Aloha, Mozart

by Waimea Williams

Winner of the Ka Palapala Po’okela “excellence in print” Award

This debut novel hits all the right notes--following in the spell-casting footsteps of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto.

Would you risk your life--or your soul--for the sake of art?

Born into an impoverished Hawaiian family in the 1960s, Maile Manoa's quest for a life in music lures her to the high-stakes world of European opera. In Salzburg, Austria she attracts the attentions of powerful men and falls in love . . . with a troubled young musician, with the city, and the intrigue that surrounds her.

When Werner von Wehlen, the famous conductor at the center of Salzburg's glamorous music festival, offers her a leading role, she is forced to confront the Nazi heart of the classical music scene and von Wehlen's treacherous past. On the evening of her brilliant premiere, with Soviet tanks threatening to invade the city, Maile must choose between recognition on the world stage . . . or leaving the city with her life, and her conscience, intact.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Raised in rural Hawaii, Waimea started performing as a teenager, spent a decade in Europe singing opera, then studied creative writing at UC/Berkeley. Now back in the islands, her debut novel “Aloha, Mozart” made the San Francisco Book Review’s Top 10 for 2012. In Hawai’i it won a 2013 Ka Palapala Po’okela (excellence) award, was featured at the Hawaii Book and Music Festival, at UH/Maui Celebrates Reading, and at the Squaw Valley writers conference. The author has a second novel under submission and is at work on a third.

Follow Waimea on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorwwilliams

Reviews

[Nai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy have I ever been waiting for this day!

The relationship between music, culture, education, society and, well, life, is something I have been so intrigued by I studied it for 4 years.

In fact, I'm still studying it today, only as an educator and observer now. There are times I wish I could go back to being a student, and many nights I contemplate doing a masters. This book not only reminded me why I love music, it also reminded me why I'm taking so long to go back to the academic environment.

The book is one of the most skillfully written historical fiction novels I've read in ages. I felt as if I was in Hawaii the entire time I was reading, and the 1960's.

It's an era I'm familiar with, both as a hobby, and as an academic. I took a number of courses focusing on music history - right from baroque to current day, and focused oddly enough, on Mozart, Chopin, and 20th century music.

Aloha, Mozart, transported me back 15 years or so to my journey into the world of classical music. Though none of what I experienced was nearly as tragic or heartbreaking as our main character Maile I identified very closely with her.

I've also been lucky with money, having never experienced the poverty that existed in the 1960's in Hawaii, or the poverty today that is rampant throughout the world. It is something I have experience with peripherally, even in my city. There are numerous examples I could give of poverty in the western world today, but I'm sure you can think of just as many. The struggle to succeed, and better ourselves is one that this book showcases, and highlights through the entire story line. The author's ability to tell Maile's story, I hope, makes anyone who reads this book that much more aware and interested in what is happening around the world now.

I'm a bit of a description hog, and love it when an author can find that magic line that allows me to create a great imaginary world in my head, and not too much to limit what the book world 'looks like'. Waimea Williams did just that, and I loved it.

Finally, I have to talk more about the main character, there was a point at the beginning of the book where Maile's first experience with the classical music of Verdi hooked me.

I remember being very confused by polyphonic music when I first heard it. Maile's ability to extract herself from the rest of the class, who just made fun of it, was the exact reason I kept reading the book. I knew from page 2 or 3 that her journey would be one worth following.

Would you risk your life–or your soul–for the sake of art?

That's the question posed in the synopses. I'm a musician, and I'm not sure that I've ever had to make that choice for my soul. I've never made it in the life & death sense, and really hope to never have to. This year and this summer has been a time of change for me though. I've had to think long and hard about what makes me happy, and in the end the thing I always come back to is music.

You can risk your soul for an artistic calling in many ways. Sometimes it is an obvious and overt choice, and other times, making the choice to go a different direction - away from your calling is just as detrimental to your soul. Artists always seem to learn this the hard way.

[caption id="attachment_1375" align="aligncenter" width="300"] There's music on that page, and this winter, I might actually get to write music again :)[/caption]

I won't tell you if or how Maile did, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourself.

If you want a book with love, intrigue, tragedy and hard choices in an competitive world this is the book for you. Historical fiction fans will delight, and literary/women's fiction lovers will also find it a fascinating read.

