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milointhewoods's review against another edition
4.0
very, very well written. really good. to begin with, a bit stale but quick and sad. powerful.
jenna_cross's review against another edition
2.0
I didn’t feel any connection to the main character or this story. It’s much too rushed and short for the gravity of the tale that is told within.
olivia7's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
neledoro's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
kenningjp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
deea_bks's review against another edition
4.0
This is a novel that appeals to the sensitivity of the reader through its simplicity and musicality. Framed by the waiting in a train station, the ride by train through the immensity of Russian lands covered by snow and the arrival to Moscow, this is a story of a life whose musicality although extirpated with brutality by the regime of those times, was mended by its hero with whatever meager means he had in hand. The story of a person who longs for music in his life and who, thanks to the power of music on his spirit keeps fighting up to the end to gather together the obliterated fragments of his soul and the bits and pieces of his fragmented life.
As his hands fell upon the keyboard, it was still possible to believe a beautiful harmony had been formed at random, in spite of him. But a second later the music came surging out, the power of it sweeping away all doubts, voices, sounds, wiping away the fixed grins and exchanged glances, pushing back the walls, dispersing the light of the reception room out into the nocturnal immensity of the sky beyond the windows.
As his hands fell upon the keyboard, it was still possible to believe a beautiful harmony had been formed at random, in spite of him. But a second later the music came surging out, the power of it sweeping away all doubts, voices, sounds, wiping away the fixed grins and exchanged glances, pushing back the walls, dispersing the light of the reception room out into the nocturnal immensity of the sky beyond the windows.
bjr2022's review against another edition
5.0
Music of a Life by Andreï Makine
This is a wonderful portrait of a Russian musician who flees his life to preserve his life when the "artistic elite" are being imprisoned by Stalin. It is also a portrait of the battered Russians Makine labels "Homo soviéticas"—people who are so numbed by the unfair whims of those in power as well as their broken infrastructure that they simply bear it.
It is a cautionary tale for our times.
A note: The library Kindle copy I read needs a good proofing. Possessive apostrophes as well as other punctuation are often missing.
This is a wonderful portrait of a Russian musician who flees his life to preserve his life when the "artistic elite" are being imprisoned by Stalin. It is also a portrait of the battered Russians Makine labels "Homo soviéticas"—people who are so numbed by the unfair whims of those in power as well as their broken infrastructure that they simply bear it.
It is a cautionary tale for our times.
A note: The library Kindle copy I read needs a good proofing. Possessive apostrophes as well as other punctuation are often missing.
acorn192k's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
greenbeanz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: War