I purchased both this book and audiobook for my own collection.
Publisher: Anchor Books / Random House Audio
Published: February 1, 2022
Summary:
A mystery about a Black classical musician whose family heirloom violin is stolen on the eve of the most prestigious classical music competition in the world.
Ray McMillian loves playing the violin more than anything, and nothing will stop him from pursuing his dream of becoming a professional musician. Not his mother, who thinks he should get a real job, not the fact that he can’t afford a high-caliber violin, not the racism inherent in the classical music world. And when he makes the startling discovery that his great-grandfather’s fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, his star begins to rise. Then with the international Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—fast approaching, his prized family heirloom is stolen. Ray is determined to get it back. But now his family and the descendants of the man who once enslaved Ray’s great-grandfather are each claiming that the violin belongs to them. With the odds stacked against him and the pressure mounting, will Ray ever see his beloved violin again?
My thoughts:
This book was this past month’s book club selection for Zibby’s Virtual Bookclub and I bought this book as soon as it was announced it was a bookclub choice earlier this year. I decided to wait to read it closer to the discussion date so the story would be fresh in my mind but I’m not sure that would have been an issue – this book is amazing and I don’t think I will be forgetting it anytime soon! Of course the chat with the group and the author only added to my love of the book.
This book is so much more than a mystery. It is a coming-of-age book that also involves family drama and will have you feeling all the emotions. I immediately found myself rooting for the main character, Ray, when his violin is stolen. But that wasn’t the only time I felt for him. The way his mother treated him made me so angry! And I just loved the relationship he had with his grandmother and how he was so passionate about fulfilling the wishes she had for him.
I loved the way this story was crafted. It starts with the violin theft and as the search is going on, we go back in time to fill in Ray’s backstory and learn about his family and the relationship he has with them. We learn why this violin is so important, not only to Ray, but also to the family. It sets everything up quite nicely for what’s to come and even though I did figure out early on who had stolen the violin, it in no way detracted my enjoyment from the book – I had no idea the why and that is just as important, if not more so, as the who.
I cannot tell you how much I loved this book. It tackles some pretty strong themes throughout, making it a great pick for bookclubs and I loved our discussion. The writing is so lyrical and vivid and I know for sure I will be reading whatever Brendan Slocumb writes next!
Audio thoughts:
I loved listening to this book – I loved the little extras that they included in the audio, such as musical interludes throughout – what a bonus! I thought the narrator, JD Jackson, did a great job bringing this story to life and I loved how Brendan Slocumb narrated the author’s note. All in all, it really was the perfect audio production!
