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The Score
A grand piano crashes off a crane that’s lifting it into a block of council flats. Stefan, piano restorer and illegal immigrant, has the impossible task of trying to rebuild it. His future depends on it. And – for better or worse – a misfit bunch of tenants decides to help him.
This novel is about immigrants, it’s about a ramshackle community thrown together, it’s about the kindness and violence that co-exist in council flats, it’s about music, and it’s about a piano, the real heart of it all.
Adrienne Jansen’s last novel was described as ‘a page-turner with real class, falling squarely between the arthouse and the blockbuster’ (Evening Post).
The Score, her third novel, occupies this same territory, where the love of a good story combines with a love of language. Wellington writer Renée describes The Score as ‘Magic – a broken instrument, a group of broken people – just the mix Adrienne Jansen delights in and writes about so well.’
This novel is about immigrants, it’s about a ramshackle community thrown together, it’s about the kindness and violence that co-exist in council flats, it’s about music, and it’s about a piano, the real heart of it all.
Adrienne Jansen’s last novel was described as ‘a page-turner with real class, falling squarely between the arthouse and the blockbuster’ (Evening Post).
The Score, her third novel, occupies this same territory, where the love of a good story combines with a love of language. Wellington writer Renée describes The Score as ‘Magic – a broken instrument, a group of broken people – just the mix Adrienne Jansen delights in and writes about so well.’
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Adrienne Jansen
30 books10 followersJansen, Adrienne (1947 - ) writes fiction and non-fiction for both adults and children, and poetry. For many years she taught ESOL and was involved in refugee resettlement and immigration issues, and this long interest in cross-cultural experience is reflected in her writing.
Her first books were small practical publications designed to meet particular needs. Having a Baby in New Zealand (1985) was published in Samoan, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Khmer as well as English. She co-authored a second book with a practical focus, Neighbourhood Groups (1986).
Borany's Story (1991) is an account of the life of Borany Kanal, a Cambodian immigrant and co-author of the book. It was originally a series for radio broadcast by Radio New Zealand in 1989. It is a simply-written and moving first person account of a woman’s escape from the Khmer Rouge, and eventual resettling in New Zealand. The book was shortlisted for the New Zealand Library Association Non Fiction Award, and is widely used in schools.
Ten immigrant women tell their stories to Adrienne Jansen in I have in my arms both ways (1990). The title comes from one of the women, immigrant Valeti Finau: 'I have in my arms both ways. I can see my Tokelau way, it's good. I can see the palagi way, it's good. I don’t want to put one down and lift the other up... I can carry them both.' The book is one of the few accounts of immigrant women's experiences in New Zealand.
Her first novel, Spirit Writing was published in 1999. It is the story of a young woman who is drawn into what is for her a foreign world of Lao refugees and political activism, and discovers the costs of misunderstandings and misplaced idealism. '[C]aptivating, powerful and beautifully written,' writes Michael Larsen in The Evening Post, while Beryl Fletcher writes ‘it’s great to read a New Zealand novel that explores the fraught relationships that can occur between refugees and locals’ (Waikato Times).
Jansen’s second novel, Floating the Fish on Bamboo (2001), described by Sue McRae in the Evening Post as ‘a page-turner with real class, falling squarely between the arthouse and the blockbuster’, is also a story set in a multicultural community.
Both Spirit Writing and Floating the Fish on Bamboo (2001) were adapted for broadcast on Radio New Zealand. Jansen has also had short stories broadcast on Radio New Zealand, including ‘War’, highly commended in the Commonwealth Short Story competition in 2002.
Adrienne Jansen was one of four poets in the collection How Things Are (1996), where her work appeared with that of Meg Campbell, Harry Ricketts, and J.C. Sturm. Her first solo collection of poetry is a stone seat and a shadow tree (2001). She has had poems in a number of publications and in several anthologies.
In 2009, Jansen teamed up with photographer Ans Westra in The Crescent Moon: The Asian Face of Islam in New Zealand, a publication for the Asia New Zealand Foundation, intended to present a more accurate ‘snapshot’ of this largest group of Muslims in New Zealand, and to correct some stereotypes and media misrepresentation. The Crescent Moon is also a photographic exhibition touring New Zealand.
In 1993 Adrienne Jansen founded the Whitireia Polytechnic Creative Writing Programme, and was its coordinator until 1999. She now teaches fiction and editing on the programme, and has written several of its online courses. She is part of the writing team at Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum, and does some freelance work. She lives in Titahi Bay, Porirua.
Her first books were small practical publications designed to meet particular needs. Having a Baby in New Zealand (1985) was published in Samoan, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Khmer as well as English. She co-authored a second book with a practical focus, Neighbourhood Groups (1986).
Borany's Story (1991) is an account of the life of Borany Kanal, a Cambodian immigrant and co-author of the book. It was originally a series for radio broadcast by Radio New Zealand in 1989. It is a simply-written and moving first person account of a woman’s escape from the Khmer Rouge, and eventual resettling in New Zealand. The book was shortlisted for the New Zealand Library Association Non Fiction Award, and is widely used in schools.
Ten immigrant women tell their stories to Adrienne Jansen in I have in my arms both ways (1990). The title comes from one of the women, immigrant Valeti Finau: 'I have in my arms both ways. I can see my Tokelau way, it's good. I can see the palagi way, it's good. I don’t want to put one down and lift the other up... I can carry them both.' The book is one of the few accounts of immigrant women's experiences in New Zealand.
Her first novel, Spirit Writing was published in 1999. It is the story of a young woman who is drawn into what is for her a foreign world of Lao refugees and political activism, and discovers the costs of misunderstandings and misplaced idealism. '[C]aptivating, powerful and beautifully written,' writes Michael Larsen in The Evening Post, while Beryl Fletcher writes ‘it’s great to read a New Zealand novel that explores the fraught relationships that can occur between refugees and locals’ (Waikato Times).
