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Body & Soul
Body & Soul: A Novel | Frank Conroy
1 post | 3 read | 3 to read
This saga of a son of the working class who grows into a piano prodigy is hypnotically readable . . . The best story I know of in a long, long time (Vanity Fair). As a boy, Claude Rawlings looks up through the grated window of his basement apartment to watch the world go by. Poor, lonely, supported by a taxi-driver mother whose eccentricities spin more and more out of control, he faces the terrible task of growing up on the margins of life, destined to be a spectator of that great world always hurrying out of reach. But there is an out-of-tune piano in the small apartment, and in unlocking the secrets of its keys, as if by magic, Claude discovers himself. He is a musical prodigy. Body & Soul is the story of a young man whose life is transformed by a gift. The gift is not without pricethe work is relentless, the teachers exactingbut the reward is a journey that takes him to the drawing rooms of the rich and powerful, private schools, a gilt-edged marriage, and Carnegie Hall. Claude moves through this life as if he were playing a difficult composition, swept up in its drama and tension, surprised by its grace notes. Music, here, becomes a character in its own right, equaled in strength only by the music of Frank Conroys own unmistakable and true voice. Bristling with character and invention, Body & Soul is Dickensian in its range and richness. This is a novel with all the emotional appeal and moral gravity of a classic bildungsroman, but with a tone as contemporary as a jazz riffan unforgettable achievement by one of the great writers of our time.
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Centique
Body & Soul: A Novel | Frank Conroy
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Here I am back in the back list with this book from 1993. It‘s said to capture the feeling of playing and understanding music better than any other book - I‘m not a musician but I can believe that.
Apart from that I‘m torn about how to rate this book. The beginning is fantastic. It‘s a Bildungsroman of a neglected child who turns out to be a musical prodigy. It‘s beautifully written and some of the characters are superb. But… ⬇️

Centique … there‘s no real character arc for the protagonist (imo) who seems to just be lucky in benefactor after benefactor. I thought I understood where the author was going with this but a couple of little surprises at the end fell flat for me and made me cringe a bit in my modern sensibilities I guess 😬 3y
Centique Still I really enjoyed reading it, particularly the first two thirds. There is a LOT of detail about music, performance and composition if you like that. (Background image from jazzradio.com) (edited) 3y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 3y
See All 9 Comments
Centique @TrishB thank you Trish 😘 3y
TrishB I think hubby may like the musical composition/performance parts. He‘s classically trained but was in a rock band (and the song writer) for 30 years! 3y
Centique @TrishB wow - he‘s a talented man that one! 3y
Cathythoughts Lovely review and picture 3y
Cathythoughts @TrishB That‘s so interesting , yes as Paula says a very talented man! If our husbands ever met they would have common ground … 3y
CarolynM I love that background image😍 and the book sounds interesting. 3y
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