I saw author being interviewed on PBS tv and became intrigued with reading this book. The first chapter tells the story of how Ray's $10 Million Dollar Stradivarius violin was stolen. Unfortunately I figured out who stole it right away but continued reading.
Ray's backstory of his childhood, his devoted grandmother who always believed in him, his mother who didn't think he had any business pursuing music, etc was interesting and added to his determination and drive.
There were disturbing incidences of racism that Ray encountered, not only when playing his violin but more distressing when faced with white police.
Overall, the story was enjoyable though some passages just not believable. And Mr. Slocumb could have removed some of the descriptive passages, therefore I rate it only with 3 stars.
Ray's backstory of his childhood, his devoted grandmother who always believed in him, his mother who didn't think he had any business pursuing music, etc was interesting and added to his determination and drive.
There were disturbing incidences of racism that Ray encountered, not only when playing his violin but more distressing when faced with white police.
Overall, the story was enjoyable though some passages just not believable. And Mr. Slocumb could have removed some of the descriptive passages, therefore I rate it only with 3 stars.
An excellent plot, lousy execution.
This is the story of a Stradivarius violin handed down from a talented slave in the US South to a young Black kid who loves music and manages to make a career of it against the odds. The descendants of the original slave holder claim the violin belongs to them, as do the kid's own family members. The violin gets stolen and held for ransom, and that leads to suspense. Who stole it and will Ray get the violin back?
Although there are some lovely passages describing Ray's relationship with music and with his instrument, much of the writing is clumsy and some of the characterizations extremely exaggerated. For example, Ray's mother keeps calling music "noise" even when Ray is playing beautiful melodies that anyone would appreciate. Supposedly all she cares about is money, and she has no redeeming qualities.
What bothered me most were the pileups of racist incident after racist incident. Of course, some of those injustices do happen, and they are completely reprehensible, but as with the mother, the author has no subtlety, and unremitting evil of a stereotypical sort rains down on Ray at the worst times just as it would in a comic book.
Overall, not recommended.
This is the story of a Stradivarius violin handed down from a talented slave in the US South to a young Black kid who loves music and manages to make a career of it against the odds. The descendants of the original slave holder claim the violin belongs to them, as do the kid's own family members. The violin gets stolen and held for ransom, and that leads to suspense. Who stole it and will Ray get the violin back?
Although there are some lovely passages describing Ray's relationship with music and with his instrument, much of the writing is clumsy and some of the characterizations extremely exaggerated. For example, Ray's mother keeps calling music "noise" even when Ray is playing beautiful melodies that anyone would appreciate. Supposedly all she cares about is money, and she has no redeeming qualities.
What bothered me most were the pileups of racist incident after racist incident. Of course, some of those injustices do happen, and they are completely reprehensible, but as with the mother, the author has no subtlety, and unremitting evil of a stereotypical sort rains down on Ray at the worst times just as it would in a comic book.
Overall, not recommended.
I was intrigued by The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb from the moment I heard Kaytee gush about it on the Currently Reading podcast. As a member of a symphonic chorus, I've performed numerous times with symphony musicians, several times while conducted by a Black maestro.
Plot summary: Ray McMillian, a Black classical violinist, is the main character of this story. The novel begins with the shocking theft of his priceless Stradivarius instrument that literally never leaves his possession. In many flashbacks, readers learn about Ray's childhood, his introduction to classical music, the prejudices he encounters, the shocking discovery made about his great-great-grandfather's fiddle, and his rise to prominence while pursuing a prestigious worldwide musical competition.
My thoughts: I was equally engaged with the current and past timelines, especially the portions featuring Ray and his sweet relationship with his grandmother. The dynamics with the rest of Ray's family are complicated to say the least, and his mother is one of the worst characters I've read in recent history! The racial aggressions Ray experiences are shocking and infuriating and sadly mirror the author's actual own. The descriptions of the symphony performances brought to mind fond memories of my own experiences. I was surprised by the solution to the mystery, but that's par for the course with me and thrillers.
The audiobook is excellent with JD Jackson's narration, an author's note read by Brendan Slocumb, and beautiful classical music interludes. When I finished, I enjoyed Kaytee's interview with the author at currentlyreadingpodcast.com/show-notes and was excited to learn he has more novels in the works.
Plot summary: Ray McMillian, a Black classical violinist, is the main character of this story. The novel begins with the shocking theft of his priceless Stradivarius instrument that literally never leaves his possession. In many flashbacks, readers learn about Ray's childhood, his introduction to classical music, the prejudices he encounters, the shocking discovery made about his great-great-grandfather's fiddle, and his rise to prominence while pursuing a prestigious worldwide musical competition.