Jansen’s second novel, Floating the Fish on Bamboo (2001), described by Sue McRae in the Evening Post as ‘a page-turner with real class, falling squarely between the arthouse and the blockbuster’, is also a story set in a multicultural community.
Both Spirit Writing and Floating the Fish on Bamboo (2001) were adapted for broadcast on Radio New Zealand. Jansen has also had short stories broadcast on Radio New Zealand, including ‘War’, highly commended in the Commonwealth Short Story competition in 2002.
Adrienne Jansen was one of four poets in the collection How Things Are (1996), where her work appeared with that of Meg Campbell, Harry Ricketts, and J.C. Sturm. Her first solo collection of poetry is a stone seat and a shadow tree (2001). She has had poems in a number of publications and in several anthologies.
In 2009, Jansen teamed up with photographer Ans Westra in The Crescent Moon: The Asian Face of Islam in New Zealand, a publication for the Asia New Zealand Foundation, intended to present a more accurate ‘snapshot’ of this largest group of Muslims in New Zealand, and to correct some stereotypes and media misrepresentation. The Crescent Moon is also a photographic exhibition touring New Zealand.
In 1993 Adrienne Jansen founded the Whitireia Polytechnic Creative Writing Programme, and was its coordinator until 1999. She now teaches fiction and editing on the programme, and has written several of its online courses. She is part of the writing team at Te Papa, New Zealand’s National Museum, and does some freelance work. She lives in Titahi Bay, Porirua.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 25, 2013
The Score, is the first offering from Whitireia’s new publishing venture Escalator Press and, if it is anything to go by, this is a publisher worth watching out for!
It tells the story of a disparate group of immigrants and misfits who share life in a high rise council block as they come together to help salvage a grand piano that’s been accidentally dropped from a crane on its way to be repaired.
This is a beautiful and compelling study of a group of people not often represented in NZ literature — the kinds of people who don’t get any breaks in life; who battle with the consequences of finding themselves at the bottom of the social barrel. What really touches the reader is the warmth and compassion they discover for each other, and the slow dawning of hope as their unlikely alliance offers each person back their sense of self.
I think this is Adrienne Jansen’s strongest novel to date (which is saying a lot!) The writing is spare and strong, the characters all unique yet recognisable, and the heart of the book is a thing of beauty: a reflection on our shared humanity and a reminder of the power of kindness.
It tells the story of a disparate group of immigrants and misfits who share life in a high rise council block as they come together to help salvage a grand piano that’s been accidentally dropped from a crane on its way to be repaired.
This is a beautiful and compelling study of a group of people not often represented in NZ literature — the kinds of people who don’t get any breaks in life; who battle with the consequences of finding themselves at the bottom of the social barrel. What really touches the reader is the warmth and compassion they discover for each other, and the slow dawning of hope as their unlikely alliance offers each person back their sense of self.
I think this is Adrienne Jansen’s strongest novel to date (which is saying a lot!) The writing is spare and strong, the characters all unique yet recognisable, and the heart of the book is a thing of beauty: a reflection on our shared humanity and a reminder of the power of kindness.
March 5, 2014
Many New Zealand novels are gloomy and depressing, and I've stopped reading them for the most part. The Score, however, though it could easily have fallen into the same pattern, manages to avoid this - perhaps at the risk of reality - but it makes a pleasant change.
The story concerns a bunch of very disparate people living in an apartment block in an unnamed city, probably Auckland, maybe Wellington. Most of of them are refugees of one sort or another, some have problems with visas, and some are already getting into strife with the law.
The story opens with the shifting of a grand piano into one of the flats, but things go wrong, and the piano is badly damaged. The person charged with fixing it up is a loner, but is forced to allow others in the building to help in their various ways, and in so doing finds ways to help them.
Some of the characters remained a bit distant, for me, but Jensen whips the story along at a great pace, and brings it to a more than satisfactory ending.
The story concerns a bunch of very disparate people living in an apartment block in an unnamed city, probably Auckland, maybe Wellington. Most of of them are refugees of one sort or another, some have problems with visas, and some are already getting into strife with the law.
The story opens with the shifting of a grand piano into one of the flats, but things go wrong, and the piano is badly damaged. The person charged with fixing it up is a loner, but is forced to allow others in the building to help in their various ways, and in so doing finds ways to help them.
Some of the characters remained a bit distant, for me, but Jensen whips the story along at a great pace, and brings it to a more than satisfactory ending.
January 3, 2014
The Score is one of the best novels I read in 2013. Adrienne Jansen has a way of getting under the skin of her characters with the lightest brush strokes. I was immediately drawn into their world, gripped by the multiple dilemmas the characters face. Jansen dives straight into the action as Stefan witnesses his grand-piano (and his future hopes) crash to the ground. The novel is set in Wellington, New Zealand and is peopled by immigrants and outsiders who form unlikely alliances in a block of council flats. Apart from the interest factor of an unusual and gripping plot centred around the race to rebuild the shattered piano, the book gives an interesting perspective on New Zealand's increasingly diverse population and the struggles newcomers face. Jansen has uncommon insight into the subtle and not so subtle states of alienation of the characters while miraculously conveying a sense of hope and community even at the moments when all appears lost. Jansen deserves a wide readership for this carefully crafted, moving and at times very beautiful work. In my mind she stands in the tradition of the great Canadian women authors - Shields, Atwood - whose gift is to turn our perspective on its head.
August 20, 2014
Brilliant. Such a quick read though, I wanted to read more!
August 4, 2018
A damaged piano, a man trying to fix it and a community of people willing to help. This book is seriously sweet and I really enjoyed it
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews