An Equal Music

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Is this novel written by Vikram Seth ? What happened to his simple - yet profound -style of writing prose ?

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Summary: A Book for Music Lovers
Review: Vikram Seth is a superb teller of tales. The research that goes behind each of his works is phenomenal. An Equal Music is a book for music lovers. The details could only be provided by a music lover. An Equal Music is not an easy book to read. It is not the length this time, but the details of all the musical instruments and the magic that they emanate, which loses a reader sometimes. But, the brilliance of Seth is evident nevertheless and his style is very readable.

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Summary: Amazing sensory appeal, wonderful prose, highest praises.
Review: A very different type of read for me. Loved the use of musical description in this book. Yes, his characters are a bit distant, but somehow realistic--Julia in her complexity, and Michael in his emotional selfishness. We all can't help but wonder "what if" from time to time about old loves; Seth does an excellent job of portraying the inability to relive parts of our lives.

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Summary: Enjoyed the classical music aspect
Review: I was initially attracted to this book because the main characters are classical musicians. Seth writes well about the passion that these professionals bring to their craft. I found myself wanting to hear the music they were playing ; my CD collection doesn't currently include much chamber music. [The audio book version does include snippets -- enough to whet your appetite for more.] I could not totally identify with either Julia or Michael, and wish that a bit more detail of their past in Vienna had been included. Nevertheless, I recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Artfully Conceived and Beautifully Written
Review: For any reader who appreciates nuance, classical music, travel, and the mysteries and complexities of love, Vikram Seth has captured all of it in this wonderful book. I did not want it to end, and yet when it did, it did so as beautifully as it played throughout. This is a book I will read again in a few years.

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Summary: An immensely readable, fantastic book
Review: This was one of the best books I ever read! Seth creates a masterpiece. Every scene is full of passion and poetry. What a combination of music, love and passion - the hero of the piece is wonderful! It's worth 6 stars!

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Summary: A FASCINATING JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF SOUND
Review: Personally,it was my first step to the world of classical music however i relived the history through the pages of this book.Music was just a sense of sound before...the meaning has taken various meanings now..thanks to michael and julia.Such precision,just makes you think the research behind this whole beautiful book full of passion.Music is like a love affair,a companionship...one has to nurture it and love it ofcourse....Set at such romantic places venice,veinna julia is back to being a lover again the relationship between the two runs throughout the novel but the role of music is so dominant that one cant imagine any page without the mention of the sound of any musical instrument especially the violin....all i can say it is a book which quenches your thirst for music....AN EQUAL MUSIC..

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Summary: This is, quite simply, a brilliant novel
Review: I genuinely recommend this book: it is exceptionally well-written, as well as being a moving and ultimately inspiring novel. It bears the "unmistakable breath of life", as one critic said of Seth in general, and these words sum up the novel much more pithily than I could have done myself. I await the time to devour "A Suitable Boy"...

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Summary: Just don't compare it to A Suitable Boy
Review: As long as your not expecting another "A Suitable Boy" you will not be disappointed because it certainly isn't anything like the former. A more serious book (irony rather than straight humour) about love, missed opportunities, and fate (if you believe in it that is)... read it by all means but try to approach it without too many preconceptions and you;ll enjoy it more... I wish I had!

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Summary: A Whole New World . . .
Review: Western Classical music is a new world for me, and yet, I found myself racing through the novel . . . a glorious coming together of sights and sounds. Seth's descriptive powers are unbeatable, though at times the love story is so intriguing, I cheated and skipped some of the descriptions! Still, Vienna and Venice come alive, and the passion between Michael and Julia is intense, yet unsentimental. The end was masterfully crafted. The beauty of this book lies in its passions, the passion between lovers, the passion of musicians for their music, and the obvious passion of an author for his subject. Beautiful.