What do you think?
Rate this book
Horowitz Chronicles #1
De jongen, de viool en de meester
Daniel Horowitz is een 14-jarige Joodse jongen met een ongekend talent om viool te spelen. Als hij een prestigieuze muziekwedstrijd wint, trekt hij de aandacht van de Spaanse dirigent en jurylid Rafael Santemaria Gomez. Die nodigt hem uit voor zijn jaarlijkse symposium in Washington DC. Tijdens dit symposium duikt een zeldzame, waardevolle Guarneri-viool op. Is dit de viool van de grootvader van Daniel die is verdwenen tijdens de Tweede Wereldoorlog? En hoe is hij in handen gekomen van de schatrijke Rus Sergei Valentino?
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 2, 2011
654 people are currently reading
6306 people want to read
About the author
Julie Thomas
7 books85 followersJulie started writing at the age of eight, stories about pre-revolutionary Russian princesses who rode troikas through the snow. She has worked in the media for over 25 years, radio, TV and film. She has written three novels and seven feature film scripts. In 2011 she sold her house in Auckland and moved two hours south to Cambridge, a glorious English style village, not unlike St Mary Mede. She shares her house with a highly intelligent and manipulative, but affectionate cat, Chloe, and is passionate about music, cooking and sport. She writes from the heart about subjects that she feels passionate about and her motto is "To dream of the person you could be is to waste the person you are." And also, "It was a brave man who ate the first oyster."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 447 reviews
June 9, 2017
The premise was interesting but the writing was not that great and kept getting bored while reading and had to force myself to finish. Also plotline was obvious a quarter of the way in I think so that didn't help, you'd want to build suspense for a story like this one
March 1, 2017
Great story about a missing Guarneri violin. The tale is told through several decades and the people who loved and knew its worth. I liked how the stories intermingled and came together at the end. 3.5 stars!
February 6, 2019
For a debut novel I found this story very impressive. It moves between the past and present day in telling the story of an incredible violin and the different people who owned it.
The story begins in Berlin in February of 1935 when life was getting very difficult for anyone of Jewish ethnicity. Simon Horowitz is following in the family tradition of playing the violin - a tradition passed on from father to son and so on. His family own a bank and believe that nothing bad will happen to them. They own many storied instruments including ones from the 17th and 18th century. The most impressive is a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu which their family had owned for over 150 years and Simon knows that he is destined to play it as part of his career.
Jump to 2008. Simon's grandson Daniel Horowitz has also been taught to play the violin and is exceptionally talented. He is fourteen though and baseball is just as important to him as music so when his parents ask him to stop playing baseball in case he will hurt his fingers,he rebels and refuses to play the violin at all. A Spanish conductor works hard to try and come up with a solution to the problem and get Daniel playing again. He determines to track down the 1742 Guarneri which was stolen from the Horowitz family by the Nazi's.
Back to 1935 and the reader learns the horrific story of what happened to Simon and his family. We learn of the violin's theft and the subsequent internment at Dachau of three members of the family. How Simon manages to survive is an incredible story that I won't spoil by going into details.
The next part begins in 1945 when the violin through interesting circumstances ends up in the hands of a Russian who loves music and gifts it to his daughter, an extremely talented violinist. It is not an easy time in Russia, and even within a family, one must be careful not to say too much in case a family member will turn you in to the authorities.
Finally the story returns to 2008 and we learn how the violin returns to inspire Daniel Horowitz and his family.
While this story is a novel, the circumstances of the theft of instrument were true to what actually happened in Germany and surrounding countries during the war. Instruments and works of art were stolen and very few were returned to their original owners afterwards because most of them were dead or could not be located. The author poses the question of what one would do if faced with the knowledge that the original owner was indeed still alive and deserving of the return of his/her property.
