Rating: 
Summary: Boring, slow, ubelieveable
Review: I found this novel slow and boring, especially considering the epic nature of the main character's journey. The author has a shallow understanding of historical events and, worse, of music and literature- and, far worse, of women. Many events were incredulous,not the least of which is how the lead character was used by the man who owned the piano. The writer seemingly created a conspiracy as he went along. Also highly irritating was the abuse of the comma!
Rating: 
Summary: Another time... another place
Review: In many ways I found this book similar to Graham Greene's _The Quiet American_: Both take place in Southeast Asia as Europeans begin to colonize the region; the culture and the people of the region are examined, as well as the impact of the colonizers on the people. _The Piano Tuner_ has a beautiful, exotic tone, and while there were some parts that felt a little "long" to me, it was still a pleasure to read. Edgar Drake is a London piano tuner, who is commissioned by the Royal Army to tune the piano of an army doctor stationed in Burma (the lower Shan states, to be more precise). Edgar encounters many interesting characters, and sees first-hand the amazing culture and people of Burma. One of my favorite parts of the book was Edgar's tour of the street theatres in Mandalay. Mason's descriptions are lovely, and one can easily imagine the beauty of the setting. Mason actually researched the novel in Burma (modern-day Myanmar) while studying malaria on the border with Thailand.
Rating:
Summary: the piano tuner
Review: I had to sit in my chair after turning the final page and say to myself, "It's only fiction; it's only fiction." I care little for the historiocity of the book. I did skip pages of description of journeys in the first half of the book. Nevertheless, the last forty pages of the book made my heart pound and my lungs gasp for breath. An amalgamation of "Heart of Darkness," "Passage to India," with a little of "Henderson, the Rain King" thrown in. How can anyone not enjoy this book?
Rating: 
Summary: Romantic and Dreamy
Review: The author of this flawed novel is obviously very talented. He has created several memorable images of Burma, in particular that of a woman with parasol disappearing into the mists. Although the novel contains interesting history and evocative descriptions, there is something missing. The main character doesn't interact very much with his surroundings, remaining primarily an observer. Because the interactions are superficial, we don't really gain insight into the reasons he falls in love with Burma or understand its essence. The motivations of most of the characters remain murky at best, contrived and incredible at worst. In the final analysis the book just doesn't make sense.
Rating: 
Summary: Heart of Darkness for the Apocalypse Now generation
Review: While there is a certain charm to The Piano Tuner and its attendant use of history and myth, the plot eventually bogs down in the author's naivete. Edgar Drake's desire for adventure is certainly believeable, but his ultimate fate is not, nor could I sufficiently suspend my disbelief to accept that the British Army would suffer an Anthony Carroll. Parts of the narrative are enchanting, while others are merely clumsy and boring. Characterization is spotty and Edgar is the most fully realized character, while Carroll is largely caricature, and Khin Myo is thinly drawn. Most oddly, the story construction seems to have been largely informed by films (the surrealism of Apocalypse Now, the use of myth in The Year of Living Dangerously), rather than the type of literature Mr. Mason seemingly aspires to write. While The Piano Tuner was ambitious, I certainly wouldn't consider it a notable achievement, although it will assuredly appeal to a certain class of reader. However, with some maturity and the guidance of a good editor, I would expect Mr. Mason to fulfill the promise that glimmers within this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Difficult to Categorize
Review: If I were to give a three word description of this book it might be Shangi-La meets reality. It is the story of a British piano tuner who is sent to Burma to tune a piano of a British Army surgeon. The surgeon is either idolized or reviled as the Brits attempt to completely colonize Burma. The tuner is convinced that since the surgeon wanted a piano in the jungle and then wanted it tuned, he wants to make peace through music rather than force. The tuner's idealism has a focus and that idealistic view carries through his Burmese experience. The book traces the tuner's trip and then his experiences with the doctor. There is more description than plot. The writing is best described as elegant, and the author captures his character's rapture at the country and its people. The descriptions of both are terrific and the historical references are informative. The reader also gets an interesting primer on piano tuning. The tuner himself is a shy innocent easily taken in by Burma and several of the people he meets. He believes he has found his Shangri-La. The book seems to float with him through his travels and interaction with the piano. There is an undercurrent throughout of intrigue that wraps up nicely in the end. One criticism I had is that there are a few instances where the character may or may not have dreamt a sequence. I do not think the author had to leave those sequences up in the air. He is adept enough to have carried them through either way or at least identified them as dreams or reality. As noted, the writing is elegant and at times almost dreamy (which makes those few possible dream sequences more frustrating). Combined with the author's unique ability at description this book will be one long-remembered for the writing, if not for the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time
Review: I wanted to love this book. It was pretty stale and passionless. I hope Mr. Mason's second book is much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Transported to the Far East
Review: This novel transports you to the time and the region. It is an amazing tale that makes you think it is real by the time you get done with it - but it is just fiction. The is Daniel's first novel - who is a Mathematician by trade - so we will see if and when his next novel comes out. This one was so good you would think he has to write another.
Rating:
Summary: A Discordant Fugue
Review: Stripped of its lengthy discursive passages on the British occupation and Shan rebellion in Burma, along with its travel-book style descriptions of piano tuner Edgar Drake's journey to Nineteenth-Century Burma and his exploration of its primitive environs once there, little of substance would remain to The Piano Tuner. Its plot is the stuff of a short story or novella at best, and few of the characters, save for Drake himself, ever really came to life for me. Mason's prose does have a lyrical, haunting quality that succeeded in transporting me, in certain passages, to these far-off lands. He also displays a subtle touch to his dialogue (especially in the delicate interactions between Drake and Khin Myo) and a flair for the mystical (The Man With One Story is quite effective). But, in the end, the story fails to resonate in the way Mason intended it to. The intriguing set-up of Anthony Carroll's character falls flat once he enters the story. And the tragedy that befalls Drake seems thrust upon him by out-of-character choices that he makes and external events rather than as the product of his character flaws or conscious choices. Instead of tying together the interesting measures of this fugue, it ends on a disappointingly dissonant note.
Rating:
Summary: A seductive and lyrical novel
Review: In his first novel, David Mason creates a beautifully enchanting adventure narrative, weaving both historical facts and a marvellous plot. Edgar Drake's progress through Burma as he tries to reach the village of Mae Lwin is both suspenseful and instructive for the European reader. Mr Mason's very well documented novel allows the reader to discover a lot about the Indian continent, the technique of piano tuning and the brutalities and compromises of colonisation. A truly beautiful book.
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