A review by scrummyb
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This one is a hard one to rate. First off, this book is not about a missing violin. That is just a mechanism, that in my opinion, the author most likely used so he could write a book that wasn't just a semi auto biography, and would propel the story along. He himself is a black man & a classical musician and without looking anything else up about him, I'm sure these events were inspired by his real life experience. So for the "mystery" of the missing violin, only 2.5-3 stars. It was pretty obvious from the beginning. But as I said, that's not really what the book is about. This book is about a black man's experience in the classical music world. About systemic racism, generational trauma, & about his identity and his relationship with his family. And its a fantastic read when that's what you're rating. I know nothing about the classical music world and it was fascinating to read about it and have that as the back drop for the story. I grew attached to the main character and his grandmother and I felt the emotions along with him. So while I entered into this book thinking it was predominantly a mystery about a violin, it still gets 4.25 stars because it's a beautiful read that invokes powerful feelings as well as is an interesting look into the world of classical music.
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