The Mozart Season

Rating:
Summary: Pure inspiration
Review: I love this book. I play the piano and the violin, and whenever I start a new Mozart, I read this book. The first time I read it I was 12 years old, now I'm 15 and I'm still reading it. Allegra's teacher is amazing, I've learned so much from him. You can't help but get excited about music when you read it. The story is intriguing and beautiful. Allegra is incredible. You can almost hear her play. Her relationship with and feelings about her concerto are very thought provoking. From the very first page, you see the world through the eyes of an incredibly sensitive and gifted young musician. The people she meets and the friends she makes are unforgetable. I recomend this book to everyone, musician or not. I love it.

Rating:
Summary: A favorite of my daughters...and myself
Review: I love to read well-written children's books, and this is one of my favorites. The subtle details that the author includes create an authentic portrayal of the inner life of a child on the brink of adolescence. My 10 year old and my 14 year old daughters agree that the main character rings true. We all enjoy reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Fair
Review: I picked this book up at the library, because I'm playing a Mozart concerto myself (granted, one for French Horn) and wanted some inspiration, or at least some way to get it.
I almost gave up on the book about a 1/4 way through, because I didn't partically like the writting style. Also, the writer seemed to be having trouble figuring out who's she's writing to. The person is not expected to know what a cadenza is, but should be able to glance at a bit of music, and get an idea of a piece. The narrative also breaks off at one point to give a recipe for cookies.
In the book, Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer's character gives us a lesson on how to make a perfect grilled cheese sandwich, and does it well. This one read like a cook book, complete with an ingrediance list. Not to interesting.
I did, however, finish the book, feeling like I owe it to the people who gave it so much phrase, and was fairly glad. The subplots fit together well. There were some good parts, like the music in the part, and finding the "Walzt in Three", but on the whole, I found the book a little boring.

Rating:
Summary: Woven Into a Deft Patchwork
Review: I picked up the book because 1) it was about Mozart and 2) it had a picture of a girl carrying a violin, about to perform. This novel has a story that is not easy to forget: Allegra, a talented violinst, suddenly realizes that she has been accepted into a competition to perform a Mozart concerto. As the summer unfolds, she begins to understand her music and her life more and more - as well as a singer who sings because of her pain, a man who loses his song, and her great-grandmother who had a purse and died a tragic death.

The plot in this book was very deftly woven. In fact, I think it may be considered several plots instead. I can tell as well that the author put alot of effort and work into it. The characters are not easy to forget at all; they're all unique and special in a way that is rare in novels. There are many things that go on in this book, so it almost seems like a book with separate stories in it, blending in and out of this single novel. The book leaves one with a feeling like "ahh, so this is how it is all tied togehter" and a yearning to know what happens next.

I did find this book a little boring though at times - the author's writing style was a little random and some ideas are oddly developed. It even goes as far as revealing a recipe for Oatmeal Shapiro.

It was a good book, but I probably did not understand it very well because I had a hard time reading the tiny print and placing all the ideas together in my head to understand it. I would have given it 4.5 stars!



Rating:
Summary: Excellent.
Review: I picked up this book in middle school, just a year or two after starting to play the violin. (I believe the version I have is out of print now; it's the beige cover with a painted portrait of Allegra playing the violin.) I'm several years into college now and still adore this book. It's not just aimed for a younger audience--it's a very well-written book that anybody, especially music-lovers and musicians (but most especially violinists and string players), can enjoy and get something out of. Each time I reread it, it still manages to surprise me and make me smile--Wolff's writing is incredibly intricate and precise, and she brings Allegra's world to life--there's much more to this book than just music, but it's amazing how wonderfully it all ties together. I highly recommend this book to anybody who's interested--this is definitely one of my favorite books that I've come across.

Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: I play the violin and was in a solo festival. That is where we got graded for school on a peice of music. It tells how something you work so hard on does not alwas come out as you had hoped.

Rating:
Summary: The waltz tree
Review: I read this book when it first came out, and loved it, the way the words flow to create such beautiful, intricate characters and dialogue. I also related to The Mozart Season a lot, because I'm classically trained in piano and my little sister plays the violin. It's brilliant and absolutely lovely. Allegra is one of the best book heroines ever, and her mature yet child-like observations on everything made it fun to read. In short, I love this book and recommend it to everyone!

Rating:
Summary: A book about a young girl playing the violin.
Review: I think this book is interesting because it's about a normal teenage girl who is in a competition and also has other things in life to worry about. She makes the finalist and practices everyday and she meet Mr. Trouble who lost his song for several years and she tries to help him find it. It's a good book and I encourage others to read it.

Rating:
Summary: The waltz tree
Review: I'm in love with this book, and the way the words flow to create such beautiful characters and dialogue. I also related to The Mozart Season a lot, because I'm classically trained in piano, and my little sister plays the violin. It's brilliant and absolutely lovely. Allegra is one of the best book heroines ever, and her mature yet child-like observations on everything made it so great to read. In short, I LOVE this book and recommend it to everyone!

Rating:
Summary: I'm so glad readers are finding this book satisfying.
Review: I've played the violin since age 8, and I have enormous respect for kids who prove their love of music and of life by doing the hard daily practicing on whatever instrument has caught their interest. The pursuit of excellence is one of the most valuable things we get in this life, and I'm always so impressed with the kids who devote themselves to it. I tried to write a big book, including Dierdre, Mr. Trouble, great-grandmother Leah, and other figures who enrich Allegra's life. Several times during the writing of the book I wanted to quit, because it was getting too big and I didn't see how I could finish it. I'm so glad I did finish writing it, so that readers who don't take the easy way out with their music and other interests would be able to read the story of Allegra, who doesn't take the easy way out, either. I love to see the disagreement among readers about whether or not the Steve Landauers exist! (Do they really exist? I've played in orchestras for a long, long time, and I did write this book. Hint: I don't write fantasy.) A new paperback edition from Scholastic Press is available now through Scholastic Book Clubs. It has an intriguing cover this time. P.S. My full name is Virginia Euwer Wolff, and I can get a bit grouchy when my middle name is left out. But generally I'm a cheerful, friendly person.