Discover new books on Goodreads

See if your friends have read any of F.M. Wilson's books

0 ratings | 0 reviews | avg rating:0.0

F.M. Wilson’s Followers

None yet.

F.M.’s Bookshelves

to-read (3)
currently-reading (0)
read (0)
did-not-finish (0)

F.M.’s Friends

F.M. hasn't connected with her friends on Goodreads, yet.

2026 Reading Challenge

2026

READING

CHALLENGE

F.M. Wilson has read 0 of 4 books.

F.M. Wilson

Goodreads Author

Born

The United Kingdom

Website

https://crosseyedpianist.com/

Twitter

CrossEyedPiano

Genre

Fiction, Music, Nonfiction

Member Since

September 2026

edit data

F M Wilson is a publicist, writer and pianist. She is the creator and editor of The Cross-Eyed Pianist, one of the UK’s leading websites devoted to classical music and the piano. Since founding the site in 2010, she has written extensively on music, performance and musicians for an international readership, and in 2012 she launched Meet the Artist, a series of interviews with musicians and composers. Her writing has also appeared in Pianist, Classical Music, International Piano, The Schubertian, and InterludeHK, and from 2011 to 2018, she was a concert reviewer for Bachtrack.com.

She writes programme notes for leading concert venues, has appeared on BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters to discuss the effect of the internet on music criticism, and is ...more

Learn more
Ask the Author

To ask F.M. Wilson questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Why does the novel take place during the First World War?

F.M. Wilson I have been fascinated by the First World War and its literature since my teens. In the novel, I wanted to place my characters in a situation which wa…moreI have been fascinated by the First World War and its literature since my teens. In the novel, I wanted to place my characters in a situation which was utterly divorced from their rather rarefied musical lives in London, and to explore whether music, and friendship, can endure when people are placed under extreme circumstances. I was also fascinated by the collision between an intensely personal moment and an enormous historical one.

Theo Browne and Jonathan Lane-Fox give their London debut at Bechstein Hall on 4 August 1914. It should be the beginning of everything they have worked towards: two young musicians on the threshold of professional careers. But that evening Britain declares war on Germany.

I liked the dramatic irony of that juxtaposition. Theo and Jonny believe they know what their future looks like. History knows otherwise.

The novel grew from that moment and from the question of what happens when the life you have imagined for yourself is suddenly interrupted. In revising the novel, I was also influenced by conversations I'd had with musicians during the Covid lockdowns - another crisis which tested musicians' notions of artistic identity and how one copes in straitened times.(less)

flag

like
Comment

See 1 answer from F.M. Wilson…

Combine Editions
F.M. Wilson’s books

Average rating: 5.00 · 2 ratings · 2 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Facing the Music: A Novel about Love & War, Music & Friendship it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Facing the Music: A Novel about Love & War, Music & Friendship 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Between the Notes: Essays on Living with Music 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Between the Notes: Essays on Living with Music 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

1 post
F.M. Wilson's Blog

When music is who you are

Introducing Facing the Music

The book began with Beethoven....

Around 20 years ago, I caught the first movement of his ‘Spring’ Sonata for violin and piano on Radio 3 one morning, and was struck by the freshness and optimism of its opening theme. There is something wonderfully youthful about this music: an openness, an eagerness, a sense of possibility, as if everything still lies ahead.

The other s Read more of this blog post »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on September 15, 2026 07:01 • Tags: friendship, identity, music, war

F.M.’s Recent Updates

F.M. Wilson liked Caroline Swinburne's review of Facing the Music: A Novel about Love & War, Music & Friendship: "I absolutely loved this! The author has first-hand experience as a pianist, and gave fascinating musical detail, but also wrote very convincingly indeed about the life of a soldier in the first world war. Strongly recommended - a beautiful book!"
Oct 07, 2026 02:37AM · see review
F.M. Wilson answered Tara Yonder's question: Why does the novel take place during the First World War? I have been fascinated by the First World War and its literature since my teens. In the novel, I wanted to place my characters in a situation which was utterly divorced from their rather rarefied musical lives in London, and to explore whether music, See Full Answer
Oct 03, 2026 06:43AM · like
F.M. Wilson liked Tara Yonder's review of Facing the Music: A Novel about Love & War, Music & Friendship: "★★★★★ From the creator of The Cross-Eyed Pianist music blog comes this absorbing and moving debut novel about music, friendship and identity, set against the upheaval of the First World War. At its heart are two young musicians whose deep friendship ha" Read more of this review »
Oct 03, 2026 06:39AM · see review
F.M. Wilson wants to read A Patriot's Progress: Henry Williamson and the First World War by Anne Williamson	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 02, 2026 01:42AM · like
F.M. Wilson wants to read A Room with a View by E.M. Forster	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 02, 2026 01:42AM · like
F.M. Wilson wants to read The Melody of Things: On Music, Memory, and Beginning Again by Nadia Beard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 02, 2026 01:42AM · like
F.M. Wilson is accepting questions on their profile page.
Sep 15, 2026 07:04AM · Be the first to ask F.M. Wilson a question
Sep 14, 2026 03:21AM · like

More of F.M.'s books…

F.M.’s Friend Comments

No comments have been added yet.