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benng's review
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
dameagles's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
starrysea98's review
1.0
i picked this up bc i was intrigued by the first chapter but good god, this made no damn sense.
i guess it’s on me bc i’m definitely not the target audience for this book. i didn’t care a whit about the piano tuning spiel or the bits about famous pianists and the piano tuner’s story itself was so confusing it failed to hook me. i admit i finished it only to find out the ending but it was so abrupt and possibly made this even more confusing. i may read something else by this author as the writing is okay, but never this book again.
i guess it’s on me bc i’m definitely not the target audience for this book. i didn’t care a whit about the piano tuning spiel or the bits about famous pianists and the piano tuner’s story itself was so confusing it failed to hook me. i admit i finished it only to find out the ending but it was so abrupt and possibly made this even more confusing. i may read something else by this author as the writing is okay, but never this book again.
minhjngo's review
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley, Chiang-Sheng Kuo, and translators Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-Chun Lin for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I'm glad Goldblatt and Lin could translate this work. I love celebrating literature in translation and embracing other bodies of literature. I've read some Taiwanese works before and like other Taiwanese novels, Chiang-Sheng includes details of Taiwan's past, such as Japanese colonial rule. Chiang-Sheng like other Taiwanese novelists embraces transnationalism and the intertextuality of Western references and texts. The novella is really short, and the prose is sparse, but Chiang-Sheng makes ample use of the novella format. I immensely enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend this work to someone else.
I'm glad Goldblatt and Lin could translate this work. I love celebrating literature in translation and embracing other bodies of literature. I've read some Taiwanese works before and like other Taiwanese novels, Chiang-Sheng includes details of Taiwan's past, such as Japanese colonial rule. Chiang-Sheng like other Taiwanese novelists embraces transnationalism and the intertextuality of Western references and texts. The novella is really short, and the prose is sparse, but Chiang-Sheng makes ample use of the novella format. I immensely enjoyed the reading experience and would recommend this work to someone else.
sunsun886's review
2.0
"Everyone is born with a resonating formula, which some will look for in a musical instrument, others in singing. Those who are luckiest can find, in this vast world, a vibration that can awaken the resonance with their past, present, and future."
"She looked momentarily lost, as if she'd never heard of the place, but quickly put on a smile, like a teacher sending off graduates, an expression that betrayed lifelessness while insisting upon a rosy outlook on life. 'Oh, really? Have fun. There's so much to see in New York."
"Dreams aren't meant to be pursued, nor to be owned or conquered. They should be like your conscience, a sincere melody in your heart, not something external."
"She looked momentarily lost, as if she'd never heard of the place, but quickly put on a smile, like a teacher sending off graduates, an expression that betrayed lifelessness while insisting upon a rosy outlook on life. 'Oh, really? Have fun. There's so much to see in New York."
"Dreams aren't meant to be pursued, nor to be owned or conquered. They should be like your conscience, a sincere melody in your heart, not something external."
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
Utterly original and deeply moving. I thoroughly enjoyed this powerful little novella about a nameless piano tuner. Now a widower in his forties he reflects back on his life as a piano prodigy and the love he had for his much younger wife who died tragically of pancreatic cancer. Great on audio and highly recommended if you're looking for a quick read that will give you lots of feels! Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance audio copy in exchange for my honest review.
sablou53's review
2.0
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the Audio ARC.
This is a review for the audio version narrated by Fernando Chien.
I didn't know much going into this, except that it was a foreign book that was translated into English and something about musicians. Immediately I found that the narrators voice was a bit monotone and hard to follow. Several times throughout the book it was hard for me to decipher what character he was talking about, and if he was talking in third person, or from the narrator’s point of view. It didn’t help that it was hard for me to pay attention and I would find my mind wandering several times throughout the story because it just wasn’t that interesting to me. I wonder if I would have had the same problem with the book version.
Outside of the narration, I have an issue with a lot of the writing. The writer tries to use instruments, mostly pianos, as a metaphor for life and the human experience. While I can see using one or two comparisons, having over 5 spread out throughout a novella seems excessive. The unnamed Narrator also breaks the fourth wall and refers to himself as “The Narrator” a few times. I don’t like it when books tell me that they are the narrator. I’m reading/listening to the story. This is obvious.
