The Weight Of A Piano by Chris Cander
* Wow, it has been months since last I did a post and I want to apologize for that! Life has been filled with finishing our house, having our daughter and her husband live with us for a month, and taking care of their two adorable puppies while moving. This hasn't stopped me from reading, but it has stopped me from reviewing and I am very far behind on that avenue. *
The Weight Of A Piano
Author: Chris Cander
336 Pages
Penguin Randomhouse Publishing
Release Date: January 22, 2019
About The Author:
"CHRIS CANDER graduated from the Honors College at the University of Houston, in the city where she was raised and still lives, with her husband, daughter, and son. For seven years she has been a writer-in-residence for Writers in the Schools there. She serves on the Inprint advisory board and stewards several Little Free Libraries in her community. Her first novel,11 Stories, won the Independent Publisher Gold Medal for Popular Fiction, and her most recent, Whisper Hollow, was long-listed for the Great Santini Fiction Prize by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. She is also the author of The Word Burglar, which won the 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award (silver)." - Penguin Randomhouse
My Review:
The Weight Of A Piano has great settings based in Bakersfield and Death Valley which for someone who lived in California loved visiting so it was a treat to read a visual description of the Valley itself and makes me miss it's vast beauty since I have moved away.
This story runs over the decades of two women- Katya a Soviet Union Immigrant whom we meet in 1962, and 2012's 26-year-old Clara both of whom don't know the strength that they hold in themselves. The unique Bluthner Piano was like having an extra, extraordinary, living character that carried its musical lines throughout the women's lives.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars for originality and excellent visual writing.
"CHRIS CANDER graduated from the Honors College at the University of Houston, in the city where she was raised and still lives, with her husband, daughter, and son. For seven years she has been a writer-in-residence for Writers in the Schools there. She serves on the Inprint advisory board and stewards several Little Free Libraries in her community. Her first novel,11 Stories, won the Independent Publisher Gold Medal for Popular Fiction, and her most recent, Whisper Hollow, was long-listed for the Great Santini Fiction Prize by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. She is also the author of The Word Burglar, which won the 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award (silver)." - Penguin Randomhouse
My Review:
The Weight Of A Piano has great settings based in Bakersfield and Death Valley which for someone who lived in California loved visiting so it was a treat to read a visual description of the Valley itself and makes me miss it's vast beauty since I have moved away.
This story runs over the decades of two women- Katya a Soviet Union Immigrant whom we meet in 1962, and 2012's 26-year-old Clara both of whom don't know the strength that they hold in themselves. The unique Bluthner Piano was like having an extra, extraordinary, living character that carried its musical lines throughout the women's lives.
Music, especially Piano music, is an intricate thread in my life so the chance to read a story with the piano as one of the main characters was a treat for me. I suggest you Youtube the music that both Katya and Clara talk about in the story. It will add a richness to your reading.
Although the story was a visual and musical adventure, I was annoyed with Clara's personality and maybe it was only because she and I are similar in that we are headstrong, make impulsive moves and can't let anyone in so we can protect our hearts from breaking.
Katya is someone that you will feel heartbreak for, you will want to wrap your arms around her and hold her close. The other characters are three dimensional and real while rotating around Katya and Clara's stories.
The Author, Chris Cander, has a way of writing that has tempted me to read more of her books as I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this story.
Thanks, Penguin Randomhouse Publishing for letting me get a crack at the story before it hit the shelves in lieu of my honest opinion.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars for originality and excellent visual writing.
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