Can Rose Tremain Write a BAD Book?

From my experience so far, the answer would have to be a resounding, "NO!" Tremain gets just right the mix of opulence and stringency, melancholy and joy, hope and despair that war with one another in the 17th century court of King Chistian of Denmark. All of her characters may not be likeable (the selfish Kristin, for one, and Tillson's second wife Mordalena, for another); but each one is unique and fascinating in his or her own right. What is Music and Silence about? The disappointment of love--and the perseverance of love. The power of art and the power of words. Family dynamics that can almost destroy its members yet somehow manages to pull them together. The influence of the past and the persistence of memory. And so much more. To give you any more details, if you haven't read this beautiful novel, would spoil the experience. Highly recommended!

14 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Very entertaining story

I was thoroughly captivated by this book. I felt the characters to be described beautifully, so that I could practically picture each one. Sometimes the back and forth was confusing and the audio was a bit trickier to back up and review, but the chapter deliniations were perfectly spaced. Can't wait for our book club discussion!

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Overlong but punctuated with brilliance

At times I thought I would give up on this long, complex and intricately woven tapestry of a novel.But I am glad I persevered. The prose throughout is luminous and beautiful, almost poetry. But most of the main characters are self-absorbed. Kirsten, the queen-consort of Denmark, is psychopathic in the way she manipulates others and connives to bring about her obsessive ends. Emilia, Kirsten's maid servant, is obsequious, weakened by her too close and overly dependent relationship with her mother. The polar opposite of Kirsten, she can take no action whatsoever to achieve her heart's desires whether to rescue her abused younger brother from a cruel and demented step mother or to make contact with her fiance after an abrupt separation. The King of Denmark is unable to see reality and lives in a world of dyspepsia and dreams of bygone glories. And the young lute player, Peter Claire, is blessed with beauty and talent but, because of the strictures of the times, cannot rise above his fate. Mixed in are a few wonderfully charming and good natured people who go about their lives finding happiness and fulfillment in what life offers them. It is their stories which kept me engaged.