Rating: 
Summary: Press Key, Hear Sound
Review: "Press key, hear sound - the multiplicity of sounds and subtleties, even in my unpolished playing, overwhelmed me all over again."
The basic storyline, and it really is a basic storyline, is of a man rediscovering his love of the piano brought on by his regular visits to a piano repair shop located in his Left Bank neighborhood in Paris. As he goes through the process of finding a piano, having it delivered and tuned, taking piano lessons, attending seminars, and listening to others play, he is reminded of his childhood experiences with the instrument.
As he learns about pianos from Luc, the shopkeeper and others he runs into in his travels, we learn with him. The strange business methods of the shop and the series of crazy characters he meets throughout his explorations add color to what could have certainly otherwise become rather dull.
This is an interesting read for those who would like to rediscover their love of music later in life, particularly those who grew up with a piano. A unique and lovingly-researched work!
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing little book...
Review: A beautiful musical instrument can be compared to a great vintage wine; one does not need to know all its subtleties in order to appreciate its fine texture, bouquet, and unique taste. Familiarity with art, for example, bolsters one's appreciation of its many forms, and puts one in a frame of mind never to take it for granted. In ~The Piano Shop on the Left Bank~ we are permitted entry into the world of the connoisseur of fine pianos and the magic of superior music. This book describes a re-acqaintance with a love affair of pianos, against the backdrop of romantic Paris and the diverse and unusual characters that make-up this world.An American living in Paris comes across a little piano repair shop that lies almost hidden from the frantic vagaries of modern life. Something about the little shop captures his attention - a spell is cast, and with some persistence, he gains admittance into a secret world for the initiated only - and his journey begins into that predominately guarded artisan society in Paris which the general, foreign public believe only exists in 19th century novels. This elegant text is written with thoughtful care and attention that displays an attitude of mind that is quite rare. Because Carhart is honest about his love affair with the piano and the Classic and Romantic music that we associate with the instrument, Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven and Scarlatte, the reader cannot help but remember personal associations with this world. While reading the text, images from my own past concerning music and the piano rose to consciousness - lying at my mother's feet while she played Chopin, being facinated by the movement of her feet as she depressed the foot pedals and the distinct fragrance of the wood. This beguiling book captures many such images and much more. The book is also unique in so far as the reader receives a history lesson on the piano, from its beginnings in 16th century Italy to its height with the American Steinway to its circular return to Italy, the Fazioli, the finest hand made piano in the world. We actually meet Paola Fazioli in the book and experience the utter majesty and beauty of his creations. To be sure, without question, I felt humbled in the presence of this man and his works of art, following Carhart as he's invited to sit down and play the legendary 'Faziloi 308' - 'the world's most expensive piano' - actually feeling the instruments power of tone through the words on the page. ~The Piano Shop on the Left Bank~ is one of those texts which is difficult to put down, but you do so anyway because you want the reading experience to last. And once the book is finally finished, there is a certain sadness that the experience is complete, however, the beauty of a good book is that you can return to it time and again, entering its world. This mesmerizing little book is recommended to any lover of music, no matter what genre or classification. Carhart manages to harness music's universality, its common-shared magic that without, life would be much harder to tolerate. This book will enter, in time, the realm of classic. A pleasure.
Rating: 
Summary: Re-discovering what's important.
Review: An enjoyable read even for a reader unfamiliar with pianos or playing music who gained a better understanding of both through the author's rediscovery of a long-lost joy. I skipped a part or two that seemed to bog down - went back to them later - this is the kind of memoir that doesn't demand a linear read, the vignettes can be picked up and savored anywhere along the way.
A small intimate story free of any attempt to impress, Piano Shop earns its keep for sincerity and the pleasure of accompanying the author on a meaningful search - and for the prodding it provides to anyone who has lost touch with what it means to learn and practice an art. An added bonus are the refrains of French life caught from apartment windows, in music classes, in the ateliers of neighborhood shops.
All in all, a good book for those times when you feel the need to slow down and reconnect with simple pleasures.
Rating:
Summary: A very fine piece
Review: Carhart has produced a wonderful book about his experiences as an adult piano student, the history of the piano, and life among a fascinating "off the beaten track" set of friends and acquaitances he met in Paris. The tales about the old, rotting Pleyel piano, the nervousness and professional musicians and the power of music to draw people together are especially good.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: Carhart held my serious attention for about the first third of this book that then begins to ramble in such a way that makes it difficult to even finish. Then the reader is confronted with a totally unnecessary question/answer session that seems to me a waste of paper in addition to being self-serving.
