Now this is a good novel. It has everything: fully developed characters, an interesting setting, enough plot to keep the novel moving forward, and music. It’s the story of Claude Rawlings, from his earliest memories to the premier of his piano concerto with the London Symphony. Claude grows up in post World War II New York – he is a war baby. His mother is a 300 pound, taxi-driving, army-boot-wearing, communist sympathizer who locks him in their basement apartment while she drives her cab. Hidden in the back room is a small 66 key piano, and Claude teaches himself to pick out the songs he hears on the radio.

In a lucky break (one of many in the novel) Claude befriends a music store owner down the street who recognizes the young boys talent and gives him his first piano lessons. Only later do we find out he music store owner is a Polish refugee who also happens to have been the premier composer of his generation. The lucky breaks continue for Claude throughout his career, as he makes friends with people who can teach and help him.

Readers who have shared the experience of piano lessons as a child or teenager will find much to identify with. Readers who are musicians on any instrument will recognize their own struggles in Claude’s journey.

Only after some emotional stress enters Claude’s life, and his too-easy road becomes uncertain does his music really soar. Several small mysteries keep the novel moving forward. Who is Claude’s unknown father? What will happen to his mother and his old friend, his first piano teacher. Will he find love?

The novel is a complete package, a very satisfying read, and an accurate portrait of a young musician. I highly recommend it. ( )

I did not like this book. I read it because my mom thought I would really like it. It's about a poor kid in NYC who discovers he has a musical talent for playing the piano. I am a professional musician and I really didn't like the idea of reading a book of fiction about music. It's usually so over-emotional and silly. Surprisingly, the best moments in the book (of which there were few!!!) were the sections about the main character's discovery of his musical talent. On the other hand, the way the author describes the rest of his life (his sexual relationships, student/teacher relationships, mother/son relationship) were so predictable and ridiculous. It seemed like Conroy, who is not a musician, spent so much time figuring out how to write convincingly about music that he neglected any kind of real character and relationship development in the rest of the story. I'd definitely recommend avoiding this book! ( )

I don't think I would've ever had picked up this book had my dad not bought it for me, however, I'm glad he did. I found this to be a beautifully told story. While the book is full of music theory, which I didn't understand, I didn't find it clouded the novel- in fact, I felt it enhanced it. It made Claude's ability seem that much more intense and marvelous. I enjoyed how every character, no matter how small (such as Claude's father, Mr. Fisk and Miss Sanchez), played an important role at some point in the story. There were two major things that Conroy doesn't do that I highly appreciate: first, while the reader finds out who Claude's father is, Claude doesn't. I like this because at that point in Claude's life that part is over for him- he doesn't need to know who is father is and to have introduced the two would have been cliche and un-necessary. I also appreciated how Conroy dealt with Weisfeld's involvement in WWII- he doesn't say anything! From his actions and way of life, Claude understands what happened- and it isn't until Weisfeld needs to tell Claude that Conroy reveals the truth. My one major criticisms of the novel is Claude himself. I feel he is a blank character. He does nothing and everything happens to him. He's born with a wonderful gift, people die and leave him things, famous people find out about him and introduce him to others. These things happen and Claude just shrugs and goes along with it. There are, however, a couple of small times where Claude does act and I find those moments to be a lot of fun. I actually find it interesting at how flat Claude is when his mother, Emma, is anything but! I loved this woman and wanted to learn so much more! You start by thinking she is a selfish, fat, drunk, un-caring mother only to find she is anything but. She was a lot of fun. If you're looking for a good, heart-warming novel, I highly recommend this one!

FAVORITE QUOTES: Music will never run out. It'll never disappear. // How strange people were, he thought, subject to all kinds of invisible forces, dealing with hidden devils and all the while keeping up appearances. He wonderer if he was capable of that kind of bravery. // "This is fate," he said, "as impersonal as the stars." // He wanted to press his head against hers, to put skull to skull and press until the bones melted and their brains flowed together. He wanted to look out from her eyes. ( )

Took me quite a while to finish this one. It started off nicely enough, and Conroy reminded me of Dickens in his narration; however, as the story progressed I felt like I was just trying to slog through it. The piano terminology does not get in the way of the story, which is good, because I had no idea what was being talked about. The story is sort of unbelievable: the conflicts are resolved too smoothly and Claude gets everything handed to him. Claude's dialogue in particular seemed flat and mechanical. ( )

The life story of a musical prodigy. The descriptions of what he hears in music are mystical. How his mother feeds both his body and soul is a beautifully crafted tale. ( )