Rating: 
Summary: Haunting, Elusive, Unusual
Review: I read this novel a little while ago, but it's stayed with me, and so have the images. Someone else said this too, but really, this is one of the most unusual novels I've ever read--it's hard to define & such an interesting mix of topics! It's also amazing that it's a debut novel, yes, but even more that it's written by such a young man, who obviously researched the novel well (I really disagree with some who have claimed otherwise, or that it reads like a travel brochure--not so!).I also disagree that it's written like a basic 'creative novel 101' manuscript! I found the prose quite beautiful, with carefully chosen details, the author knowing just when to stop, at various points in the narrative. Mason has written a novel that appeals to the senses--and is dreamlike in its imagery (can you forget a grand piano floating down a wild Burmese river, unmanned, on a raft, with its keys loose and striking haphazardly in the rain and wind?). And the various run-on sentences: I found that they worked, for me. They slowed me down and thus slowed the action down when it needed to be. They also made it seem even more like a dream, especially that conversation at the end with Nash-Burnham (was he there, really, with Edgar?). Mason also keeps his writing simple yet poetic, and understated. I'm thinking, with the latter, of that marvelous scene he wrote with Drake's hands just barely resting on Khin Myo's on the piano--so much more affecting than a more obvious romantic or seductive one. I learned a great deal in this novel about Burma--which I knew nothing about--and about colonial British Burma in the 1800s, which I knew even less about, and was intrigued with the Shan peoples and the history of that particular area that was being fought over. I also enjoyed learning about pianos and piano tuning and thought this a most unusual juxtaposition (pianos and Burma!). There were some problems in the book, though. I did wish that the reticent Edgar Drake (the piano tuner) had spoken more than in mostly half-sentences; we do get his thoughts, but I wanted to hear more of his actual speech. And the ending--well, that's what many reviewers have commented on. I was left with many questions, left hanging, though I thought about the book for a long time after I finished it, and tried to make sense of what might have happened. I agree strongly with one reviewer who asks why the charming and elusive Carroll would have needed Drake, if he were plotting a Shan revolt, say...that just didn't make sense to me, and especially since he'd not known Edgar before he came out from England, nor specified anything other than 'a piano tuner who was familiar with Erard pianos.' And I also agree that yes, while you might leave the reader with a few questions to answer on his/her own, that surprises at the end need to somehow fall in place, that the reader needs to say, Oh yes, why didn't I think of that? or the like. Here, there are just too many loose ends that don't come together. But otherwise, I loved the book, found it so refreshing and yet mesmerizing too, and an insightful, magical novel. And if anyone comes up with a way to make sense of the ending--especially the part about Carroll and what he's up to and why include Drake--I'd enjoy hearing your thoughts!
Rating: 
Summary: Book Group Dud
Review: Most of the members of my book group thought this book was a dud and would not recommend it to others. In the group, the English teacher thought reviews that comparision this work to Conrad and other significant writers were ridiculous. The lack of punctuation, the run-on sentences, and the general indifference to grammar make the book a difficult read. At least six times during the book, a character asks, "Am I boring you?" -- If you have to ask six times, you are boring. Trite writing - the days passed, darkness falls over and over... The main text is a narrative. The character does nothing. Novel writing 101 - show us with character action don't tell us with past tense, present tense, and any other tense you can think of in a single paragraph. The India contingent in our group thought the tiger hunt was a farce. The description was straight from a black-and-white Tarzan movie. The well-travelled members in our group, thought the writer put on rose-colored glasses and wrote from a travel brochure. There is a beautiful pagoda around every turn. On the plus side, the book caused members to research the current status of Burma. We were ashamed of our ignorance of the atrocities that occur in the country. The book made us aware of beautiful, troubled land.
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Haunting
Review: Daniel Mason's book is like a soulful landscape painting of Burma. I was absolutely riveted, from page 1 to the startling end. That this should be the author's first book only heightens the admiration for such a thoroughly-researched, beautifully-written, old-fashioned book of a type that one rarely encounters in modern fiction today. Twenty-four hours after I have finished the book, it still consumes my thoughts.
Rating:
Summary: Just not very exciting
Review: It has the exotic historical setting, the intriguing setup, even a map of a country we rarely think about... but the plot just doesn't add up to much. Nor did I learn much about Burma. Oh well.
Rating: 
Summary: Dreamy Englishman lost in the wide world
Review: I liked Mr. Drake, but wished he hadn't left his loving wife and peaceful life to travel to the jungle to tune a piano for a more ambitious man.
The dream-like journey is so abley described that one can see the exotic cities, villages, and most of all, the rivers and jungle.
Mr. Drake is seemingly overcome by the rich beauty, the culture, and maybe even the sounds of Burma. Like a drunken man-- drunk on sensations-- he cannot take care of himself.
Rating:
Summary: Another Time, Another Place
Review: This is a marvelous first effort. Mr. Mason has crafted an elegant, intricately plotted story. He carries us back to the world of the English empire of the late 19th century. A piano turner journeys into the "heart of darkness" in the jungles and mountains of Burma. The story draws you along in a mystical fashion. It was a New York Times "Notable Book" and this honor is well deserved.
