What do you think?
Rate this book
Clinkerstone
1982. Sean Gallagher, a talented musician leaves the west coast of Ireland to work for his Uncle’s construction firm in Chicago. All goes well until he is forced to flee for his safety after a run-in with a local protection racket.
Reduced to busking on the streets, his life continues to spiral downwards when his violin is stolen, followed by an epileptic attack that lands him in hospital.
While recovering, Sean has a potent encounter with the terminally ill Charles Peccatte, a wayward if remarkably insightful pianist and composer, who is in the desperate throes of trying to finish the last movement of his piano sonata. The death of Charles launches Sean on a quest to discover the whereabouts of the first two movements of the sonata.
A journey that takes him down the Mississippi and eventually to Marion Landray, Charles’s estranged, reclusive wife. A life-changing encounter for both, that will unearth far more than the music.
Reduced to busking on the streets, his life continues to spiral downwards when his violin is stolen, followed by an epileptic attack that lands him in hospital.
While recovering, Sean has a potent encounter with the terminally ill Charles Peccatte, a wayward if remarkably insightful pianist and composer, who is in the desperate throes of trying to finish the last movement of his piano sonata. The death of Charles launches Sean on a quest to discover the whereabouts of the first two movements of the sonata.
A journey that takes him down the Mississippi and eventually to Marion Landray, Charles’s estranged, reclusive wife. A life-changing encounter for both, that will unearth far more than the music.
199 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 30, 2024
2 people are currently reading
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 13, 2025
Their paths converge when an epileptic seizure lands a violinist in the hospital beside a dying pianist. The violinist's search for his new friend's composition manuscript becomes a search into both their pasts, with an eye toward a better future. Parents and siblings lost in war, missing instruments, love gone awry, and checkered careers make this a non-stop adventure, with gardening and recuperation respites. Follow fate along the Mississippi, from Chicago to the deep South and immerse yourself in the pursuit of artistry as life lived large.
February 3, 2019
I received this book as a gift from a musician friend. The writing is good, and superb in places, but the author's skill in maintaining the reader's interest is what struck me as outstanding. There was always more that I wanted to know, urging me to continue reading long past my bedtime. There were plenty of unexpected twists as well, and some skillful interweaving of story lines. Well worth reading for the sheer enjoyment of a good story!
January 26, 2025
Excellent book. Great story line. Full of fresh ideas.
February 9, 2025
Music, gardening, and life
This is a good story, and I wished it was longer. It would appeal particularly to anyone with an interesting in violins piano music and or gardens.
This is a good story, and I wished it was longer. It would appeal particularly to anyone with an interesting in violins piano music and or gardens.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews