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A review by kazuchuu
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews
5.0
➳Full review now posted.
(This review can also be found on my blog!)
This is the first line in the book. Really, how upsetting is that? Beck’s lived under The Maestro’s regime for so long that he believes this is his only relief.
Beck is a quiet person. He does whatever he can to avoid trouble. He also desperately seeks the approval of his mother, which is impossible to get. All he can do to avoid being brutally beaten is play the piano: from five a.m. to eight a.m., and after school as well. There’s just no escape. And while Beck, under much different circumstances, would have liked playing the piano, The Maestro’s treatment is enough to make him afraid of it. She makes him play famous pieces and then proceeds to say that he never gets it right, that he can never be as good as she was. In reality, Beck is actually putting together his own tune in his head. His fingers tap it out restlessly, and yet he can never play it, or The Maestro would probably end him.
At the same time, Beck protects his little sister, Joey, from the cruelty of their mother. He knows that, if she ever gave up on him, she would move straight to her. Beck’s love for his rowdy little sister is heart-wrenching. In return for her happiness, he has to endure endless pain and torment, but he never once takes this out on Joey. In fact, she's always at the forefront of his mind. *cries* MY SELFLESS BABY!!
Not to mention that Beck, more than once, contemplates reporting his mother for child abuse, but he always ends up telling himself that this is his own mother. Can he call the police on his own parent? This is a conflict that many abused children face. They’re betrayed by the person who’s supposed to take care of them, and yet they are reluctant to tell anyone because they don’t want them behind bars. How devastating is that?
I adore Beck. My small fragile baby goes through so much pain and it is heart-breaking. But what I related to the most is how he’s never satisfied with his work. He never thinks it’s good enough. He’s always pressuring himself, telling himself that it’s horrid, that he's doing something wrong. If that ain’t me. Every single content creator has felt or feels like this at some point. It’s so annoying?? The smallest thing can throw us into a never-ending spiral of “But is it good enough?” and “No one will ever like this.”
This is the battle that Beck has to fight every day. He doesn’t believe in himself because his mother does everything she can to degrade him.
*sobs*
MY POOR CHILD, YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!! *hugs*
➳ August Frey
Enter August. A bundle of sunshine and rainbows and glittery confetti and chocolate frogs. (Or, you know, real frogs. Who can ever say no to these little cuties?)
August is the exact opposite of Beck. She’s an uncontrollable storm of colour and emotion. She’s bursting with life and fantastical daydreams. I’ll bet that every time she smiles, a kitten is born. This is my soft adorable August.
I love love love her relationship with Beck. She never gives up on him. Heck, she takes him out for cake in the middle of a school day just because she can! And she’s not naïve, either. She understands that life is full of strife (oh hey I rhymed there) but she’s still willing to stand up to nature-hating jerks and make Beck smile. She insists that he is a talented pianist even when he doesn’t believe it. She supports him all the way even when he’s on the verge of giving up. She even does their group project and puts his name on it! What?? We all need an August in our life.
This book has the cutest, quirkiest romance ever. It’s not the wild, burning kind, or the sudden, spontaneous kind. It takes its time and it’s sweet in various little ways. This is the kind of romance I love reading about; not everything is about physical attraction. There’s also having faith in your partner and cheering them up and pushing them forward when they’re struggling and showing them the stars. I was almost losing hope in YA romance until I picked up this book, so THANK YOU, CAIT! YOU HAVE RESTORED GLORY TO ROMANTIC THEMES IN YA BOOKS!
And that ending?? Can it get any sadder?? Well, it’s more bittersweet than just upsetting, but the irony of what happens to Beck at the end is not lost on me. *squints at Cait* I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.
So, yeah. This book destroyed me. I’m convinced the author is brewing some more evil to slip into her next novel, The Boy Who Steals Houses. But am I still going to read it?
Hell. Yes.
-------------------------------------------
My "just-finished-the-book" ramble:
This book is for all content creators who never believe they're good enough.
This book is for all the children afraid to speak up.
This book is for all the fighters who have not found their August yet - & not necessarily in a romantic way.
I'm just in SO MUCH SHOCK because this book is BEAUTIFUL & the descriptions are breath-taking?? There's adorable animals & gorgeous symphonies & cheeky little sisters & CAKE! (most importantly, of course. Duh.)
I COULD NOT STOP READING THIS AND MY HEART IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO MEND ITSELF, PLEASE EXCUSE ME.
(This review can also be found on my blog!)
“What Beck Keverich wants most in the world is to cut off his own hands –
and
let a girl named August
teach him how to
smile.”
[4.5/5]
Trigger warning: child abuse.
Today is a good day to review a book that crushed my heart into teeny tiny powdery pieces. 🙃
This book is The Lion King sad, and I think that every person who has ever created content can relate to it. I especially love that this book isn’t just about passions and how they can take over your life; it’s also about parents living their passions through their children. This happens so often that it’s frustrating, particularly if the child isn’t into what their parent wants them to do.
