The Traveling Piano Man of Fort Whettershire

by Victoria Murgante, Emily Kimbell (illustrator)

Talented, vagabond piano man, Tom Buckram has an unexpected encounter with a beautiful librarian that makes him consider giving up his rambling ways. But when the shadows of his dark past catch up to him, he stands to lose everything.

No one knows anything about Tom Buckram — the friendly piano man who wanders the countryside — except that he somehow carries a piano on his back, plays beautifully, and keeps a wolf as a companion. No one would guess the truth about why he's been wandering for the past twelve years. And Tom is happy to keep it that way, staying in each town only long enough to play a few songs and earn a few coins.

It’s not until an unexpected encounter with a beautiful librarian that Tom considers putting down roots. But will he be able to outrun the shadows of his past, or will those who remember his sins catch up to him and take their revenge?

In her enchanting debut novel, Victoria Murgante offers a story of beauty and substance about knowing and being known, exploring the value of true intimacy and the costly grace that makes it possible.

176 pages, Paperback

Published October 8, 2024

Reviews

[Annesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

"As it happened, she was right about Tom. He was not the sort to compile such things. Some people live in the crowded metropolises of blaring, whistling, bustling minds, rushing from city block to city block at a frantic pace, up and down stairways, in and out of cabs all day long. The towers in those minds climb so high, so many of them, so many floors up, that it is impossible, almost ever, to see the whole sky. People like that, poor things, catch only glimpses of it. Tom was another sort of creature entirely. Over many years, his mind had become as vast as the hill- sides he wandered: a place verdant with swaying grass and abundant skies, a laundry line billowing in the wind."

Like the songs that the piano man Tom played with care, Victoria Murgante's debut novel lifts the curious story of a travelling piano man off of pages and into vibrant life. Murgante has a way with words that transports you into the story. You become Tom's friend and cheerleader, you come to love a stray wolf (part dog), and you see character development happen in a slow yet well paced trickle that's a comfort to read. No word is unplanned or without purpose; a sign in one chapter will tell a story in another. Every adjective is well placed, every metaphor beautifully sketched. I can't wait to see what other stories and characters Murgante will create in her writing career. She is truly an artist of words with a unique talent for storytelling that the world needs. Bravo!

[Tanya L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victoria writes from her heart. I cherish our conversations over the years. She is an extremely kind and intelligent person. She wears many hats: writer, composer, singer, and educator. Her first story is a heartwarming and imaginative read about finding a meaningful path despite the brutal challenges and obstacles of life.