genre: middle grade historical fiction
One chance meeting in the forest with three sisters.
One boy watching the rise of Hitler who has to be brave in the face of hatred and ignorance.
One older brother struggling to find a place for himself and safety for his younger brother.
One girl facing prejudice who knows that keeping her family together is the most important thing
One lowly instrument that ties all their fates together.
Oh, the beauty of this book, the way that children have power to do good and make change with their mature decisions, the way their struggles are portrayed with respect and grace. Music, its power to change lives and to shine a beautiful light on people who could use some light - this is one of the strongest and most elegant threads throughout this story. When these three plots are finally woven into their glorious finale, I got actual goosebumps and tears, it felt that deep and powerful to me. The only reason it doesn't get five stars is because as soon as I was super involved and caring about each character, I was switched to a new one and it felt very jarring to me, to be left hanging so precariously. But I CARED about them and when I learned how their story ended, I forgave everything. Also, here is what I came away with, an idea that you always sorta know in the back of your mind but sometimes don't think about: everyone, EVERYONE, has a story. No matter how capable or elegant or lowly or famous or downtrodden - there are reasons why people do what they do, there is heartache they must face and decisions that brought them to wherever they are. I love when you can imagine a tableau of individuals and appreciate how incredible each person's story is. Every child born on this planet has much promise.
I need to also note that I was SO GLAD I did the audio! There's so much sound and music in this story and the producers did an excellent job of including it in the story, it felt rich and multidimensional in a way that really worked for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment