An Equal Music - Vikram Seth > Reviews > A String Quartet + Rekindled Love = An Equal Music

Author's product rating:   

Would you listen to it again?	Yes
Story	Good
Characters	Good
Listenability	Pretty compelling but not addictive
How does it compare to similar audio books?	Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?	Excellent

Advantages:	The writing, the setting, the music
Disadvantages:	The characters are not sow ell defined or likable

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I bought this book, An Equal Music by Vikram Seth, for the grand sum of one penny on the basis of a review written by Floon. I was enchanted by his description of the storyline and the author’s writing style. I was not disappointed.
The author, Vikram Seth states, in an author’s note located on the last page of the book, that, “Music to me is dearer even than speech”. To convey this, he focuses his novel on the world of music and its performance.

The central character, Michael Holme, is the second violinist in a London-based string quartet. His life has settled somewhat into a rut. He plays his violin; teaches the violin; makes love to one of his students, Virginie; rings his father; all as a matter of routine.

His comfortable lifestyle is suddenly disturbed by a series of events each connected and occurring in parallel. The quartet are offered a recording contract if they play Bach’s, The Art of Fugue. The storyline of the book is composed in a similar fashion to the fugue; in a series of parts, playing upon Michael’s life in counterpoint.

The main subject of the novel is a love story. Ten years previously, Michael fell in love with a fellow music student in Vienna and fellow member of a trio, Julia McNicholl. Michael lost Julia, a pianist, when he left Vienna following a disagreement with his teacher. Reminded of his love by a letter, received from his former teacher now dying, and a reference to a favourite piece of music once played by the trio, Michael’s thoughts return to Julia and their time together. Then, unrepentantly, he sees her again on a bus in London.

Julia forms the answering subject. Things have changed in their ten years apart. She is now married with a child and is going deaf. Their love is rekindled and the lives intermingle again professionally when Julia is asked to accompany the quartet on the piano for a performance in Vienna.

The countersubject is Michael’s love for his violin. The violin, a Toroni, has been loaned to him indefinitely by an elderly family friend, Mrs. Formby his inspiration to play. His possession of the violin is challenged by her money grabbing family who want the violin back.

To find out how the subjects progress and develop the book must be read. Will Michael and Julia remain together? Will Julia come to terms with her deafness? Will Michael lose his beloved violin?

Vikram Seth weaves the subjects together using music as the theme that links them all together. The music of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, Bach and Haydn are presented in pen portraits. Seth provides an incredible and true to live insight into the thoughts of a performer, ”I play the line of the song, I play the leaps and plunges of the right hand of the piano, I am the trout, the angler, the brook , the observer.”

He imparts an understanding of each of instruments involved. He conveys how deafness affects the playing of an instrument and ways that lessen the impact. Through a search for a viola that can reach lower registers and a replacement violin, some knowledge of the instruments is presented.

As the action moves between London, Vienna, Venice and Manchester, a feel for each of the locations is given particularly the musical venues. This was particularly special to me having spent time in both Vienna and Venice visiting many of the sites quoted. I also live quite close to Manchester and have attended many a concert in the Bridgewater Hall.

The book published by Phoenix on 20 December 1999 is 483 pages long and retails at £6.99. There are still copies listed on Amazon for a penny. Postage and packaging of course is extra.

A wonderful book that will totally enthrall you. I thoroughly recommend this book. There is of course particular interest for musicians but I think this t book will be enjoyed by anyone who reads it.