The ‘Maestro’, as Beck calls her, is not only trying to do just that, but she’s also abusive. She’s convinced her son is worthless unless he can play the piano as well as her. And this woman is never satisfied. The slightest slip-up could have her in a fit of blind rage. The way they live can’t even be described as “home”—it’s simply a dictatorship.
➳ Beck Keverich
“What he wants most in the world is to cut off his own hands.”
This is the first line in the book. Really, how upsetting is that? Beck’s lived under The Maestro’s regime for so long that he believes this is his only relief.
Beck is a quiet person. He does whatever he can to avoid trouble. He also desperately seeks the approval of his mother, which is impossible to get. All he can do to avoid being brutally beaten is play the piano: from five a.m. to eight a.m., and after school as well. There’s just no escape. And while Beck, under much different circumstances, would have liked playing the piano, The Maestro’s treatment is enough to make him afraid of it. She makes him play famous pieces and then proceeds to say that he never gets it right, that he can never be as good as she was. In reality, Beck is actually putting together his own tune in his head. His fingers tap it out restlessly, and yet he can never play it, or The Maestro would probably end him.
At the same time, Beck protects his little sister, Joey, from the cruelty of their mother. He knows that, if she ever gave up on him, she would move straight to her. Beck’s love for his rowdy little sister is heart-wrenching. In return for her happiness, he has to endure endless pain and torment, but he never once takes this out on Joey. In fact, she's always at the forefront of his mind. *cries* MY SELFLESS BABY!!
Not to mention that Beck, more than once, contemplates reporting his mother for child abuse, but he always ends up telling himself that this is his own mother. Can he call the police on his own parent? This is a conflict that many abused children face. They’re betrayed by the person who’s supposed to take care of them, and yet they are reluctant to tell anyone because they don’t want them behind bars. How devastating is that?
I adore Beck. My small fragile baby goes through so much pain and it is heart-breaking. But what I related to the most is how he’s never satisfied with his work. He never thinks it’s good enough. He’s always pressuring himself, telling himself that it’s horrid, that he's doing something wrong. If that ain’t me. Every single content creator has felt or feels like this at some point. It’s so annoying?? The smallest thing can throw us into a never-ending spiral of “But is it good enough?” and “No one will ever like this.”
This is the battle that Beck has to fight every day. He doesn’t believe in himself because his mother does everything she can to degrade him.
*sobs*
MY POOR CHILD, YOU DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!! *hugs*
➳ August Frey
"You are worth more than a thousand perfect notes."
Enter August. A bundle of sunshine and rainbows and glittery confetti and chocolate frogs. (Or, you know, real frogs. Who can ever say no to these little cuties?)
August is the exact opposite of Beck. She’s an uncontrollable storm of colour and emotion. She’s bursting with life and fantastical daydreams. I’ll bet that every time she smiles, a kitten is born. This is my soft adorable August.
I love love love her relationship with Beck. She never gives up on him. Heck, she takes him out for cake in the middle of a school day just because she can! And she’s not naïve, either. She understands that life is full of strife (oh hey I rhymed there) but she’s still willing to stand up to nature-hating jerks and make Beck smile. She insists that he is a talented pianist even when he doesn’t believe it. She supports him all the way even when he’s on the verge of giving up. She even does their group project and puts his name on it! What?? We all need an August in our life.
This book has the cutest, quirkiest romance ever. It’s not the wild, burning kind, or the sudden, spontaneous kind. It takes its time and it’s sweet in various little ways. This is the kind of romance I love reading about; not everything is about physical attraction. There’s also having faith in your partner and cheering them up and pushing them forward when they’re struggling and showing them the stars. I was almost losing hope in YA romance until I picked up this book, so THANK YOU, CAIT! YOU HAVE RESTORED GLORY TO ROMANTIC THEMES IN YA BOOKS!
And that ending?? Can it get any sadder?? Well, it’s more bittersweet than just upsetting, but the irony of what happens to Beck at the end is not lost on me. *squints at Cait* I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE.
So, yeah. This book destroyed me. I’m convinced the author is brewing some more evil to slip into her next novel, The Boy Who Steals Houses. But am I still going to read it?
Hell. Yes.
-------------------------------------------
My "just-finished-the-book" ramble:
This book is for all content creators who never believe they're good enough.
This book is for all the children afraid to speak up.
This book is for all the fighters who have not found their August yet - & not necessarily in a romantic way.
I'm just in SO MUCH SHOCK because this book is BEAUTIFUL & the descriptions are breath-taking?? There's adorable animals & gorgeous symphonies & cheeky little sisters & CAKE! (most importantly, of course. Duh.)
I COULD NOT STOP READING THIS AND MY HEART IS CURRENTLY TRYING TO MEND ITSELF, PLEASE EXCUSE ME.