Rating:
Summary: Confessions of a Piano Lover
Review: Classified as autobiography, this book is more about pianos than people! Although the reader is introduced to a number of characters in the book, few are developed or described to such an extent that one feels you know them. Carhart himself never really becomes more than a conduit for an introduction to a piano or another character. Luc, the owner of the piano shop, is arguably the person the reader learns most about throughout the book, and that is not overly much. This, however, distracts nothing from the book. As a matter of fact, it tends to enhance the mystique surrounding the piano shop and its owner. The book remains true to its title and the author ventures on all sorts of musical pathways that either lead from or to the piano shop or its owner. It provides insight into the piano as a musical instrument without becoming technical. This makes for easy reading but a good learning experience at the same time. This reviewer experienced an urge to listen to the compositions described in the text and to actually do that, would further enhance the reading experience, but is definitely not a pre-requisite to enjoy the book. The book also provides a little insight into the lifestyle of the Parisians, which is interesting and suits the theme, but it could just as easily have played-off in any of the other full-of-character cities of Europe. It is an enjoyable read and the short almost independent chapters allows one to read it over a period of time, although it should pose no problem to read it in one session if time allows. People interested in music in general and pianos in particular, will find this a worthwhile read, while readers of biographies and/or non-fiction could also try it.
Rating:
Summary: makes you want to learn piano
Review: even if you don't know much about pianos, you will love this book. carhart breaks down the history of the piano and the workings of it, so that even the pdestrian will get it. but that's not all...he also has an interesting relationship with one of the piano repairers. the pianos themselves become living, breathing beings over the course of the story. and any story set in paris, has to be at least half decent. thad talks about the people and the places in the city and paints a perfect picture...the parts where he talks about taking piano lessons as a child, reminds me of when i played trombone in middle school. music meant the world to him as it does to me. this book is a treasure....
Rating:
Summary: What a great read - light, but very satisfying
Review: Following my rule of picking up books with interesting-looking covers, I got [pulled] into Thad Carhart's Piano Shop on the Left Bank within minutes. It's a lovingly detailed memoir and travelogue of one man's rediscovery of a love for all things piano. Set in the picturesque and romantic Left Bank, the reader is soon engulfed in images of walking down cobbled streets, getting coffee and fresh bread, and hearing music sung and played from every window. This book fills up your senses nearly to the point of overload, and leaves you hungry for more. The book centers on Carhart's introduction and friendship with a piano restorer named Luc who slowly exposes and educates Carhart about what makes a certain piano "live" and why even expensive pianos can be missing their soul. On the way, Carhart manages to navigate some of the more tricky aspects of the insular Parisian "vie de quartier" and gets a firsthand experience with the quirky, private French nature. There is enough enlightening musical material and information about pianos and their construction to give you something to take away with you as the end comes all too soon, and you begin to look at that largish space in the corner of the living room...
Rating: 
Summary: Stuff I never even thought about...
Review: Grew up as the atonal curmudgeon in a thoroughly musical household -- my mother got her BA in music at age 70 and still teaches piano at age 80 -- but Carhart walks one through the "quartier musique" in such a fashion that even I thoroughly enjoyed the stroll. His rediscovery of the piano begins with his own story but fear not, the book moves briskly away from the personal and captures the reader's attention and interest as Carhart writes of the wonderful complexity of this commonplace thing: the piano. The descriptions of the master classes and the visit to the Fazioli piano factory are brilliant concluding pieces to this very well-crafted volume. In essence the book embodies much of what Carhart has to tell us about the piano. As well he treats Paris and the French with due consideration and appreciation and never condescends to his reader. A delightful read that gains momentum.
Rating:
Summary: Stuff I never even thought about...
Review: Grew up as the atonal curmudgeon in a thoroughly musical household -- my mother got her BA in music at age 70 and still teaches piano at age 80 -- but Carhart walks one through the "quartier musique" in such a fashion that even I thoroughly enjoyed the stroll. His rediscovery of the piano begins with his own story but fear not, the book moves briskly away from the personal and captures the reader's attention and interest as Carhart writes of the wonderful complexity of this commonplace thing: the piano. The descriptions of the master classes and the visit to the Fazioli piano factory are brilliant concluding pieces to this very well-crafted volume. In essence the book embodies much of what Carhart has to tell us about the piano. As well he treats Paris and the French with due consideration and appreciation and never condescends to his reader. A delightful read that gains momentum.
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