Sleeping with Schubert

Rating:
Summary: "My memories become hers, she sees through my eyes"
Review: With a sense of the whimsical and an eye for the unorthodox, Bonnie Marson has written a beguiling yet rather long-winded story involving the mystery of genius and the price we pay for fame. Mason has a nice, economical style which lends itself well to this type of subject matter, but don't expect any hidden revelations on the life of the composer Franz Schubert. Sleeping with Schubert is pure pop-culture, and although it is enjoyable, readers shouldn't expect anything that revelatory.

Liza Durbin, a Brooklyn lawyer, suddenly finds the spirit of Franz Schubert inhabiting her body while she is shopping at Nordstrom's. Although she has not had a piano lesson since childhood, Liza sits down at the store piano and plays like a virtuoso. She's suddenly sucked into a kind of non-dimensional phenomena and Franz's presence leads to her nervous breakdown, her discovery by a Julliard School piano teacher and her eventual Carnegie Hall debut. Franz and Liza "sale on crescendos, glissandos and heaven-bound strains of melody" as his spirit takes off and takes Liz along for the ride. In the course of Liza's adventures, the reader hears Schubert's own sweet voice in the briefest of interludes, in which he comments upon his unanticipated luck at having a second chance at existence in the 21st century.

Liza practices in the apartment of her platonic friend Fred, and struggles to keep her relationship going with Patrick, her estranged boyfriend currently residing in Italy. Liza's supportive family is led by her media savvy, wealthy sister who devotes her energies to capitalizing on Liza's new talent with concert promotions, sexy billboard advertising and extensive media manipulation. As Schubert grows stronger, Liza's grasp on reality weakens and she begins to wonder where her behavior falls in the continuum of human insecurities, and whether she's strong enough to stand up against a full-spirit invasion by Franz. But Franz proves too strong to resist and they develop a kind of psyche-based friendship. Of course, there is no assurance that Franz will stick around for the next breath - he has no obligation and no loyalty to Liza. However, Liza decides to go for it and become a fully-fledged concert pianist even though fear of desertion "nails itself to her chest and pants in her."

Marson has some fun things to say on the nature of genius. The opportunity for possessing fame almost certainly has nothing to do with actually possessing genius - "anyone anytime might be the living definition of genius, but how many people would know it?" The author has created a likable protagonist in Liza, a misguided, misunderstood girl who has a "tiny crack in her soul." She's conflicted about how she can add Patrick's needs to her life while also dealing with Franz, Carnegie Hall, and her unpredictable future. Marson surrounds Liza with a rich and varied supporting cast of characters, and her light, breezy style moves the story swiftly along. Part Chick Lit, and part musical fantasy, Sleeping with Schubert will undoubtedly have broad appeal and it certainly comes as no surprise that the movie rights have already been optioned. Mike Leonard August 04.



Rating:
Summary: An Irresistable Novel
Review: Wow! What an amazing first novel, from the first chapter I was hooked! Everyone should read this book, you will find yourself connecting to Liza even with this outrageous and completely out of the ordinary plot. If you are looking for a great summer read you shouldn't miss out on this extraordinary firstnovel. Bonnie Marson is here to stay!