The Prague Sonata

Posted on by

From the critically acclaimed author Bradford Morrow, a literary quest novel that travels from Nazi occupied Prague to turn of the millennium New York as a young musicologist seeks to solve the mystery behind an eighteenth century sonata manuscript.Music and war, war and music these are the twin motifs around which Bradford Morrow, recipient of the Academy Award in Fiction from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, has composed his magnum opus, The Prague Sonata, a novel than a dozen years in the making.In the early days of the new millennium, pages of a worn and weathered original sonata manuscript the gift of a Czech immigrant living out her final days in Queens come into the hands of Meta Taverner, a young musicologist whose concert piano career was cut short by an injury To Meta s eye, it appears to be an authentic eighteenth century work to her discerning ear, the music rendered there is commanding, hauntingly beautiful, clearly the undiscovered composition of a master But there is no indication of who the composer might be The gift comes with the request that Meta attempt to find the manuscript s true owner a Prague friend the old woman has not heard from since the Second World War forced them apart and to make the three part sonata whole again Leaving New York behind for the land of Dvor k and Kafka, Meta sets out on an unforgettable search to locate the remaining movements of the sonata and uncover a story that has influenced the course of many lives, even as it becomes clear that she isn t the only one after the music s secrets.Magisterially evoking decades of Prague s tragic and triumphant history, from the First World War through the soaring days of the Velvet Revolution, and moving from postwar London to the heartland of immigrant America, The Prague Sonata is both epic and intimate, evoking the ways in which individual notes of love and sacrifice become part of the celebratory symphony of life. Best Read The Prague Sonata [ by ] Bradford Morrow [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr Then there was the matter of the manuscript, a piano sonata in three movements, its staves scored with musical notes in sepia ink by an anonymous hand sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century It had been her birthright and burden for these two decades since her father s death Birthright because it constituted her father s most treasured bequest to his daughterPrague Sonata is a complex work of historical fiction set mainly in surprise, surprise Prague Some of the actThen there was the matter of the manuscript, a piano sonata in three movements, its staves scored with musical notes in sepia ink by an anonymous hand sometime in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century It had been her birthright and burden for these two decades since her father s death Birthright because it constituted her father s most treasured bequest to his daughterPrague Sonata is a complex work of historical fiction set mainly in surprise, surprise Prague Some of the action also takes place in England and in various locations in America There is a mystery thriller element as well as a modicum of romance, but it is by no means a romance novel As the title indicates, there is also music In fact the entire novel reverberates with music The reader will find anything from Jimi Hendrix to Maria Callas,Jean Yves Thibaudet s rethinking of the complete keyboard works of Ravel and Debus...What I liked The history, had read little before of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, and none at all of The Velvet Revolution of the nineties.The tour of Prague, fascinating city with a long history.A few of the characters, Otylie, Sam, Garrett, Tomas and Irena All interesting and touching, living in hard times and trying to survive the best way they could Their lives afterward, what happened to them.What was mixed Love music, find searching and identifying lost things fascinating, this w What I liked The history, had read little before of the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, and none at all of The Velvet Revolution of the nineties.The tour of Prague, fascinating city with a long history.A few of the characters, Otylie, Sam, Garrett, Tomas and Irena All interesting and touching, living in hard times and trying to survive the best way they could Their lives afterward, what happened to them.What was mix...This book contains several of my favorite things history, music, a love story and a good mystery Meta, a musicologist, is given the second movement of an unknown 18th century sonata by Irena, a Czech emigre, and charged with finding the first and third movements The story travels back and forth in time, between Otylie being given the sonata by her father at the end of WWI, to her divvying up the movements during WWII to keep it out of the hands of the Germans, to her later life and then to th This book contains several of my favorite things history, music, a love story and a good mystery Meta, a musicologist, is given the second movement of an unknown 18th century sonata by Irena, a Czech emigre, and charged with finding the first and third movements The story travels back and forth in time, between Otylie being given the sonata by her father at the end of WWI, to her divvying up the movements during WWII to keep it out of the hands of the Germans, to her later life and then to the present day as Meta attempts to find Otylie and re discover the other movements The writing here is lush the tale vivid Descriptions of Prague read like a perfect travelogue, making you feel you are walking the streets I know enough about ...I thought I would like thissince at it s core, this is story of courageous resistance against the Nazis during the German occupation of Prague I ve read stories before about how people have tried so hard under almost impossible circumstances, to save paintings This time it s a music manuscript For a moment I ask why when your life and