Scan barcode
baratheonbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
haileylm's review
3.5
this book was objectively very well-written, and i loved all of the discussion of music. however, i found parts of this to be extremely slow moving and kind of unnecessary — for example, the chapter about an unsuccessful public decapitation. also a lot of talk of religion, which i wasn’t expecting
kateea7536's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This book had some beautiful, philosophical moments that were thought provoking. I enjoyed the setying and the world of Bach and his music. However, the book was slow moving so I did find myself getting bored by the repetitiveness of what the characters were saying and doing. There was also a lot of religious context, which is personally not of interest to me, but was of course crucial in the life of Bach.
cami4402's review
4.0
i didn’t realize this was a religious book when i started it but it really made me think about life and my art
nathel's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful story of love and loss and what it means to live❤️
laureninthebuf's review against another edition
4.0
I keep going back and fourth between 3-4 stars. Call it a 3.5. I’m most glad I read this for all of the times it so accurately put into words how music makes people feel and why it matters so much. I love historical fiction, but it had been a while since I found a story that I felt hadn’t been covered tirelessly in some other way - so I also liked this book very much for that fact.
Those two things being said - this book takes work. I think without some working knowledge of musical composition it would be entirely over a reader’s head. I even wish I had been reading it on Kindle - so that I could use the translate and wiki functions. I think there would have been so much more to take in - so much more of the author’s work to appreciate - if I’d been to willing to dive a little deeper on some of the topics.
There were so many lines in this that warranted a second read - because they just SAID so much. Things about life you want to write down and think about because they make you say “yes, that’s true. Exactly that.”
Those two things being said - this book takes work. I think without some working knowledge of musical composition it would be entirely over a reader’s head. I even wish I had been reading it on Kindle - so that I could use the translate and wiki functions. I think there would have been so much more to take in - so much more of the author’s work to appreciate - if I’d been to willing to dive a little deeper on some of the topics.
There were so many lines in this that warranted a second read - because they just SAID so much. Things about life you want to write down and think about because they make you say “yes, that’s true. Exactly that.”
illustriousnewt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hyk21's review against another edition
3.0
Painfully average, no distinguishable direction for the plot. Perhaps mimicking life? But altogether indigestible.
Don’t read if you dislike philosophical discussions. Holy smokes, how many sermons can be written in one book?
Don’t read if you dislike philosophical discussions. Holy smokes, how many sermons can be written in one book?
kmcfall's review
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.75
Very nice--but too much sermonizing. This started out as a read-aloud book for my husband and me. We are both liturgical nerds, and I don't think I've ever read a fiction book that dealt with liturgy and the liturgical year more than The Great Passion.
I really loved the first half of the book. The character development of the main character, Stefan Silbermann, was very strong, and the description of how he became a part of the Bach family was fully engaged my interest. As a person who loves baroque music and liturgy, this was so fun to read. I squealed as though I were an insider when the Telemanns visited the Bach household.
But Bach's character was, pardon the pun, too one-note. The cantor (Bach) became so preachy, and this really changed the way I felt about the book. There were too many long sermony discourses. In real life, I enjoy good preaching. But these sections were too frequent, too long, and seemed inauthentic. Maybe Bach and company were given to breaking into sermon, but these moments just seemed so overly demonstrative. These sections really bogged down the story.
Outside of that, it was an enjoyable story.
I'll add that it was nice to listen to the parts of the Passion as they were being described toward the end--the "Herzliebster Jesu" chorale and "Ich will dir mein Herze schenken,"especially.
I will recommend this book to several clergy friends--with the warning they'll encounter a lot of sermonizing by Bach and other characters.
I really loved the first half of the book. The character development of the main character, Stefan Silbermann, was very strong, and the description of how he became a part of the Bach family was fully engaged my interest. As a person who loves baroque music and liturgy, this was so fun to read. I squealed as though I were an insider when the Telemanns visited the Bach household.
But Bach's character was, pardon the pun, too one-note. The cantor (Bach) became so preachy, and this really changed the way I felt about the book. There were too many long sermony discourses. In real life, I enjoy good preaching. But these sections were too frequent, too long, and seemed inauthentic. Maybe Bach and company were given to breaking into sermon, but these moments just seemed so overly demonstrative. These sections really bogged down the story.
Outside of that, it was an enjoyable story.
I'll add that it was nice to listen to the parts of the Passion as they were being described toward the end--the "Herzliebster Jesu" chorale and "Ich will dir mein Herze schenken,"especially.
I will recommend this book to several clergy friends--with the warning they'll encounter a lot of sermonizing by Bach and other characters.
kelbi's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book. I didn’t love it. It was rather lacking in something. Very interesting story about Bach’s household. I learnt a lot but it didn’t really engage me