Thanks for a great book, Waimea Williams and Luminis Books, I can't wait until next week when I get to review Maybe I Will as well!
About the Book - About the Author - Prizes!!!
Welcome to Novel Publicity's latest publishing house blog tour. Join us as two new titles from Luminis Books--we're calling them the Luminis Duo--tour the blogosphere in a way that just can't be ignored. And, hey, we've got prizes!

 About the book:  Would you risk your life--or your soul--for the sake of art?

Born into an impoverished Hawaiian family in the 1960s, Maile Manoa's quest for a life in music lures her to the high-stakes world of European opera. In Salzburg, Austria she attracts the attentions of powerful men and falls in love--with a troubled young musician, with the city, and the intrigue that surrounds her.

When Werner von Wehlen, the famous conductor at the center of Salzburg's glamorous music festival, offers her a leading role, she is forced to confront the Nazi heart of the classical music scene and von Wehlen's treacherous past.

With Soviet tanks threatening to invade the city on the evening of her much-anticipated premiere, Maile must choose between recognition on the world stage or leaving the city with her life--and her conscience--intact.

This debut novel hits all the right notes--following in the spell-casting footsteps of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto.

Pick up your copy of this Literary/ Historical through Amazon US, Amazon UK, or Barnes & Noble.



About the author:  Originally from Hawaii, Waimea Williams spent a decade in Austria and Germany as an opera singer and has received fiction awards from Glimmer Train, The Lorian Hemingway Competition, and Salamander Review. She has enjoyed the honor of a writing residency at the Ragdale Foundation, and her short story “Vienna Quartet With Dog” received First Prize from the Charlton Review in 2012. She currently lives near Honolulu. Connect with Waimea on her website, Facebook, or GoodReads.

About the prizes:  Who doesn't love prizes? You could win either of two $25 Amazon gift cards, an autographed copy of Aloha, Mozart by Waimea Williams, or an autographed copy of its tour mate, Maybe I Will by Laurie Gray. Here's what you need to do...

Enter the Rafflecopter contest
Leave a comment on my blog.

That's it! One random commenter during this tour will win a $25 gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win--the full list of participating bloggers can be found here. The other $25 gift card and the 3 autographed books will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Luminis Duo tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

Luminis Books was launched in January, 2010 by husband and wife team Tracy Richardson and Chris Katsaropoulos with a mission to publish thought-provoking literary fiction for children and adults. We publish what we love: Meaningful Books That Entertain. Our award-winning books engage and inform readers and explore a wide range of topics from love and relationships, teen sexual assault and homelessness to string theory, consciousness, and the Universal Energy Field. Luminis Books is a proudly independent publisher located in Carmel, IN. Learn more at www.luminisbooks.com.
Learn more about Aloha, Mozart's tour mate HERE.
Rafflecopter entry here. 


Naimeless post-script/ramblings & cookings

In case you haven't caught on, here is the place where I can share with you what each book inspires me to cook.

Honestly, the ginger-ale & lays chips aren't satisfying me.

So, what did Aloha, Mozart inspire me to make?

Well, since it transported me back in time to my music degree, I thought I'd share a short story about tomatoes and zuchinni (which happen to be in season here!).

When taking lessons with an amazing professor, and studying Chopin (rather obsessively), I remember a discussion about tomatoes.

He said "Never buy tomatoes in a can. On the vine is really all you ever need."

He was and is very right. I can my own tomatoes now, make my pasta and spaghetti sauce, and always enjoy them fresh-cut with salt and pepper.

So, today, I share with you, a simple and quick sandwich that will satisfy all your taste buds.

Sliced thick bread, spread with zuchinni butter. Recipe found here. Grill with zuchinni side down, open face, just like a grilled cheese sandwich. (Works well on a sandwich maker too).

Sandwich contents - fresh sliced tomatoes bought at the Global Market in Brandon. Old Chedder cheese from Two Farm Kids, Salt, pepper and a couple leafs of lettuce.

Dipped in home-made chicken soup made from left over roast chicken.

[♥♥Mari♥♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.)

From the opening sentences, this novel captured my undivided, rapt attention: "Maile Manoa's singing came from the ocean, people said, from the mountains, from flowers. It floated on the wind like a message sent to each listener, a voice of ancient beauty, ancient power." These beautiful sentences literally sent chills up my spine with the power of their melodious rhythm. The images of nature the author conjured floated through my mind as I savored these words. I was totally enthralled....