I was drawn into the story very quickly. The author clearly loves music and describes the violin and different musical pieces in great detail. Some reviewers don't care for that but I found it fascinating. The part of the story told in the past was the most interesting to me, but one part led smoothly into the next and I felt I grew to understand the different characters and their motivations. The book was written over a seven year period while the author was also working full-time. Clearly she still managed to fit in some time to research and it has paid off in an excellent book. The story could be read by young adults but is equally fascinating for adults and especially to those who love music and history.
The story begins in Berlin in February of 1935 when life was getting very difficult for anyone of Jewish ethnicity. Simon Horowitz is following in the family tradition of playing the violin - a tradition passed on from father to son and so on. His family own a bank and believe that nothing bad will happen to them. They own many storied instruments including ones from the 17th and 18th century. The most impressive is a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu which their family had owned for over 150 years and Simon knows that he is destined to play it as part of his career.
Jump to 2008. Simon's grandson Daniel Horowitz has also been taught to play the violin and is exceptionally talented. He is fourteen though and baseball is just as important to him as music so when his parents ask him to stop playing baseball in case he will hurt his fingers,he rebels and refuses to play the violin at all. A Spanish conductor works hard to try and come up with a solution to the problem and get Daniel playing again. He determines to track down the 1742 Guarneri which was stolen from the Horowitz family by the Nazi's.
Back to 1935 and the reader learns the horrific story of what happened to Simon and his family. We learn of the violin's theft and the subsequent internment at Dachau of three members of the family. How Simon manages to survive is an incredible story that I won't spoil by going into details.
The next part begins in 1945 when the violin through interesting circumstances ends up in the hands of a Russian who loves music and gifts it to his daughter, an extremely talented violinist. It is not an easy time in Russia, and even within a family, one must be careful not to say too much in case a family member will turn you in to the authorities.
Finally the story returns to 2008 and we learn how the violin returns to inspire Daniel Horowitz and his family.
While this story is a novel, the circumstances of the theft of instrument were true to what actually happened in Germany and surrounding countries during the war. Instruments and works of art were stolen and very few were returned to their original owners afterwards because most of them were dead or could not be located. The author poses the question of what one would do if faced with the knowledge that the original owner was indeed still alive and deserving of the return of his/her property.
I was drawn into the story very quickly. The author clearly loves music and describes the violin and different musical pieces in great detail. Some reviewers don't care for that but I found it fascinating. The part of the story told in the past was the most interesting to me, but one part led smoothly into the next and I felt I grew to understand the different characters and their motivations. The book was written over a seven year period while the author was also working full-time. Clearly she still managed to fit in some time to research and it has paid off in an excellent book. The story could be read by young adults but is equally fascinating for adults and especially to those who love music and history.
July 20, 2012
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars.
"The Secret Keeper" is the story of two families (one German Jewish and the other Russian) who are bound together by a single, priceless instrument: a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu violin.
The Horowitz family loses everything in the Holocaust, including the precious instrument ... which, through a variety of circumstances becomes the property of the Valentino family. We see the story of both families, across several generations, beginning before the onset of WWII and ending in 2008. Throughout the story, we see the travels of the precious Guarnerius.
Julie Thomas clearly knows both her classical music and her violins. I have been privileged to hear a 1742 Guarnerius played in concert and there truly is nothing like it (she goes on in detail about what makes this particular make and model violin so unique). She also knows how to tell a story; the plot was gripping. I came to think of every character as a real person, and felt tremendous sympathy for young Daniel Horowitz, a gifted violinist who would rather be playing baseball with his friends when all is said and done.
Unfortunately, the book suffered from editorial issues. There were numerous instances when quotation marks and italics should have been used to differentiate musical pieces from the surrounding text ... and others where it was done correctly. There were also several run-on sentences that could have used a semi-colon.
Unfortunately, this book has been removed from Smashwords. I also like to review books at the site where they were purchased, but that is not possible in this case.
Overall, it's an entertaining read that classical music buffs, violinists, and historical fiction lovers are sure to enjoy ... with the caveats listed above.
