Explore our new BookBrowse Community Forum!

What do readers think of The Music Teacher by Barbara Hall? Write your own review.

Summary | Reviews | More Information | More Books

The Music Teacher by Barbara Hall

The Music Teacher

by Barbara Hall

  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • Published:
  • Feb 2009, 304 pages
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About this book

Reviews

Page 3 of 3
There are currently 20 reader reviews for The Music Teacher
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Marissa

Falls Short of A Symphony
This book is not what you expect. It is the story of a music teacher with a lot going on in her world but it misses the mark. The main character is Pearl, a violinist who never made it professionally . She teaches others in a small music store in Los Angeles. The story weaves back and forth between Pearl and Hallie an extremely gifted violinist that comes from a very dysfunctional family. The book captured my interest when the author stayed on the subject of the music and Hallie. Once the author strayed with other character development the meaning was lost.
Katherine

Too Many Storylines
While the author of this book has a great, breezy writing style there are too many different storylines for this short book. Her relationship with Hallie isn't developed well enough to make the conflict over Hallie quitting music or her "betrayal" very moving. I was also unclear about the need for the introduction of a second talented student that heard voices while playing the violin. The storyline of the protagonist's love life is a little more compelling, but still doesn't resolve itself in a satisfying way. Overall, I can't recommend this book.
Power Reviewer
Lee

Not a recommend
The author seems undecided on whether to write a novel or a text book. As a consequence much of the musical information seems forced into the plot. She introduces few other characters and does not flesh them out enough for us to care about them. Which leaves the reader with one of the whiniest heroines ever written.
Janice

Just Okay
I found this a quick read and a very shallow novel. I was disappointed in the plot, character development, and the ending.

The theme of the book was loosely woven so that it seemed a bit silly to me. I really did not care what happened at the end. I did not identify or like one character, and, in fact, disliked the protagonist throughout the story.

I don't think it was the author's intent for us to not care about her characters so I consider this a major flaw. She fell down in bringing them to life.

I think it is a novel for young people and especially those interested in rock music. The author did not fully explore the wonderful music of a classical violinist which would have added tremendous class to this novel.

I truly believe she is talented but her efforts are best directed at television writing.
  • Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

More Information

Read-Alikes

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: Graveyard Shift
    Graveyard Shift
    by M. L. Rio
    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
  • Book Jacket: The Sisters K
    The Sisters K
    by Maureen Sun
    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
  • Book Jacket: Linguaphile
    Linguaphile
    by Julie Sedivy
    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
  • Book Jacket
    The Rest of You
    by Maame Blue
    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    Pony Confidential
    by Christina Lynch

    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

Who Said...

There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are either well written or badly written. That is all.

Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

F the M

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.