This is a novel of such intense passion -- the passion of art. It tells the story of a gifted young girl obsessed with the need to sing, to find the music within her soul.

She comes from a poor Hawaiian family, growing up in a culture totally alien to the traditions of classical music. Yet, from the very first moment she hears a Verdi aria in sixth grade, Maile knows that she is meant for the opera stage. And so, even as she helps to support her family with her singing, Maile secretly squirrels away money of her own for the future.

After successfully graduating from college, she leaves for music studies in New York, with the financial help of her family, which comes at great sacrifice for them. Even though they don't understand her need to sing opera, they fully support her dream.

After a year and a half in New York, Maile travels to Salzburg, Austria, with a letter of recommendation from her teacher, Leah Renska.

In Salzburg, she encounters, and becomes immersed in, European culture for the first time, succeeding in becoming the student of the great Professor Aleksander Jann, who was himself a renowned opera star in years past.

She also meets Karl Holzer, a fellow student at the Mozarteum, who plays both piano and French horn. Their relationship blooms into love in the middle of corruption and political intrigue, as tensions with the then Soviet Union grow.

And then, Maile is finally noticed by the great Werner von Wehlen, the legendary conductor. As her opportunity arrives, so does a heartrending choice, for she is confronted by two alternate paths -- following the dictates of her conscience, or abandoning them in the name of art, and the career she has been studying and struggling for all her life. How can she throw it all away? And yet....how can she live with herself if she doesn't?

I have read few books that have touched me as deeply as this one has. The only one that comes to mind is the equally beautiful and poignant tale of a young Jewish painter struggling to follow his muse in spite of the constraints imposed by his family and his Orthodox faith. That memorable book is titled My Name Is Asher Lev, by the great Chaim Potok. Both novels deal with the artist's dilemma -- to find his or her creative voice, in the midst of the pressures exerted by an uncomprehending world. In Maile's case, however, it's not so much her family that she must contend with, but the horrible legacy of a Nazi past, which, to her shock, permeates the world of opera and classical music in 1960's Austria.

Williams has created a richly detailed world -- from the Hawaiian paradise of Maile's birth, to the old-culture Salzburg paradise of her artistic growth into a fully accomplished soprano. Each world is contrasted; each has its own unique delights, and Maile frequently feels the tug of each. The descriptions of Hawaiian sunsets over mythical beaches rival those of the Austrian city's picturesque architecture and snow-capped mountains. Williams makes sure the reader fully experiences her settings, even noting small details. In this particular case, she fuses the beauty of Hawaii with that of the Austrian countryside: "The plane glided lower toward a long green river winding past three tree-covered hills, the tallest spiked by a castle, its steep walls topped by the spear points of towers, at its base a maze of twisting streets as dense as a coral reef." It's sentences like this one, as well as the ones quoted above, that make this novel such a pleasantly lush read, for those who enjoy poetic prose. (I wonder if there's an audiobook edition; these lovely sentences must be even lovelier when read aloud.)

The novel is full of musical and operatic references, which is part of what makes it so enchanting. Although I don't know much about opera, I do love classical music, having grown up listening to piano and violin concertos, symphonies, chamber music, and such choral works as Handel's Messiah. Thus, I greatly enjoyed seeing many great composers mentioned, as well as learning musical terms that I had never heard before. Because of this book, I think I'm going to begin cultivating an appreciation for opera!

Maile Manoa is someone I wish I could be friends with. She is a very gutsy, determined woman, totally focused on her goal, willing to undertake nearly any sacrifice to achieve it. She is also sweet and very naïve at the beginning of her story. She never becomes jaded, either, even as she sees the corruption around her, the hypocrisy, the ethnic snobbery. She somehow rises above it all, buoyed by her love for Karl.

Karl is a bit unsure of himself as he starts his relationship with Maile. That makes me like him immensely, since I think that men who love their own importance are unattractive, even if physically gorgeous. In spite of his initial insecurity, Karl soon falls into an easy camaraderie with the Hawaiian soprano, one that becomes deeper, richer. He and Maile give each other emotional support through the trials of perfecting their respective crafts. As events in the latter third of the novel approach the climax, Karl never wavers in his love and support for Maile, and she trusts him to be there for her during her moment of truth. This was indeed a beautiful relationship, and I wanted very badly for them to remain together!

