Sign up for our newsletters to receive our Best of 2024 ezine!

What do readers think of Mozart's Sister by Rita Charbonnier? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

Mozart's Sister by Rita Charbonnier

Mozart's Sister

by Rita Charbonnier

  • Critics' Consensus (4):
  • Readers' Rating (31):
  • Published:
  • Oct 2007, 336 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Reviews

Page 3 of 4
There are currently 31 reader reviews for Mozart's Sister
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Anna

Should appeal to a variety of book clubs
Charbonnier's first attempt at a novel is a good, if somewhat uneven one. The unevenness may be more a function of the translation than of the author's art and skill. In spite of that, I enjoyed the book very much and found the events described to be faithful to what we know of the events of "Nannerl's" life. The book should appeal to a wide variety of book clubs, especially those interested in music and/or women's issues.
Alice

Mozart's Sister ( Lost In Translation)
I have enjoyed this book enormously, but not because of outstanding or even good writing. The characters and the story are fascinating, so those two things kept me going. I had difficulty relating to the dialogue of the young people. It seemed way too formal, too adult...but maybe they were so outstanding that they really spoke that way...or maybe the author's true version was "lost in translation".
Amanda

A book that should appeal to a wide audience!
Rita Charbonnier successfully captures the mounting tension and complexity of a Mozart opera in her new novel Mozart's Sister. For readers who enjoy looking at events through the eyes of those usually forgotten by history, Mozart's Sister should satisfy. For readers frankly uninterested in the history of classical music, the novel can still be enjoyed for its careful depiction of the constraints and alternative routes to reward women knew in the 1700s.
Jill

Review of
I thought this book was just okay but not great. It started out nicely but was not engaging as I went through the chapters. It was challenging to get through as I was quickly bored with the writing. I also would challenge her choice of dialog, as some of the things she wrote seemed to be inconsistent with the period.
Janice

Mozart's Sister
Mozart’s Sister by Rita Charbonnier (Crown) is the story of Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, or “Nannerl,” to her family, who was like her famous younger brother a child prodigy. Unlike Wolfgang, with whom she was in childhood very close, Nannerl’s talents were quickly channeled into teaching, in lieu of composing and performing, to support her brother’s career. Unlike Wolfgang, she remained close to her domineering father and obeyed his wishes, even in her romantic life.


The premise of Charbonnier’s imaginative novel is that Nannerl resented her lot bitterly, that she struggled to repress her love of music,more
Kathy

I was hoping for greatness
I loved the IDEA of this book, and hoped it would reach the same heights of warmth, impact, and believability as Tracy Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring or Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl. Unfortunately, Charbonnier’s stiff, third-person prose kept me at too great a distance from the mind and heart of the enigmatic Nannerl. I think Charbonnier could have better connected with her readers by including a map of the story’s geography, for instance, and a foreword citing extant letters, family histories, palace documents, etc. as anchors upon which her tale was spun. For me, confidence that thismore
Lenora

Review of Mozart's Sister
A book about a dysfunctional family, scandals, true love and music. Lots and lots of music. Sad that women have come so far and how little has changed.
Liz

Mozart's Sister
I was really looking forward to reading this book because I love historical fiction. I found this novel to be a bit boring. I prefered the first half of the book to the second. I was torn between pity and annoyance towards Nannerl when her father shunned her and set her aside to Wolfgang. It was hard for me to feel sorry for her when she was so bitter. I was glad that she renewed her passion for music at the end of the book. Overall, I probably would not have finished the book if I did not have to give a review.

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The God of the Woods
    The God of the Woods
    by Liz Moore
    Bestselling author Liz Moore's latest novel, The God of the Woods, begins with a disappearance. ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The Memory Library
by Kate Storey
Journey through the pages of this heartwarming novel, where hope, friendship and second chances are written in the margins.
Win This Book
Win My Darling Boy

My Darling Boy by John Dufresne

The story of of a man whose son collapses into addiction and vanishes into the chaotic netherworld of southern Florida.

Enter

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

D T the B O W the B

and be entered to win..

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.