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tegfan's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
2.0
There were some parts of this that were really good, and it was a look into various times I’ve known little about. Ultimately, however, I felt it was quite lacking. The use of the present-day events being overshadowed by 9/11 could have been fantastic but was under-utilised in terms of tone and atmosphere. The overall plot/’mystery’ was never really solved for me and I finished it thinking… ‘so what’. I guess there was something there about the decision made by one of the characters almost right at the end, but it came too late for me to feel anything other than disgust: the blurb highlighted that it was about history repeating itself, but that wasn’t explored adequately for me to vibe with it really.
punchofwishes's review
4.0
Read for a book club, this was a really interesting story. Told from three perspectives in three different times, the focus lies on two composers and their intertwined history. Sergey, a Russian composer who’s story is told backwards starting with his return from the gulag all the way to the start of his originally promissing career. Sol, an American composer who gets targeted by McCarthyism and whose complicated relationships cause a lot of trouble in his life. Natalie who in late 2001 is one of the caretaker’s of aging and dementia affected Sol, coming in contact with Sergey’s grandson who claims Sol stole a composition of his grandfather. This is a complex and emotional story with a destinct solemn atmosphere. Two of the three narrators are mlm and the amount of terrible things they experience related and unrelated to their sexuality is quite notable. Having read a bit about McCarthyism as well as anti-gay activity in the United States, I really loved how direct and impactful this book tackles these issues as well as other political and social topics. Sometimes I did get a little confused if a chapter was from Sergey or Sol’s point of view and Natalie was definitely the least interesting character. I still really enjoyed this book!
harrietthacker85's review against another edition
4.0
"The music vibrated through the edgework and into her thighs and through her fingertips as they pressed each string against the neck . That sound, like a feather or a dust mote suspended in the air. The purest expression of all the things she would never say."
A Simple Scale is set over three periods in time and follows the mystery of who is the original composer of a piece of music. Sergey a composer in Leningrad in the late 30s and subsequently sent to the gulag; Sol a movie composer in 50s McCarthyite Hollywood; and Natalie, musicologist and Sol's PA in post 9/11 New York.
Each chapter is delivered from a different period and by a different character and as the novel progresses we unravel how they interweave with one another, pulled on through the story by the mystery of the music.
For me, it wasn't the mystery of who wrote the music that made me read on, but how each of the stories informed the other, and the underlying ideas behind the narrative. In each, story we can see history repeating not only on a micro, individual scale but on a macro global scale as well. This observation underpins the whole book and leaves questions about how the events of the 20th century have informed our present and what we as a society still have left to learn.
There are gems within the book - some descriptions that have stayed with me since putting it down. "You read John Hersey's account of Hiroshima in The New Yorker. There's something strangely beautiful about them, columns of smoke towering impossibly above the landscape, pushing apart all other clouds and cresting at the edge of heaven."
A Simple Scale is a really enjoyable read and it examines significant issues that are still incredibly relevant today of homosexuality, repression, war and ultimately how we as a society never seem to learn from our global histories.
A Simple Scale is set over three periods in time and follows the mystery of who is the original composer of a piece of music. Sergey a composer in Leningrad in the late 30s and subsequently sent to the gulag; Sol a movie composer in 50s McCarthyite Hollywood; and Natalie, musicologist and Sol's PA in post 9/11 New York.
Each chapter is delivered from a different period and by a different character and as the novel progresses we unravel how they interweave with one another, pulled on through the story by the mystery of the music.
For me, it wasn't the mystery of who wrote the music that made me read on, but how each of the stories informed the other, and the underlying ideas behind the narrative. In each, story we can see history repeating not only on a micro, individual scale but on a macro global scale as well. This observation underpins the whole book and leaves questions about how the events of the 20th century have informed our present and what we as a society still have left to learn.
There are gems within the book - some descriptions that have stayed with me since putting it down. "You read John Hersey's account of Hiroshima in The New Yorker. There's something strangely beautiful about them, columns of smoke towering impossibly above the landscape, pushing apart all other clouds and cresting at the edge of heaven."
A Simple Scale is a really enjoyable read and it examines significant issues that are still incredibly relevant today of homosexuality, repression, war and ultimately how we as a society never seem to learn from our global histories.
nikolas_fox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ambernh's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
paukinra's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Homophobia
charliellewellyn's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A sad book with an intriguing premise on the origins of a piece of music.
The use of 2nd person for Sol's 1950s narrative is an interesting choice, putting the reader fully in his shoes but with little to connect that time to 2001 it helps add to the fact that Sol in his old age is unable to remember the past clearly.
The use of 2nd person for Sol's 1950s narrative is an interesting choice, putting the reader fully in his shoes but with little to connect that time to 2001 it helps add to the fact that Sol in his old age is unable to remember the past clearly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
joanniesharpie's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Suicide