I did learn a few things about musicians and instruments that I didn’t know which I appreciate. I feel like this book is more for someone who listens to classical music or plays an instrument. As I am neither of those things, I just couldn’t get on board. I almost stopped listening several times because I realized about 25% the way in I just…didn’t care.
This is a review for the audio version narrated by Fernando Chien.
I didn't know much going into this, except that it was a foreign book that was translated into English and something about musicians. Immediately I found that the narrators voice was a bit monotone and hard to follow. Several times throughout the book it was hard for me to decipher what character he was talking about, and if he was talking in third person, or from the narrator’s point of view. It didn’t help that it was hard for me to pay attention and I would find my mind wandering several times throughout the story because it just wasn’t that interesting to me. I wonder if I would have had the same problem with the book version.
Outside of the narration, I have an issue with a lot of the writing. The writer tries to use instruments, mostly pianos, as a metaphor for life and the human experience. While I can see using one or two comparisons, having over 5 spread out throughout a novella seems excessive. The unnamed Narrator also breaks the fourth wall and refers to himself as “The Narrator” a few times. I don’t like it when books tell me that they are the narrator. I’m reading/listening to the story. This is obvious.
I did learn a few things about musicians and instruments that I didn’t know which I appreciate. I feel like this book is more for someone who listens to classical music or plays an instrument. As I am neither of those things, I just couldn’t get on board. I almost stopped listening several times because I realized about 25% the way in I just…didn’t care.
amandalywarren's review against another edition
4.0
Woah. I am stunned. Nonlinear books can be confusing to read. And they’re even more confusing to listen to. But I find myself enchanted by the way the plot ebbs and flows…like the concepts of music and time that the narrator finds so comfortable. As I drew closer to the end of the book, I truly felt as if snow were falling all around me—the way the narrator imagined so early in the book before he had ever seen real snow. Confusion is at home here. And while I don’t love that feeling, it seems to belong.
I don’t have much more to say about the plot—it was sad, but only as sad as the saddest notes a piano could produce. Conceptual, I know. But this book was more concept than narrative, I think, in the best way. But it certainly wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a lonely story—the narrator refers more than once to the loneliness of the black keys on a piano, separated from the other black keys. Yet, the narrator doesn’t seem to truly recognize his own loneliness.
The narrator goes unnamed. He is simply the piano tuner. He’s self-aware, which is something I love in a single POV story. He views himself as a vessel for telling someone else’s story. He even admits that he doesn’t need to talk about himself, because he’s just the narrator. But throughout the book, you begin to see that this is his story.
He is simple and broken and lacks understanding of others, so he seeks solace in music and memory. Honestly, it’s so stunning. I originally thought this book would be a winner for all Asian children whose parents wanted to see them become a musical prodigy…but now I’m not so sure.
Frankly, there is no overarching lesson in the story of the piano tuner. But the way he talks about timbre and sound is the sort of outline for how he perceives the world. It’s fascinating. But without triumph. There is no happy ending, but this book is beautiful and deserves a read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Chiang-Sheng Kuo (and translators) for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I don’t have much more to say about the plot—it was sad, but only as sad as the saddest notes a piano could produce. Conceptual, I know. But this book was more concept than narrative, I think, in the best way. But it certainly wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a lonely story—the narrator refers more than once to the loneliness of the black keys on a piano, separated from the other black keys. Yet, the narrator doesn’t seem to truly recognize his own loneliness.
The narrator goes unnamed. He is simply the piano tuner. He’s self-aware, which is something I love in a single POV story. He views himself as a vessel for telling someone else’s story. He even admits that he doesn’t need to talk about himself, because he’s just the narrator. But throughout the book, you begin to see that this is his story.
He is simple and broken and lacks understanding of others, so he seeks solace in music and memory. Honestly, it’s so stunning. I originally thought this book would be a winner for all Asian children whose parents wanted to see them become a musical prodigy…but now I’m not so sure.
Frankly, there is no overarching lesson in the story of the piano tuner. But the way he talks about timbre and sound is the sort of outline for how he perceives the world. It’s fascinating. But without triumph. There is no happy ending, but this book is beautiful and deserves a read.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Chiang-Sheng Kuo (and translators) for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.