findyourgoldenhour's review
3.0
I saw this one all over social media before it was published, which means one of two things: it's either a fantastic book that is getting legitimate buzz from people who got advanced copies, or the publisher chose it to be The Book They Are Promoting This Season. I can't tell which category this one falls into. I thought it was just okay, but maybe people genuinely loved it?
This is a debut novel by a young author, and I could tell. I think this writer has potential; I could feel the potential as I read this, but there was an overall feeling of wanting more, while simultaneously feeling like some parts could've been shorter. The narrative follows four young musicians at the start of their professional careers, and tracks how their lives intertwine as they grow both professionally and personally. The portrait of their early years felt true to life. The chapters as they grew into middle age? Not so much. I can only assume it's because this author hasn't had that experience yet. I have read other young authors who do have the gift of writing outside of their own experience (Fatima Farheen Mirza [b:A Place For Us|36840397|A Place for Us|Fatima Farheen Mirza|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517006183s/36840397.jpg|56945150]) comes to mind. This author isn't there yet. Reading the synopsis on the book jacket, I thought it would be similar to Meg Wolitizer's [b:The Interestings|15815333|The Interestings|Meg Wolitzer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451446889s/15815333.jpg|21541829]. It was, kind of. But not nearly as, for lack of better word, interesting.
Having said that, if this author writes another book, I’ll likely read it. As I said, you can see she has great potential as a writer, and parts of this book were truly good. It just never grabbed me at any point and made me feel like it was that great.
This is a debut novel by a young author, and I could tell. I think this writer has potential; I could feel the potential as I read this, but there was an overall feeling of wanting more, while simultaneously feeling like some parts could've been shorter. The narrative follows four young musicians at the start of their professional careers, and tracks how their lives intertwine as they grow both professionally and personally. The portrait of their early years felt true to life. The chapters as they grew into middle age? Not so much. I can only assume it's because this author hasn't had that experience yet. I have read other young authors who do have the gift of writing outside of their own experience (Fatima Farheen Mirza [b:A Place For Us|36840397|A Place for Us|Fatima Farheen Mirza|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1517006183s/36840397.jpg|56945150]) comes to mind. This author isn't there yet. Reading the synopsis on the book jacket, I thought it would be similar to Meg Wolitizer's [b:The Interestings|15815333|The Interestings|Meg Wolitzer|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451446889s/15815333.jpg|21541829]. It was, kind of. But not nearly as, for lack of better word, interesting.
Having said that, if this author writes another book, I’ll likely read it. As I said, you can see she has great potential as a writer, and parts of this book were truly good. It just never grabbed me at any point and made me feel like it was that great.
jiyoung's review against another edition
1.0
I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters: a kiss of death in a book meant to be driven by the internal lives of its characters. Henry was cluelessly privileged, Brit too mewling, Jana a stereotype of ambition gone wrong in a woman, and Daniel an insufferable grump who couldn’t get rid of that chip on his shoulder. I didn’t really care about their lives but read on because I was trapped on a 13 hour flight. The writing style was also so reminiscent of Yanagihara’s that I experienced A Little Life PTSD.
lulureadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic read, and even more so if you play/have played a string instrument.
Beautiful reflections on friendship, love, career, and life choices, and as a bonus: a great playlist of string quartet pieces. I loved how Gabel brings the reader in the intimacy of the quartet, as they play onstage, and as their lives unfold.
Beautiful reflections on friendship, love, career, and life choices, and as a bonus: a great playlist of string quartet pieces. I loved how Gabel brings the reader in the intimacy of the quartet, as they play onstage, and as their lives unfold.
booklover1974's review
DNF at page 90. The characters were so uninteresting and I couldn’t like any of them. This feels sad because I’ve been looking forward to read this for several months and heard a lot of rave about it. Overhyped....
kittypaws82's review
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
sonia_reppe's review
4.0
Four members of a competitive string quartet share good times and bad, and become like a family. Spanning grad school to mid-life, from California to NYC (and back), with flashbacks and the multiple viewpoints between the four players, the plot could've been tighter, but Gabel writes well-drawn characters and engaging vignettes. Gabel's novel shows how having a career as a string quartet player means everyone in the quartet affects each others' lives. For instance, to take a job on the East coast, they all have agree yes and move cross-country. It's an interesting life.
I had a hard time believing that Jana became such a successful violin player coming from her situation (a waitress mom who was not a musician). I know that music teachers can have a big influence but we don't get to read about this aspect in Jana's life. (There was one brief mention of a teacher in one sentence). As a reader, I wanted to know more about Jana's path. It is a committed, demanding path in one's youth. Jana found this direction out of nowhere, it seemed.
I believed Henry, the prodigy, although my first thought was: the prodigy is the viola player? I don't know all about the world of competitive classical music, but usually a viola player is someone who plays violin as well, or switches from violin to viola to get a scholarship or something; but Henry was rich, so he wouldn't have needed to do that, and he's a musical genius so why wasn't he a violin player. (Midway through the book, Gabel does admit that there are hardly any viola concertos, but that is all she says about it).
Also, Brit is written as a kind, open, warm-hearted girl, but when we get chapters from her viewpoint, she is just as jaded and unsatisfied as the others, and this got me thinking that all the voices sounded the same. Also, Gabel writes some really long sentences.
But hey, the fact that I'm thinking so much about these characters shows that I was into this book.
I had a hard time believing that Jana became such a successful violin player coming from her situation (a waitress mom who was not a musician). I know that music teachers can have a big influence but we don't get to read about this aspect in Jana's life. (There was one brief mention of a teacher in one sentence). As a reader, I wanted to know more about Jana's path. It is a committed, demanding path in one's youth. Jana found this direction out of nowhere, it seemed.
I believed Henry, the prodigy, although my first thought was: the prodigy is the viola player? I don't know all about the world of competitive classical music, but usually a viola player is someone who plays violin as well, or switches from violin to viola to get a scholarship or something; but Henry was rich, so he wouldn't have needed to do that, and he's a musical genius so why wasn't he a violin player. (Midway through the book, Gabel does admit that there are hardly any viola concertos, but that is all she says about it).
Also, Brit is written as a kind, open, warm-hearted girl, but when we get chapters from her viewpoint, she is just as jaded and unsatisfied as the others, and this got me thinking that all the voices sounded the same. Also, Gabel writes some really long sentences.
But hey, the fact that I'm thinking so much about these characters shows that I was into this book.
etakloknok's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
puffinluv3r's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
As a classical music nerd, this book was so fun to read.
booksandabev's review against another edition
Tbh I didn’t care about any of the characters, and when it’s a very character-driven novel… that’s a problem
kbellows27's review
4.0
This book shows that you can judge a book by its cover. Both are absolutely beautiful. This novel tells the story of a string quartet and their ups and downs personally and professionally that span more than 20 years. The focus of the book is definitely the characters and their relationships to one another. The book is narrated in alternating chapters by the members of the quartet. It is a beautifully written, tender story of friendship and love tied together with music.