The Music Room

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful sad tale of a man dealing with his a 28 year past.
Review: "The Music room" is a great journey into the past of Martin Lambert and his family. Through this novel Martin searches for the answers to his questions; why did his brother kill himself, why his parents were alcoholics, and how he could overcome such a past. Thrown into a lifetime of emotions which he has put off for so long, he is determined to come in grips with his past. He finds that music, the one true joy of his family, is not only the cause of the problems, but the answer.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful, well-woven story of a flawed family.
Review: Dennis McFarland has written a beautiful book about a deeply flawed family. He has composed this book in a way I imagine musicians write music, weaving disparate strands, voices, high notes, discord, emotions... Martin has his work cut out for him to come to grips with his messed-up life. He drinks too much, his marriage is falling apart, his company is sliding out of his grasp. And his brother, Perry, has just committed suicide. Martin works to resolve his problems in fits and starts along with a stellar ensemble cast including his parents, grandparents, family friends, servants, and people he meets because of his brother's death. Though Martin ties up most of his loose ends by the end, nothing seems too pat. Not happily-ever-after, Martin's dreams of the future will always be haunted by echoes of the past.

Rating:
Summary: Very disappointing.
Review: I feel the novel was very overrated. Just simply plodded along. Boring.

Rating:
Summary: A Sombre and Thought Provoking Read
Review: In his trademark casually eloquent style McFarland takes us deep into the story. While the protagonist fights with his own emotions over his brother's sudden death, he finds himself thrust into an unknown world. Having to now deal with dysfunctional family members, he finds himself unable to heal and cannot avoid feelings of guilt and remorse.

While not without it's flaws, like the implausible all too simple liquidation of our main character's business interests, the story is still strong.

Read it and reflect.

Rating:
Summary: Unrelentingly Dismal
Review: Not just a flawed family, but a flawed narrative. The characters are so tedious and self-important that the book was slow torture to read. Because of the complete lack of sympathy that the characters evoke, when the many bad things happen in this novel, I just didn't care. A tedious novel.

Rating:
Summary: This is a wonderful, well written, funny and moving debut.
Review: The Music room is, in my opinion, one of the most impressive literary debuts of the last twenty years. Mcfarland writes with grace, wit and compassion about very human characters. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good writing.

Rating:
Summary: Well developed characters and an easy read.
Review: This book had wonderfully well developed characters. My personal favorites were Felecia and "Litte Teddy". They made the book worth the effort. The humor is sublime but its there. I would recommend this book to anyone who does not mind sexuality and profanity.

Rating:
Summary: It is so enjoyable to read a book that is well written!
Review: This book was dark but wonderful to read, I loved thinking about what the author was saying. Readers who appreciate depth, will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully written retrospective
Review: This has to be one of the best books I've read in the last ten years. The writing is superb; McFarland knows how to convey the most complex emotions with a few well-chosen words. The story is truly fascinating, and the characters well-developed. I have unfortunately been somewhat disappointed in McFarland's next two novels, School for the Blind and A Face at the Window. Perhaps The Music Room is just too much to live up to . . .