Rating:
Summary: Lush and Mysterious
Review: Daniel Mason has written a fascinating novel about Burma, a country I, and I suspect most Americans, know very little about. Set in the late 19th century, as the British are solidifying their hold on east Asia, this is the story of a very conventional English man who receives a summons to travel to Burma to tune a fine piano owned by a mysterious and unconventional British officer. Mason has thoroughly researched his subject, and his descriptions of the journey, the territory, the flora and fauna, are beautiful. It is easy to imagine the sense of timelessness and distance that takes over as Edgar Drake moves deeper into the jungle and away from civilization. I found the descriptions of the Han people equally fascinating, and Drake's comment on the mission of the British, to bring civilization to them, very telling. After he hears the stories, watches traditional theatre, and above all hears the music, he realizes that while it may be worthwhile to introduce Western culture to Burma, they already have music, utterly different and amazingly seductive.
My only reservation is that I found the plot a bit cloudy in a few respects--there are hints that Drake accepts the commission for a mysterious reason--that he is looking for something, or trying to escape something--his wife seems to know something about all this, but we never really find out what it's all about. Similarly, we are thrown a curve ball at the end, and are told there's a possibility that Anthony Carroll has set Drake up for his own unsavory purposes. We are left to decide for ourselves--but we are never told why Carroll would have done such a thing, what he would have gained. How would having Drake around helped him? If he was using music to seduce tribal leaders, wouldn't the piano tuner in Rangoon have served the purpose just as well? For an author to do an ending like this effectively, the reader should be startled, should suddenyly realize "Why of course!" Here my reaction was--"Huh?"
But never mind--if you're interested in learning about this strange country, you'll enjoy this novel.
Rating:
Summary: A writer in tune with his subject
Review: Had Daniel Mason not grabbed my attention from the beginning, he would have when I reached the second chapter, when the piano tuner's wife Katherine finds out that her husband is leaving to Burma and they have a discussion. The dialogue is so sensitive --without being tacky --that it is impossible to deny that we are with a very unique book. 'The Piano Tuner' is one of the most impressive debuts of the last few years. The writer is able to put together an exotic land and a different tale about power, colonialism friendship and love. Edgar Drake is a British piano tuner who is invited by the British Army Office to go to Burma to tune the Erard, a very expensive and beautiful piano that belongs to an eccentric army surgeon, and that became indispensable to the imperial design. And off he goes. On arriving there, he finds a mysterious place, populated with beautiful and 'savage' people --but what touches him is the piano itself. A wonderful piece almost lost in the middle of the jungle, but soon he learns how important it was for the colonization of the place. Little did Drake know how much he would get involved with the surgeon, the place, but above all, with the piano. It almost becomes a love affair. But things change and Edgar ends up in the middle of a situation he would never expected to be. Using a crafted prose, Mason is able to bring the reader into the story. Although sometimes it is difficult to imagine the exotic place, he describes in details many contents, so that we can have a clear image of how Burma is like. The best character is Anthony Carroll, the surgeon. He is a mystery throughout most of the book, until a surprise near the end. Unfortunately the women and the Burmanese are a little stereotypical, but this is not something that really spoils the reading. Mason has written about things he knows set in a place where he knows very well too. What is left unknown is if in the future he will be able to write about another things. All in all, 'The Piano Tuner' is an interesting book: very vivid and colorful. It is undeniable that Mason has a gift for storytelling and we will be looking forward to his next book --be it set in a place he has been to or not.
Rating:
Summary: t he style got me in the end
Review: this is a book that i looked forward to reading, a novel about 19th century Burma in the colonial period
i'm sorry to say i couldnt finish this one either
the author has actually lived in Burma or Myanmar now, and some of his writing is really good
examples are descriptions of the scenes when the main character arrives in Rangoon, the visit to a local temple, and the walk home through London's dark foggy streets at the beginning
in the main, however, the book was far too slow moving and tedious
one of the very worst techniques was the main character reading (and forcing you to read) long official reports and legal documents word for word
this is like instead of describing a character's family home, i insert the whole abstract of title and let readers plow through it
i dont know what the long bizarre story of the arab man on the ship had to do with anything either
i may have found out later, but i'm not counting on it
some other reviewers'criticisms of this book may be a result of misreading
if readers think the dialogue is stilted, they can pick up any 19th century English or American novel and find dialogue even more stilted
it's no secret people were more formal and talked differently from the way they do today
it's not easy to weave history into a novel, but i dont think this book does a good job of it
anybody that wants to read a good novel on colonial burma should try George Orwell's Burmese Days
i'll look for a nonfiction book on this subject
Rating:
Summary: colonial history meets beautiful writing
Review: I loved this book with its journey into an unfamiliar time and place. Having just read a couple of other novels set in colonial India, but in the 20th century, I found the 19th century British conquest of Burma fascinating and related background. While I agree with some of the professional reviewers that it gets off to a slow start, I think that is also part of its charm-- more appropriate to the time than our frantic world of immediate action and results. In addition to the historical setting, I also very much enjoyed how Mason communicated the main character Edgar Drake's experience of confusion as he entered worlds that were unfamiliar, and the sense of living suspended from the normal course his life had been on, and his waiting to see what it meant.
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