The Prague Sonata by Bradford Morrow

genre: historical fiction

A piece of music given to a child near the end of World War I ends up in the hands of a modern woman, New Yorker musicologist Meta.  But its not just a "piece of music"  - it is a fragment, only a portion of a sonata that promises to be astounding.  But finding the missing parts will take Meta on a search to Europe and, in a way, back in time to determine what happened to one woman and the people she loved.

I grabbed this off the library shelf only because of the cover and the word "Prague."  That's me being honest.  I traveled to Prague last year and fell IN LOVE with and I know that my feelings about this book are a bit biased because of how desperately I enjoyed reading about familiar places that now have a place in my heart.  However. I also found that I cared about this mystery!  I liked the journey and the trips into the past that gave the sonata its story.  I also loved how integral music is to the plot, how its love and power is woven into the narrative. 

I think it could've been shorter and been just as powerful. I would've loved a little bit more romantic tension  - but I really really enjoyed this story.  For a giant library book, I carted it around in my backpack and was always happy to pick it up.  This book took me to another place and I was always glad to go there.

genre: some language and sexual situations