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galixi's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booksbecreads's review against another edition
3.0
Another re-read from high school. Once again I could only remember the basics and enjoyed the story as it evolved. It was a nice short, uncomplicated read based in Darwin in the late 19602 to 1970s. Involving the evolution of a number of relationships of a 16 year old boy and the changes they undergo as he ages.
captainfez's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rmardel's review against another edition
4.0
A beautiful novel about music and art, youth, arrogance, and the fragility of life. This is the story of a boy and his teacher, the maestro, but also of talent, of what makes art, of obsession, and of longing, the longing for what might be and the longing for what might have been. It is the story of a man looking back on his boyhood, on a pivotal teacher, and the prose is beautifully evocative, poetic, sensual even capturing the spirit of the place, but also of the tiny but earth shattering subtleties that bridge the divide between talent and genius.
I think that this is a book with enough depth to be read in several ways. My younger self would have read it completely differently than the way I see it now, and I think there are stories in the stories here, plays on words, places, meanings. Eduard Keller is the Maestro, but Paul in his youthful arrogance plays at being Maestro as well, with his schoolmates, with the girls, and this too is a part of the story, of the silliness and arrogance of youth, of how our decisions and our failure to make them shape who we become. A book to read again.
I think that this is a book with enough depth to be read in several ways. My younger self would have read it completely differently than the way I see it now, and I think there are stories in the stories here, plays on words, places, meanings. Eduard Keller is the Maestro, but Paul in his youthful arrogance plays at being Maestro as well, with his schoolmates, with the girls, and this too is a part of the story, of the silliness and arrogance of youth, of how our decisions and our failure to make them shape who we become. A book to read again.
rita_fab's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tahliapaige's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Kind of a dull text with no real plot, however the lessons it provided surrounding music and by extension life were insightful
toosh's review
5.0
I love this book. Not a comfortable read but rich and vibrant and true. A beautiful book. I will remember it.
tamsinlucycp's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of really beautiful elements to this book, but the sexual stuff was really clunky and unnecessary tbh.