My thoughts: I was equally engaged with the current and past timelines, especially the portions featuring Ray and his sweet relationship with his grandmother. The dynamics with the rest of Ray's family are complicated to say the least, and his mother is one of the worst characters I've read in recent history! The racial aggressions Ray experiences are shocking and infuriating and sadly mirror the author's actual own. The descriptions of the symphony performances brought to mind fond memories of my own experiences. I was surprised by the solution to the mystery, but that's par for the course with me and thrillers.
The audiobook is excellent with JD Jackson's narration, an author's note read by Brendan Slocumb, and beautiful classical music interludes. When I finished, I enjoyed Kaytee's interview with the author at currentlyreadingpodcast.com/show-notes and was excited to learn he has more novels in the works.
I don't remember why I decided to pick up Brendan Slocumb's The Violin Conspiracy and read it, but I'm certainly glad I did. Slocumb's story grabbed me by the throat almost from the beginning, and it didn't let me loose until I'd turned the last page.
The story isn't new. Boy has talent. Boy needs violin. Boy gets violin. Boy works hard. Boy starts to get some breaks. Boy's violin is stolen. Can boy's dreams still come true? But if the only books that mattered were those with completely new plots, very few books would matter at all. Some stories are universal and deserve to be told over and over again.
Some of the characters aren't new either. The self-absorbed mother who wants Ray to stop making all that racket, get his GED, and get hired on at the hospital so he can buy her that 60-inch color TV she wants. The greedy family who, when they learn that the old family fiddle none of them gave a hoot about is actually a priceless Stradivarius, see nothing but DOLLAR SIGNS and insist that Ray sell it so they can wallow in millions of dollars. The evil couple who insists that the violin is theirs. The fairy godmother of a college music professor. Even Ray isn't new.
But guess what? Those tried-and-true characters we've seen thousands of times are just as fine as that "old" story because of the way Brendan Slocumb breathes life into it all. We care about Ray. We want him to succeed. We want to tackle every bigot the young boy has to face and get them out of his way for good. Our hearts soar as music fills every pore in Ray's body and then comes out in a brilliant torrent as he plays that old family fiddle. You don't have to love classical music to enjoy this book, but-- if you do-- it's going to add that extra Something Special.
The identity of the violin thief is easy to deduce, but how the theft was accomplished and what happened to the thief made up for that. The author explains how much of The Violin Conspiracy actually happened in his notes and acknowledgments, and I also watched a video of one of his appearances on Youtube in which Slocumb stated, "I want to be the Stephen King of musical thrillers!" After falling head over heels into this first book of his, all I can say is that I hope his wish comes true.
The story isn't new. Boy has talent. Boy needs violin. Boy gets violin. Boy works hard. Boy starts to get some breaks. Boy's violin is stolen. Can boy's dreams still come true? But if the only books that mattered were those with completely new plots, very few books would matter at all. Some stories are universal and deserve to be told over and over again.
Some of the characters aren't new either. The self-absorbed mother who wants Ray to stop making all that racket, get his GED, and get hired on at the hospital so he can buy her that 60-inch color TV she wants. The greedy family who, when they learn that the old family fiddle none of them gave a hoot about is actually a priceless Stradivarius, see nothing but DOLLAR SIGNS and insist that Ray sell it so they can wallow in millions of dollars. The evil couple who insists that the violin is theirs. The fairy godmother of a college music professor. Even Ray isn't new.
But guess what? Those tried-and-true characters we've seen thousands of times are just as fine as that "old" story because of the way Brendan Slocumb breathes life into it all. We care about Ray. We want him to succeed. We want to tackle every bigot the young boy has to face and get them out of his way for good. Our hearts soar as music fills every pore in Ray's body and then comes out in a brilliant torrent as he plays that old family fiddle. You don't have to love classical music to enjoy this book, but-- if you do-- it's going to add that extra Something Special.
The identity of the violin thief is easy to deduce, but how the theft was accomplished and what happened to the thief made up for that. The author explains how much of The Violin Conspiracy actually happened in his notes and acknowledgments, and I also watched a video of one of his appearances on Youtube in which Slocumb stated, "I want to be the Stephen King of musical thrillers!" After falling head over heels into this first book of his, all I can say is that I hope his wish comes true.
Ray McMillian is a young black man who has a gift for music and wants to become a classical musician. Ray's grandmother gives him her father's violin. He was a slave and would play the violin for the plantation owner and acquired the violin years ago. When Ray finds out that the violin is a Stradivarius worth $10 million dollars, he is sued by the Marks family who own the plantation. Ray's family is also suddenly interested in the violin's worth. On the eve of the world-class Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the violin is stolen. This book is a fast-paced plot that held my attention all the way through. It is a coming-of-age inspirational story that keeps us in touch with Ray's feelings as he goes through lots of racial attacks. But Ray's determination to achieve his goal keeps us invested cheering for him. In the end, the mystery of who stole the violin is solved and is a complete surprise to me. If you like feel-good stories, then you should read this one. I would like to thank Knopf Doubleday Anchor and NetGalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
