The Violin
by Lindsay Pritchard
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Pub Date 28 Sep 2018 | Archive Date 24 Aug 2018
Troubador Publishing Limited | Matador
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Description
“You know, to me, a violin and a person are alike. We keep inside the reverberations of the most important people who touch us. And the music we make lives after us.”
Imagine you are holding a violin made in 1750. Not a prestigious Amati or Stradivarius but a special one-off commission by a workaday luthier called John Johnson in his small workshop in Cheapside, London. You think about its history of more than a quarter of a millennium.
Who made it and why? Who has owned it? Played it? What celebrated characters might have heard it? How was it passed down, hand to hand, and how did its owners’ lives interlink? Holding it you might even muse on the transience of life against the durability of the instrument and the music it has played.
This is the story of that violin. It is taken on an incredible journey through history and is passed to a variety of characters including a Georgian libertine, a young French female virtuoso, a philanthropic collector, an illiterate labourer, a heroic WW1 flyer and a young German girl who survives the Holocaust. After a series of coincidences the story of the violin comes full circle in a touching and unexpected denouement.
The Violin is the perfect read for fans of historical fiction, or music lovers. It will transport you through time, pull on your heart strings and leave you spellbound.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781789011357 |
| PRICE | £3.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 238609
This is a story about a violin that goes from one owner to the next. It tells us about each of the owners and we learn their stories. I had a little trouble getting into this book at first, but I'm glad I stayed with it. I found a book that was hard to put down, and kept me wanting to read more.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
Joyce F, Reviewer
5 stars
What a remarkable and memorable book! I’m sitting here thinking of a way to do this novel justice.
This is a lyrical novel. It is written in clear and concise language that just sings. It is about a violin that was commissioned in 1750 by an Englishman from another Englishman named John Johnson in Cheapside, England. Mr. Johnson was a luthier who could create beautiful and very fine instruments. This is a one-off violin.
Through the centuries, this violin changed hands. This is the story of that violin and the people who owned it. It is poignant novel of love, loss and desperation. All of these varied people had one thing in common; they loved and cared for the fine instrument. They cover the gamut of society, from the wealthy to the dirt poor, from the privileged to the ordinary . Some people were chancers, some were mere children. The violin made it from the sedate and rarified atmosphere of drawing rooms, being listened to by the greats of music such as Mozart to the horrors of a WWII prison camp.
The stories about how they acquired the violin by happenstance are very engaging and interesting. He people in the story were great characters. Most were likeable, some were not.
I truly enjoyed this story. In fact, I couldn’t tear myself away from the book. It was in turns fascinating and horrifying. It was so well written that I, at times, forgot everything else but the story. This is my first Lindsay Pritchard novel, and I will certainly look for more of her books. I enjoy finding “new” authors to read and this book will remain with me for a very long time.
I want to thank both NetGalley and Troubador Publishing Limited/Matador for forwarding to me a copy of this most wonderful book to read, enjoy and review.
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