Book
The Gustav Sonata
Record details
- ISBN: 0393246698
- ISBN: 9780393246698
-
Physical Description:
240 pages ; 25 cm
print - Edition: First American edition.
- Publisher: New York : W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.
- Copyright: ©2016
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | World War, 1939-1945 Fiction Friendship in children Fiction Male friendship Fiction Friendship Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. |
Available copies
- 1 of 1 copy available at Kenton County.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 1 total copy.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Covington Branch | TREMA R (Text) | 33126020726588 | Adult Fiction | Available | - |
- Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2016 April #2
Boasting Whitbread and Orange honors and perhaps best known for her Booker short-listed Restoration, Tremain examines the friendship between Gustav Perle, who grows up in a small Swiss town during World War II, and a gifted Jewish boy named Anton Zweibel, who's on his way to becoming a concert pianist.
[Page 62]. (c) Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2016 October #1
Young Gustav Perle is taught by his mother that he must "master himself" to be like the people of their homeland of Switzerland: strong, moralistic, and independent. To follow one's emotions only leads to heartbreak and bitterness. At age five, Gustav becomes friends with Anton, a piano prodigy from a wealthy Jewish family. While all of Europe is struggling during the years following World War II, the boys are not yet aware of the difficulties that their parents endured. Stepping back a few years, we learn the story of Gustav's widowed mother. Lust, trust, and betrayal have left Emilie Perle and her son bereft of love or hope. Gustav's friendship with Anton and his family provide the only light in his life. In the third movement of this "sonata," we see the friends in middle age, when Gustav owns a small hotel, always tending to the needs of others. Anton still thrives on music, yet a lifetime of stage fright has taken a great toll. VERDICT With delicate prose that so well captures the feelings of innocent children as well as conflicted adults, Tremain crafts an engaging, emotionally driven story that tugs firmly at the heartstrings. [See Prepub Alert, 3/28/16.]âSusanne Wells, Indianapolis P.L.. Copyright 2016 Library Journal.