"The Secret Keeper" is the story of two families (one German Jewish and the other Russian) who are bound together by a single, priceless instrument: a 1742 Guarneri del Gesu violin.
The Horowitz family loses everything in the Holocaust, including the precious instrument ... which, through a variety of circumstances becomes the property of the Valentino family. We see the story of both families, across several generations, beginning before the onset of WWII and ending in 2008. Throughout the story, we see the travels of the precious Guarnerius.
Julie Thomas clearly knows both her classical music and her violins. I have been privileged to hear a 1742 Guarnerius played in concert and there truly is nothing like it (she goes on in detail about what makes this particular make and model violin so unique). She also knows how to tell a story; the plot was gripping. I came to think of every character as a real person, and felt tremendous sympathy for young Daniel Horowitz, a gifted violinist who would rather be playing baseball with his friends when all is said and done.
Unfortunately, the book suffered from editorial issues. There were numerous instances when quotation marks and italics should have been used to differentiate musical pieces from the surrounding text ... and others where it was done correctly. There were also several run-on sentences that could have used a semi-colon.
Unfortunately, this book has been removed from Smashwords. I also like to review books at the site where they were purchased, but that is not possible in this case.
Overall, it's an entertaining read that classical music buffs, violinists, and historical fiction lovers are sure to enjoy ... with the caveats listed above.
October 18, 2013
A violin, a family, a war, a young musician
"I would like to dedicate this piece to poppa (grandfather) and to all my family I never knew". Daniel Horowitz, a 14 year old violinist, says this prior to performing at one concert. His family is Jewish, from Berlin and many of them perished in the camps during World War II. They also had all their worldly goods stolen from them including a priceless 1742 Guarneri del Gesu. This is the story of that instrument and the people who played it and cared for it in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
"Keeper of Secrets" is a sweet, affecting story about music but the most interesting parts were the sections about the Horowitz family and what happened to them prior, during and after World War II as well as the history of violin making in general. There is nothing in depth about either history but enough to make the character's feelings comprehensible and account for the passion involved in making and playing music.
"I would like to dedicate this piece to poppa (grandfather) and to all my family I never knew". Daniel Horowitz, a 14 year old violinist, says this prior to performing at one concert. His family is Jewish, from Berlin and many of them perished in the camps during World War II. They also had all their worldly goods stolen from them including a priceless 1742 Guarneri del Gesu. This is the story of that instrument and the people who played it and cared for it in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
"Keeper of Secrets" is a sweet, affecting story about music but the most interesting parts were the sections about the Horowitz family and what happened to them prior, during and after World War II as well as the history of violin making in general. There is nothing in depth about either history but enough to make the character's feelings comprehensible and account for the passion involved in making and playing music.
April 24, 2013
A heart-wrenchingly good book that I didn't want to put it down. The life of the violin is a wonderful tribute to things lost and found. I would recommend this book to all of my friends as the story sucks you in and leads you through a wonderful journey of life and love.
July 30, 2013
It's said that good things come in small packages. How true has that proven to be in this case.
I'm a student of violin. Violin is where I escape to, a place far away from my worries. So this book was a treat for me.
For this books protagonist is not a person, but a thing. If you can call a violin a thing, that is. The book revolves around a German family's attachment to their heritage.
To read the rest, go here/a>
I'm a student of violin. Violin is where I escape to, a place far away from my worries. So this book was a treat for me.
For this books protagonist is not a person, but a thing. If you can call a violin a thing, that is. The book revolves around a German family's attachment to their heritage.
To read the rest, go here/a>
April 19, 2012
Very Pleased that I chose this book for a book club read. It caught my interest from the start. I enjoyed the parts of the book that describe family relationships and how the war affected those relationships. For me, it got a little complicated with the switching of the 1930's and present time and keeping all characters straight. I definately would read another book by this author.