This novel is just as much about following one's conscience as it is about working to achieve an artistic goal. Williams, who is herself Hawaiian, has deftly used her own background as an opera singer to craft a mesmerizing tale, with great characterizations that probe the depths of human nature. She is now one of my favorite writers! All I need is one novel, or one short story -- whatever the case may be -- to know if a particular author will be for me or not. It's happened with other writers, those whose particular brand of literary magic has woven a spell over my soul.

ALOHA, MOZART deserves to be praised, to become a bestseller, and I firmly believe it would translate into a totally engrossing film, as well. It is a beautiful literary pearl, one of those rare finds that will be treasured and re-read many times over. It's not only for opera or classical music connoisseurs, but for anyone who can understand what a true artist must undergo in order to attain the heights of their art, while holding on to their integrity.

[Laura Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read Aloha, Mozart, a historical literary title that follows aspiring opera singer Maile Manoa from her hometown in Hawaii to the bustling musical city of Salzburg, Austria. Starting in the 1960s, the book traces both Maile's growth as a singer and a variety of global historic events that shape both her career and her personal life.

Dedicated to becoming a famous soprano, Maile enters the entertainment industry as an uncredited singer on a Hawaiian radio show broadcast to the mainland. When a beautiful diva comes to down, she takes a chance and sings for her, gaining access to the diva's first private instructor in New York. After training for a year with this teacher, Maile realizes she needs more in order to make it big, and asks her tutor to help her. To ascend the ladder of fame and fortune, she is told she must move to Mozart's hometown, Salzburg, for further training in classical music.

Studying with Professor Aleksander Jann in the heart of old Europe, Maile's technique vastly improves, and she is eventually asked to join the Salzburg Music Festival as a soloist - chosen personally by the famous director Werner von Wehlen. But will she be able to put aside his ties to the former Nazi regime in order to chase her own dreams of stardom?

Aloha, Mozart is a well-written tale, with plenty of unique characters in its supporting cast. Although I naturally sided with Maile in her quest to become an established soprano, even the antagonists (major and minor) were well developed and sympathetic, from Maile's grandmother - who sends her back to live with the rest of her family after she causes too much mischief chasing her musical dreams - to the imperious von Wehlen.

Starting in exotic Hawaii, it might seem odd for a girl to long for an escape from such a tropical paradise, yet author Waimea Williams spins out a convincing back story that helps readers understand Maile's desire for so much more. From her impoverished beginnings to her rebellion against the Hawaiian cultural demands that all family members share and share alike, Maile at times wants nothing more than a room of her own. Yet her ultimate goal cannot be denied; she has a talent and a passion for the opera, and she commits herself to the craft with the single-minded devotion of a novitiate.

Even when thrust into the confusing culture of Austria, with her basic German language skills and meager savings, Maile remains true to herself and her desire to succeed. And this, ultimately, is what makes Williams' book so engaging. Maile is a strong character with clear goals and a fiery personality. Without resorting to stereotypes about volcanic goddesses, Williams highlights Maile's Hawaiian influences and past with a graceful touch, contrasting them deftly with the Austrian culture and norms of the period.

Though it's a work of historic fiction, this not-so-distant past seems all too familiar, with Austria's struggles to maintain neutrality in the face of Nazism as well as the Cold War. Williams poses questions that continue to haunt readers in the 21st century, such as "What would you do for the sake of art?" and "How far would you go to follow your dreams?" Can lovers of classical music ignore the sometimes vile inspirations for their beloved musical masterpieces, or must we cast them into the dustbin of history because of their flawed creators? Is, indeed, mankind merely the manure out of which brilliant works of art are grown?

Aloha, Mozart is a beautifully crafted homage to the classical music scene, even as it reveals the true character of the men and women behind its velvet curtains.

(This review was originally published at Black Heart Magazine.)

