A review by bookwormliz
The Melody of Secrets by Jeffrey Stepakoff

4.0

An exquisitely rendered tale of love, desperation, morality, and the dark and the light in all of us. The characters are expertly drawn and one can't help but immediately fall under the spell of this book. I would recommend this book for readers who love characterization, impossible situations, and dilemmas that don't quite have a clear-cut "answer" in life. I really wish that I'd read this book with my book club because I'm quite sure it would have prompted many discussions and suppositions. So, why did I give it only 3 stars instead of 4? The relationship between Maria and Josephine, while only a sub-plot, wasn't quite developed or flushed out enough. Also, I loved and hated the ending (which is why it would make such a great book club read). You need to be an astute and careful reader to get the significance of the "ending" of the book---it isn't all wrapped up in a neat little bow for you---it's like life---frayed pieces, unknowns, and revelations yet to come. I won't go into all that as I don't believe in re-hashing the book or spoiling anything for anyone. As a former English professor and Advanced Placement English Literature teacher, this book would be of great interest for a thorough analysis either in an academic setting or in a serious book club, but as just a "breezy" read for the typical book-reader, I think some of the nuances would be lost and thus frustration (and questioning at the end) would set in. Actually, for that reason alone, I'm moving it up to a 4 because WHY should we be handed everything in a nice, neat package---life doesn't work that way, so why should all books? I won this as a GoodReads first-read and was not paid, cajoled, or required to write this review.