October 26, 2016
A fourteen year old Jewish violin virtuoso in Nazi Germany is linked to his counterpart in contemporary America by a priceless violin, superlative talent and family line. In my opinion, this was an unremarkable novel comprised of rather average character development, mediocre writing and a predictable, sweet plot dependent on implausible coincidences and extraordinary circumstances.
April 4, 2017
The story of a priceless violin, whose value is not only in monetary terms, nor in the beauty of its tone, but in what it means to two different families. Though the instrument was made in the 1700s, we are introduced to its history through a Jewish family in the US. Daniel, a young virtuoso violinist is battling with his parents, torn between his love for playing the violin and baseball. A wise conductor, Raphael becomes aware of the true history of the violin. Presently it is in the hands of a world-wise Russian who reveres it because of his aunt. The story of Daniel's forbearers and their near extermination by the Nazis. This book is packed with familial love and the love of music. It's only the first of a trilogy, and I want to read the other two, if possible. But I'm glad I read this book by Julie Thomas, a New Zealand author. I highly recommend it.
April 17, 2013
This book is incredibly good. I won it on Goodreads giveaways and I'm so glad I did or I might not have discovered this author. I love Julie Thomas. I don't want to say anything about this story because I want you to discover all its magic on your own. I couldn't put it down.
May 30, 2013
Upon finishing this book I wasn't sure know how else to describe it except that it's almost beautiful. In a way, it's kind of like a painting, in that even though I've seen (or in this case read) it once, I can't help but look back on it and smile.
The book includes three main story lines. The first is Daniel Horowitz, a fourteen-year-old violin prodigy, who isn't quite ready to devote his life to music. The second part, tells the tale of Daniel's grandfather Simon Horowitz, and the horrors he lived through in Nazi Germany. The third is that of Sergei Valentino, a boy raised by his aunt and grandparents in Stalin's Soviet State. In the last concluding section, all three tales come to one together for the grand finale.
If there's any complaint with this, it's that I wanted more. Part of that is because I read the entire thing in a day or two since I couldn't put it down. Maybe if I savored it a little more, I would have felt more fulfilled by it. Instead looking back I wanted more details. I think because each of the subplots could have stood on their own, the fact that they're only a third of a book means in a way we missed out.
As for the musical subplot, I'm not really a classical music person, but still really appreciated the musical details within. And I loved all the historical chapters, but still really enjoyed those set in modern day. With everything together, I really loved this book and can't wait till I can read it again.
Disclosure: I was provided this book through TLC Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.
The book includes three main story lines. The first is Daniel Horowitz, a fourteen-year-old violin prodigy, who isn't quite ready to devote his life to music. The second part, tells the tale of Daniel's grandfather Simon Horowitz, and the horrors he lived through in Nazi Germany. The third is that of Sergei Valentino, a boy raised by his aunt and grandparents in Stalin's Soviet State. In the last concluding section, all three tales come to one together for the grand finale.
If there's any complaint with this, it's that I wanted more. Part of that is because I read the entire thing in a day or two since I couldn't put it down. Maybe if I savored it a little more, I would have felt more fulfilled by it. Instead looking back I wanted more details. I think because each of the subplots could have stood on their own, the fact that they're only a third of a book means in a way we missed out.
As for the musical subplot, I'm not really a classical music person, but still really appreciated the musical details within. And I loved all the historical chapters, but still really enjoyed those set in modern day. With everything together, I really loved this book and can't wait till I can read it again.
Disclosure: I was provided this book through TLC Book Tours. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 27, 2013
This is one of the books I love most in the world. Saying thank you to "The Keeper of Secrets" author, Julie Thomas, will never come close to expressing how much I see and feel in her writing, and and how much I treasure the story she brought to life for all of us.