[Wendy Ewurum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sometimes find it so hard to pick what to talk about in a review when I find a good book.
This is the problem I’m having with Aloha, Mozart. This is a really good book and such a refreshing treat from a sea of bad reading choices I’ve made in the recent past.
What I want to talk about is what a talented writer Walmea Williams is and how I saw this in Aloha, Mozart.
Because this is a book tour, my intentions were to do an indepth review and I had my note book and pencil on the ready but somewhere along the line I got so absorbed in the story I lost track. I think that works out to be a compliment too.
The story is told of this young girl who not only has dreams but feels propelled by some inner force to have a life in music. Something that seems improbable because all the odds are stacked against her due to her improverished background. And yet through it all she perseveres and goes on to have a life as a consummate performer in Europe.
As you can tell I loved her story but what really endeared this book to me is the writer’s inclusion of her cultural background and the ongoing psychological battle between traditional beliefs of the Hawaiian people and the relaxed, liberal ones of the “white man”. The mental enslavement of a native people who go on to define themselves by the labels they have been allotted (white and Asian is intelligent/ native is stupid). This is a dimension in this book I identify with quite closely coming from a country and continent with a history rife with colonization and still reeling from its influence.
Further to this was the intriguing telling of the spiritual beliefs. So many things took me back to my childhood in the mentions of what is kapu and mana. When I come across such books I get so nostalgic and sad over the lack of record of our traditions, the things that made our people who we are. Although this is a Hawaiian story, I still identify with many of the superstitions mentioned as we were raised with them in Africa.
Writing a novel based on music is challenge enough in my book because as a reader I always wonder if I will believe in the story and will I hear the music which for some reason I want to have happen. But added to that, Walmea manages to write dialogue in a way that is unique to each character, that feels genuine and gives you the full complex story behind each one.
Not only this but adds a story line that digs deep into cultures that cross continents to dwell in most cases quiet discomfort within its inhabitants.
More reviews on my blog: http://fabulosityreads.blogspot.com/Aloha, Mozart

[Lis - The Indigo Quill · Rating 4 out of 5]

See full review @ The Indigo Quill: http://theindigoquill.blogspot.com/20...

What a GREAT book!! I am so excited that I got the opportunity to read this. As a lot of you know, I am a Music Education major. I am constantly surrounded be Classical, Baroque, and Romantic music. My primary is also vocal, so I also sing this music as well (Fun fact: this year I will be singing "L'amero, saro constante" by Mozart himself). I believe it is safe to say that I felt a special connection with this book, and probably understood it a little more than most. It makes me so happy when people speak my language!

This was a wonderful literary work that mixed history, art, culture, and education. This is a deeper story than a lot of people are used to, but I assure you that you will be taken on an adventure nonetheless. I loved the main character, Maile. I found myself connecting with her in so many ways. In the beginning of the book, she is first exposed to the work of Verdi, and while the rest of her class takes it at face value, in a way it speaks to her, and this sets the stage for the rest of her life.

I took a break from music for about 3 years while I tried to figure out what to do with my life, but it always found its way to me even when I wasn't looking. I can now say, "nothing moves me more than music," and that's how I know that my soul is missing a huge part of itself without it. I've never been faced with life-threatening decisions like Maile was, but I can understand her love of music through it all.

Even if you aren't a music person, you can still enjoy Aloha, Mozart. If you are into literary/historical fiction, you will enjoy this. For the most part, it was written beautifully. However, the only thing I would complain about is that some parts didn't seem entirely organized very well. It just caused me to reread through some parts to make sure I understood what was happening. Other than that, I loved this book and will definitely read it again.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maile Manoa is a sixth grader in Kauai when she first hears opera music. The sounds that emanate from the scratchy vinyl record are initially foreign and unsettling, yet they deeply resonate in her soul.

Maile, who has been singing since early childhood, dreams of a life in music. As she matures, the girl with the beautiful voice takes the first step toward achieving her goal by convincing her impoverished family to invest in her education and support her decision to leave her island home. Thus begins a relentless quest that transports Maile halfway around the world.

Traveling alone, first to New York City and then to Salzburg, Maile embarks upon the training required to become a world-class soprano. Along the way, she discovers that talent alone is not enough to establish herself on the world stage. In the musical community of 1960s Salzburg, where the ghosts of Mozart and Hitler uneasily coexist, gossip and dangerous liaisons have the power to make or break careers. Maile faces formidable challenges, as issues of racism, classism, politics, and betrayal stand in the way of her success. Is Maile willing to compromise her principles and relinquish her soul in exchange for the fame and fortune she seeks? Will music ultimately be her salvation or her downfall?

I found this debut novel totally captivating and was rooting for Maile from the start. Aloha, Mozart presents a fascinating look at the life of an artist and the price of fame. Through well-developed characters, Williams captures the driving ambition, the struggle for perfection, and the discipline and sacrifices associated with a career in the arts. I highly recommend this book to individual readers and book clubs alike.

