by Vikram Seth
(chosen by KE)
Theme: 'Without music, life would be a mistake'
KE examined a few options before choosing this one, including Rose Tremain's Music and Silence, however at 484 pages, it exceeded the page limit! She also thought about some music biographies.
About the author:
Vikram Seth has written acclaimed books in several genres: verse novel, The Golden Gate; travel book, From Heaven Lake; animal fables, Beastly Tales; epic fiction, A Suitable Boy. His most recent novel, An Equal Music, was published in 1999. He lives in England and India.
(general biographical detail from the Harper Collins website)
What the publisher says about the book:
The author of the international bestseller A Suitable Boy returns with a powerful and deeply romantic tale of two gifted musicians. Michael Holme is a violinist, a member of the successful Maggiore Quartet. He has long been haunted, though, by memories of the pianist he loved and left ten years earlier, Julia McNicholl. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly reenters his life and the romance flares up once more.
Against the magical backdrop of Venice and Vienna, the two lovers confront the truth about themselves and their love, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a devastating secret that Julia must finally reveal. With poetic, evocative writing and a brilliant portrait of the international music scene, An Equal Music confirms Vikram Seth as one of the world's finest and most enticing writers.What we discussed about the book:
- The twin themes of lost love and passion for music.
- St Jerome and the white dog (cat/ferret) - what was the significance of this in the story? How did it represent Julia and Michael's story?
- What caused Michael to leave Julia in the first place?
- Did we want a 'happy' ending? Regarding Julia? Regarding the violin? What did we care more about and why?
- The links between Beethoven's loss of hearing and Julia's.
- Do musical and non-musical people read this book differently?
- Was there a musical structure to the novel?
- How did we find the dialogue? How was it used as a expository device?
- Were the quartet members fully developed characters?
- How did the tension of the Mrs Formby violin story contribute overall to the novel? Was this relationship one of the most satisfactory and resolved?
- Did Michael feel he was a fraud? How did his background contribute to this?
- Would Julia ever leave James? Why did she invite Michael to meet James for lunch?
- Was Julia right to hide her deafness?
- What effect did the first person, present tense writing style have?
- The concept of the irrevocable nature of time
- Can you or do you, get second chances?
- Is being a classical musical stalker a niche activity?
- Are musicians 'highly strung' by nature?
In other news, we discussed:
- Synesthesia - a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway.
- Gatecrashing of funerals...widely spread practice?
- MONA gallery at Hobart
Range: 5 to 7.5
Average: 6.71
Next book: Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman (chosen by JM)
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