a complete after-thought.
The pace was slow and s few times I considered not finishing. The writing is accomplished.