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Mary (Fairfax CA)
fine as a bees wing
When I saw Barbara Hall's TV credits–four of my all-time favorite shows–the bar was set high. When on page three she identified my favorite musician (RT) as Guitar God, the bar shot so high I figured it could only go down. I was wrong. The bar remained at the same high level and I couldn't stop turning the pages.
The exploration of music in general and talent in particular is fascinating and thought-provoking. There's a lot going on: the blessing/curse of an artistic gift, the responsibilities of a teacher, the responsibilities of a human. The way we care, the way we're damaged, the way we seek redemption–or not:
…more the stories of lives. Hall is a terrific writer; every page reflects her intelligence and perception. My only major frustration was with the length of the book, or rather the lack of length. Pearl's inner life as well as her external one warrant much more attention.
A person extends herself, one of the characters says. Hall extends herself brilliantly in these pages, never shying away from hard truths. I'm certain she can extend herself a bit further and I'll be reading more of her. All in all a wonderful book that I will definitely be recommending. (less)The opening sentence of this book was a great hook, and the rest of the story was just as gripping. I'd love to read a sequel in which we found out what happened to the other employees of the music store. It was a fascinating look at wannabe musicians in L.A.
Lisa
Those Who Can't
The Music Teacher plays with the idea that "those who can't do, teach." Readers who teach or play an instrument will be drawn in to the excitement of Pearl Swain giving violin lessons a gifted yet troubled student. A couple of unexpected plot twists kept me turning the pages; I finished in one sitting. As a bookseller, I see lots of new fiction. This one is worth the time.
Connie
Pleasantly surprised
I thought this book was going to be a quick, predictable read about a child prodigy and the teacher who lives vicariously through him/her. Instead, it is more about the teacher's failures and how they shape her life and the decisions she makes. Although I found myself disliking the teacher, I still felt myself drawn to her, feeling sorry for her, and hoping she would succeed.
Ruth, Downingtown, PA
Too much angst
Music is a theme that runs through this book, appropriate for ‘The Music Teacher’! It’s about music, but not about music. The heroine has a lot of personal issues that intertwine with the music. The book had a bit too much angst for my taste, and the writing was in choppy sentences which is a style that generally doesn’t appeal to me. I finished it (luckily it was a short book), but it dragged on for a while without getting to the point. I wouldn’t read it again, nor would I recommend it to a friend.
Dicksie
Not for fun
If you want a dark, sad, certainly not typical story, then this book is for you.
I am a musician and I am sorry that some who read this may think some of these thoughts go with making music.
Pearl teaches violin lessons in a music shop/music school. It seems that everything she tries to do ends up very sad. Although she's not responsible for most happenings and is trying to help, the fault always falls on her.
I read to the end in the hope that Pearl might have a success or the story might have a conclusion.....neither happened.
Lynette
The Music Teacher by Barbara Hall
I like this book, but it seems more of a short story than a novel: a story which has been stretched out to novel-length, as opposed to an actual novel with the complexities of characters and various story lines which the term novel tends to connote. Since I love short stories, this was not a complete turn-off; the book has a leisurely pace and treats themes which warrant contemplation, the author has a pleasing turn of phrase and the subject matter will appeal to contemporary women - perhaps urban women especially, but not solely. Still, I feel as if I have just eaten a light, tasty meal when I was expecting
…more fare of at least three courses. (less)I thought the book was going to be a quick easy read, and the brief sounded really interesting. I was very disappointed in it. Pearl seemed to be a self-centered person who only thought of herself. She gets Hallie, a new young promising student, and really messes her around. Pearl seemed to retaliate in many childish situations that she could not face. Hallie came from a very bad home situation and, I thought, Pearl was trying to live her life through Hallie's. Pearl was very childish in some of the decisions that she thought she was helping Hallie with and this made Hallie's life more dysfunctional.
Pearl needed
…more to get her own life in order before trying to fix everyone else around her. By the end of the book, i was really disappointed in Pearl's choice of men and was more than ready to get through with the book.
This book is not one that I would recommend at all, I was more than glad to get to the end of it (less)