More at: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2013...

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful. Williams transports you to the beautiful worlds and makes you feel like you are going through Malie's journey right along side her. I love that Williams first hand knowledge of these worlds, Hawaii, Austria/Germany, and opera, really pours through her wonderful words.

The whole story reminded me of The Red Shoes, but with opera instead of ballet, a bit which was great because that is one of my top favorite movies and to translate it into the world of opera was even more great.

It's a brilliant book and I can't wait to read more from Williams. Plus even though it was set in Hawaii for only a bit, I would love to see more historical Hawaiian fiction. I've never really experienced that genre fully yet and it seems very intriguing and up my alley.

[Margaret Tidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aloha Mozart by Waimea Williams was different from any book that I have ever read before. This book starts off in Hawaii following Maile and her quest to sing. In the beginning I felt lost because I don’t understand the cultural aspects of the book but I kept reading because this book takes place during WWII and I love that time period. I was glad that I kept reading and pushed through it because I did love the ending of the book. If you love books that take place during WWII you will love this book. It is slow starting but if you push through you will end up loving this book!

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

(**This book was an advanced read. I won this book from the author. Love having signed copies of things/**)

This is a story about Maile Manoa, a young girl living in Hawaii who dreams of becoming an opera singer. Set in the late 1960's, this book opened my mind to 2 worlds that I had never contemplated; Hawaiian life, life in Europe in the 60's. Maile grew up in a large family with aunts and uncles and siblings around. Her mother died of cancer when she was young and so she was sent to live with her grandmother, but returned to the family home for school. It was in school that one day a teacher played a recording of Wagner that Maile, a known singer of Hawaiian traditional songs, decided that she wanted to learn to sing opera.

After taking a chance and going to New York to study, she learns from her teacher that to really succeed that she will need to go to Europe where Opera was born. So Maile scrapes together her remaining monies, writes a letter to her father telling him that she is moving to Salzburg, Austria to study. This is post-war Austria, but there is a different cultural climate from what she is used to in New York, or Hawaii and she later must face a choice between her musical dream or being true to herself.

Woven together well, the story does take a slow start until Maile is in Austria. This is the cusp of the narrative and well done.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel badly about not liking this book - it's about a subject I find interesting (opera) and set in a place I know fairly well (Austria). The parts about singing, the competition, the strenuous requirements of an opera singer beyond the mere production of beautiful notes, and some of the descriptions of Austrian mores were well written and held me. BUT...the book was strangely random. The first chapters about living in Hawaii failed to hold my interest and in reality, figured little into the story once the main character left home. There is a "mystery" in a man who dresses like the Rosenkavalier that never came to life. And a "love" interest that seemed false. And the whole story seemed to meander, which is a shame. With better editing, it might have succeeded. I gave up reading about 2/3rds of the way through.

[Maui Island · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we meet Maile Mano she is an 11 year old growing up in impoverished Kauai with her Tūtū (grandmother). We then see her living near Honolulu. still impoverished, with her father and very large ‘ohana (family). She sings for tourists to help keep the family fed. At the end of the story we leave her in Salzburg, in 1968, an opera singer, a young woman facing with the culture clash of her background and the narrow minded ultra conservative life of Mittel Europa. She also just faced a crisis of conscience, the need of compromise with true evil. As someone who was studying in Germany at the same time Maile was studying in Salzburg, I was fascinated by the novel's treatment of a society that lived through and participated in the war.

[Gerald Kinro]

I liked it very much and recommend it to anyone interested in the opera and other artforms or to one interested in reading about one from a minority culture assimilating into another more dominant one.

I will not say more or give this a rating since my wife and I enjoy a personal friendship with the author.

[Debdanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite being partially set in Hawaii (which I love), this book wasn't really my cup of tea. The opera part was interesting as was the Hawaiian background and compulsion to make music. But my interest strayed when Maile wound up in Post-WWII Austria. I enjoyed the inter-personal stuff but the politics aren't my thing.

[Nguinther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and lush with descriptions of places. Some scenes not explained well and had to reread a couple of times. Interesting look at opera and what it takes to become a star. Salzberg and Vienna described well in the 60's.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book captured the transformative nature of music and had beautifully written descriptions of music and nature. My only frustration was the non-ending ending. I like (don't love) opera but I think this book will change the way I experience it in the future.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review: http://www.theyoungfolks.com/review/b...