April 15, 2012
WOW!!! The Secret Keeper is a must read. The Secret Keeper is about music, WWII, the loss suffered by the Jews at the hands of the Nazi and human nature. The story goes fact and forth in time between the present day and WWII Germany with the same Jewish family. It is easy to follow and you are able to see the cause and effect of the events. The Secret Keeper is about the power of music - especially on the violin. The characters are so real you feel their pain. Julie Thomas has the ability to write so that you feel the music as it is being played. It moves your soul. I found myself thinking of the book while not reading it. The feel of the sound of the violin remained with me. She shows the power of music as it takes over the person who plays it. It is the way I wished I could play the piano. I am technical but could never play with the soul like my daughter could. Music sustains us through the most difficult and joyful times of our lives. This is so apparent the the Secret Keeper. The best praise I can give a books is that I don't want it to end. The Secret Keeper by Julie Thomas is a book that consumes you while and after reading it. The Secret Keeper is a book that I didn't want to end. Highly recommended.
October 1, 2016
Read because it was a mystery about a precious violin, lost in WWII, but reappearing 60 years later. I like music, particularly non-fiction about ancient instruments, and one of the "Troy" novels had a similar subplot.
What I didn't know is that Julie Thomas writes like Jeffery Archer. No character development. Russians always have fabulously tailored suits, women like strings of pearls, and underground, temperature-controlled safes. Jews are at best pitiable, requiring third-party deus ex machina to achieve any sort of justice, whereupon they lose all control of their emotions (as compared to the emotionally constipated Britons and Russians).
In short, the book is inhabited by cardboard characters; follow the violin, and there's an education. But better to learn it in books such as "Stradivarius", by Faber or "The Cello Suites" by Sibin.
What I didn't know is that Julie Thomas writes like Jeffery Archer. No character development. Russians always have fabulously tailored suits, women like strings of pearls, and underground, temperature-controlled safes. Jews are at best pitiable, requiring third-party deus ex machina to achieve any sort of justice, whereupon they lose all control of their emotions (as compared to the emotionally constipated Britons and Russians).
In short, the book is inhabited by cardboard characters; follow the violin, and there's an education. But better to learn it in books such as "Stradivarius", by Faber or "The Cello Suites" by Sibin.
May 13, 2025
I really liked this book though it was incredibly sad at times. Just when you think you've read enough stories about the Holocaust, along comes another that puts a new slant on it and tugs at your heartstrings. I did have trouble at times keeping track of the characters and know nothing about violins and the details of their physical characteristics, but I still really enjoyed the story. I am very disappointed in how difficult it is to get the following two books about the Horowitz family though, especially Levi's War. I'm still searching for a way to read it!
Update: I've since acquired the last two books, so I read this one again and plan to continue on with the story!
Update: I've since acquired the last two books, so I read this one again and plan to continue on with the story!
March 27, 2013
A beautiful, heart-wrenching story about a violin, a boy, family provenance, as well as innate gifts. Reading this I actually felt the music. Enough history to take my breath away... I cared for the characters deeply, in the present as well as the past & that all makes this a very well-written historical fiction novel for me.
September 19, 2020
Wat een prachtig boek! De verschillende verhaallijnen komen prachtig bij elkaar aan het einde. Ik werd echt meegenomen in de verschillende geschiedenissen en verhalen, heel bijzonder voor iemand die vrijwel niets weet van vioolmuziek en -geschiedenis. Het was leerzaam en boeiend en vooral het laatste stuk heb ik in één ruk uitgelezen.
January 15, 2012
What I liked:
Development of characters.
Intense - it was a page turner.
WWII time period
What I didn't like:
Strong language: (numerous F words)
Development of characters.
Intense - it was a page turner.
WWII time period
What I didn't like:
Strong language: (numerous F words)
June 1, 2012
This one looked promising, but kept running into bad language and then looked ahead and ran into a dirty scene. Ugh. Not going to be finishing this one.
