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A review by lory_enterenchanted
Body & Soul by Frank Conroy
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
It's been a while since I felt so drawn into the world of a novel, so immersed in its setting and characters. The description of the development of a musician/composer was absolutely wonderful, reaching toward that ineffable thing, the experience of music and its creation. Some of the technicialities might put off readers who are not themselves musicians; I'm not sure how well Conroy might succeed at drawing them in. But for those with some experience of the piano, it's a delight.
The first half of Claude's story was strangely lacking in conflict. As he grew into an artist, everything was handed to him. No troubles with teachers, fellow students, his own ambition or anxiety...it was a bit odd. In the second half, this fact that he had been "gifted" so much was brought up, and some of his hidden or bypassed weaknesses did become an issue. So maybe the lack of tension in the storytelling was intentional, but I did find it a bit odd at the time of reading. Atypical of what one expects in a novel, and unrealistic in life, but not impossible I suppose.
Another awkwardness in the storytelling came at the end, when the author switched into another POV to reveal something to the reader that is kept from Claude. Otherwise, the whole novel is in written in a 3rd person POV that sticks close to Claude and his perspective--with occasional drops into the future, but still nothing that couldn't be known by him. I found this switch infelicitous artistically; it would have been much more pleasing to stay with Claude, and perhaps subtly suggest something to the reader rather than hitting us over the head with it.
Other than these caveats, I absolutely loved it.
The first half of Claude's story was strangely lacking in conflict. As he grew into an artist, everything was handed to him. No troubles with teachers, fellow students, his own ambition or anxiety...it was a bit odd. In the second half, this fact that he had been "gifted" so much was brought up, and some of his hidden or bypassed weaknesses did become an issue. So maybe the lack of tension in the storytelling was intentional, but I did find it a bit odd at the time of reading. Atypical of what one expects in a novel, and unrealistic in life, but not impossible I suppose.
Another awkwardness in the storytelling came at the end, when the author switched into another POV to reveal something to the reader that is kept from Claude. Otherwise, the whole novel is in written in a 3rd person POV that sticks close to Claude and his perspective--with occasional drops into the future, but still nothing that couldn't be known by him. I found this switch infelicitous artistically; it would have been much more pleasing to stay with Claude, and perhaps subtly suggest something to the reader rather than hitting us over the head with it.
Other than these caveats, I absolutely loved it.