Opened a unique window to a fascinating, dark chapter in Europe and its classical musical world. Powerful stories of how great composers persevered under harrowing circumstances.
A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORK TIMES, NPR • WINNER OF THREE NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARDS • Finalist for the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction • A stirring account of how music bears witness to history and carries forward the memory of the wartime past • SUNDAY TIMES OF LONDON HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR
In 1785, when the great German poet Friedrich Schiller penned his immortal “Ode to Joy,” he crystallized the deepest hopes and dreams of the European Enlightenment for a new era of peace and freedom, a time when millions would be embraced as…
I've read Huckleberry Finn several times so I loved getting this very different perspective on the events of that classical American novel. James comes off as a remarkable character.
'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha
James by Percival Everett is a profound and ferociously funny meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the author of The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.
The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new…
Given the times we live in, I've been finding some relief by escaping to fiction from the past. I found Tess incredibly moving. Hardy's pacing and writing is masterful. He brings the world of the 19th century English countryside to life. Following up, I listened to Moby Dick as an audiobook!
'She looked absolutely pure. Nature, in her fantastic trickery, had set such a seal of maidenhood upon Tess's countenance that he gazed at her with a stupefied air: "Tess- say it is not true! No, it is not true!"'
Young Tess Durbeyfield attempts to restore her family's fortunes by claiming their connection with the aristocratic d'Urbervilles. But Alec d'Urberville is a rich wastrel who seduces her and makes her life miserable. When Tess meets Angel Clare, she is offered true love and happiness, but her past catches up with her and she faces an agonizing moral choice.
What if America’s first important composer was a self-taught musician who lived in Revolutionary Boston, a staunch patriot who taught singing schools and wrote music—when he wasn’t tanning leather and snorting snuff?
In fact, his name was William Billings, and I tell his story in “The Musical Tanner.” Based on wide research, my novel captures Boston at a key moment in history. A professional historian and musician who's taught about American culture for more than 30 years, I've published a novel, some short stories and poetry, and several works of non-fiction.
In order to get this novel out to readers during the 250th anniversary of American independence, I decided to publish it in weekly chapter installments on Substack. It began running in September and will wind down sometime in early summer. It can be read free of charge at https://dstowe.substack.com/