September 22, 2014
Wow, what beautiful writing...I loved this book. It made me very emotional. Thank you Elizabeth for the recommendation :)
February 21, 2021
I have always gravitated to books written about the period before, during and after WW II. This period in the history of our world is one that needs to be told time and again so we never forget the cost to the many who survived this period and those who lost their lives. In particular we need to keep alive what happened to those who suffered and died during the holocaust. The Jewish people in particular were subject to unspeakable horrors. The story of the violin and the Horowitz family reflects what happened to so many Jewish families throughout this period. The prejudice that was stoked against them gave rise to fear and hatred which resulted in so much suffering. Throughout the history of the world hatred and prejudice has been used against so many people and unfortunately continues to this day. This is why it is so important for stories both fiction and non-fiction cover some of the most horrific periods of our world so we never forget. History is important and telling a human story may result in someone who would not normally read a history book stop and read and reflect on what has happened in the past to prevent it from happening again.
June 14, 2018
I can’t rate this book higher than this because by the end, it was obvious that it began as a self-publishing success. The concept is right up my alley, but as the book progressed the lack of the kind of editorial guidance that comes from a professional publisher was more and more obvious.
Simplistic structure, character/plot development disappointments, weird little factual errors or cognitive dissonances...it just reinforced how even a good writer with a good idea isn’t producing the quality of work she otherwise would with the editorial support of a team. Maybe you can bust out a formulaic series of, say, cozy mysteries on your own but literary fiction like this aspires to be? Harder.
Harper Collins acquired this plus the sequels, so I’ll probably read the next one and see if there’s an improvement in the elements that bothered me here.
Simplistic structure, character/plot development disappointments, weird little factual errors or cognitive dissonances...it just reinforced how even a good writer with a good idea isn’t producing the quality of work she otherwise would with the editorial support of a team. Maybe you can bust out a formulaic series of, say, cozy mysteries on your own but literary fiction like this aspires to be? Harder.
Harper Collins acquired this plus the sequels, so I’ll probably read the next one and see if there’s an improvement in the elements that bothered me here.
May 8, 2020
More of a 3.5 overall- I loved the story line. I'm a sucker for some WWII historical fiction, but there's a lot out there! We're pretty much inundated with it lately, so I found the spin of tracing the story through the violin to be a refreshing change of pace. With all the atrocities that initially come to mind when you think of WWII, I feel like it's easy to forget, or not even be aware of that particular aspect- how many priceless pieces of art and culture were stolen, or even destroyed is heartbreaking.
At times, the writing itself seemed... I've been struggling for the right word... inelegent? inexperienced?? stilted??? ...I'm still not sure how to say exactly what about it struck me, but it mostly pertained to the actual diaologue, as opposed to anything internal.
All in all, the writing itself was probably more of a 3 star, but I loved the story itself.
At times, the writing itself seemed... I've been struggling for the right word... inelegent? inexperienced?? stilted??? ...I'm still not sure how to say exactly what about it struck me, but it mostly pertained to the actual diaologue, as opposed to anything internal.
All in all, the writing itself was probably more of a 3 star, but I loved the story itself.
October 20, 2017
Not a favorite. Too much talk of violins lost my interest. The only part of the book that captured my attention was Part 2 which was heart-wrenching. Otherwise I didn’t really connect with the characters outside of this section of the story. I found myself skimming through the remainder of the book to finish it.
March 20, 2024
I was given this book by my friend Danielle because of the author’s name. It was an interesting story about treasures stolen from Jewish families in World War II. It’s the imagined story of one such family and their precious violin.
April 29, 2024
Dit boek bestaat uit 4 delen. Het eerste deel ben ik door geworsteld, het tweede deel was prachtig en heb ik in één adem uitgelezen, daarna was er enkel nog hoop, op meer van dat, die niet meer werd ingelost. Voor mij helemaal geen aanrader.
September 27, 2018
This book wasn't really bad. But it was choppy and somewhat basic in the writing. I did enjoy all of the passion around the violin and its music.
September 30, 2021
Actual rating: 3.75/5 but rounded up to 4/5
March 8, 2021
A fun though predictable read. The characters are lovely and it’s thoroughly researched. It was a nice quick read after having worked my way through a few heavy books lately!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 447 reviews