the lives of others are so muchprecious But it is a matter of saving a part of history, a part of one s culture, a part of oneself Certainly mea I thought I would like thissince at it s core, this is story of courageous resistance against the Nazis during the German occupation of Prague I ve read stories before about how people have tried so hard under almost impossible circumstances, to save paintings This time it s a music manuscript For a moment I ask why when your life and the lives of others are so muchprecious But it is a matter of saving a part of history, a part of one s culture, a part of oneself Certainly meaningful, yet I felt like I ve read this story before Well, not this one in particular but stories like it The structure is formulaic alternating narratives between the past and present connecting characters, a common mechanism, but this felt somewhat disjointed For me the older story is usually the most captivating and it was the case here as well The modern story has a romantic relationship that isn t going well a...2.5 stars As I read The Prague Sonata, I kept thinking Please let this book end What a terrible reaction to what should and could have been a really good novel The Prague Sonata is a good idea left untamed It takes place throughout the 20th and early 21st century, and focuses on a found musical manuscript that is suspected of being by a famous composer Just at the beginning of WWII, Prague resident, Otylie, who has inherited the manuscript from her father, must find a way to keep it saf 2.5 stars As I read The Prague Sonata, I kept thinking Please let this book end What a terrible reaction to what should and could have been a really good novel The Prague Sonata is a good idea left untamed It takes place throughout the 20th and early 21st century, and focuses on a found musical manuscript that is suspected of being by a famous composer Just at the beginning of WWII, Prague resident, Otylie, who has inherited the manuscript from her father, must find a way to keep it safe during the war In later years in New York, Meta comes into possession of part of ...Lush, lovely, and lyrical would be an accurate way to describe Mr Morrow s twenty year journey in researching and writing The Prague Sonata I was captivated from the beginning by the story of two women, born almost sixty years apart, in their quest to preserve, and then recover a sonata of unknown authorship but of unmistakable beauty and originality A sonata is a composition written in three sections known as an exposition, a deve...Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced ebook in exchange for an honest review.I have decided to not give this book a rating I dragged my feet on the reading of it and at the 34% mark admitted defeat This was perhaps the first NetGalley that I felt was assembled in a mismatch way because I could never ...3.5 starsI loved the base story line in The Prague Sonata it was completely engrossing, clever and unique My one complaint, which altered my overall thoughts on the book significantly, was that the book was WAY too long and included too much extraneous information I ended up having to skim pages and pages to pick up the next section on the sonata story line I thoroughly enjoyed the tale regardin...5 plus stars Our story starts out in Czechoslovakia just after the ending of WWI A little girl named Otylie is told by her father that there is music in war He describes even the various types of military music, including the music that accompanies the start and finish of a battle The young girl ponders this and decides she doesn t want this haunting her He leaves her a three part musical score For Otylie this is the only thing that remains of her father It is now the late 1939 and Czechos 5 plus stars Our story starts out in Czechoslovakia just after the ending of WWI A little girl named Otylie is told by her father that there is music in war He describes even the various types of military music, including the music that accompanies the start and finish of a battle The young girl ponders this and decides she doesn t want this haunting her He leaves her a three part musical score For Otylie this is the only thing that remains of her father It is now the late 1939 and Czechoslovakia is invaded by the Germans Otylie knows she must guard the sonata from the avaricious Germans They are destroying everything in their path buildings, businesses and people Neighbors are telling on neighbors in order to c...What makes me love a book Gorgeous writing Great characters An intriguing plot Insights into our common humanity Historical perspective Encountering joy and love Encountering horror, war, and villains A story line that grabs me so I want to know what happens next Some books have one or two of those attributes To find a book that wraps up all of these things is a happy day indeed Bradford Morrow s The Prague Sonata offers the whole package.The story is rich and complex, but also full o What makes me love a book Gorgeous writing Great characters An intriguing plot Insights into our common humanity Historical perspective Encountering joy and love Encountering horror, war, and villains A story line that grabs me so I want to know what happens next Some books have one or two of those attributes To find a book that wraps up all of these things is a happy day indeed Bradford Morrow s The Prague Sonata offers the whole package.The story is rich and complex, but also full of music and visual references that made me think, I can t wait to see the movie.Protagonist Meta Taverner had dedicated her life to becoming a concert pianist when a fatal accident damaged her hand Therapy has restored her ability to play only with competence Meta performs at an outpatient cancer facility, attracting the notice of patient Irena, who summons Meta to visit.Irena has held the partial...

The Prague Sonata
  • English
  • 26 February 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 519 pages
  • 0802127150
  • Bradford Morrow
  • The Prague Sonata