The Soloist

by Nicholas Christopher

At thirty-four, piano soloist Max Randal has hit a wall. It's been four years since his last live performance, and his manager is intent on revitalizing his career with a big concert at Carnegie Hall. As if that wouldn't be enough for Max to worry about, as he struggles to prepare, the ghosts of his failed relationships have come to haunt him — his first ex-wife is dying, his second ex-wife wants to get back together, the mother of his child has taken off for Europe and unexpectedly left him to care for their nine-year-old, and his present girlfriend now wants to get serious. Believe it or not, the plot only gets thicker.
Merging dozens of characters and events into a seamless narrative, gifted novelist and poet Nicholas Christopher delivers a compelling tale. Like an exhilarating performance, The Soloist takes you on a brilliant adventure that resonates even once it's over.

Genres: Fiction, Music

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Nicholas Christopher was born and raised in New York City. He was educated at Harvard College, where he studied with Robert Lowell and Anthony Hecht. Afterward, he traveled and lived in Europe. He became a regular contributor to the New Yorker in his early twenties, and began publishing his work in other leading magazines, both in the United States and abroad, including Esquire, the New Republic, the New York Review of Books, the Nation, and the Paris Review. He has appeared in numerous anthologies, including the Norton Anthology of Poetry, the Paris Review 50th Anniversary Anthology, the Best American Poetry, Poet's Choice, the Everyman's Library Poems of New York and Conversation Pieces, the Norton Anthology of Love, the Faber Book of Movie Verse, and the Grand Street Reader. He has edited two major anthologies himself, Under 35: The New Generation of American Poets (Anchor, 1989) and Walk on the Wild Side: Urban American Poetry Since 1975 (Scribner, 1994) and has translated Martial and Catullus and several modern Greek poets, including George Seferis and Yannis Ritsos. His books have been translated and published many other countries, and he is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships from various institutions, including the Guggenheim Foundation, the Academy of American Poets, the Poetry Society of America, and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has taught at Yale, Barnard College, and New York University, and is now a Professor on the permanent faculty of the Writing Division of the School of the Arts at Columbia University. He lives in New York City with his wife, Constance Christopher, and continues to travel widely, most frequently to Venice, the Hawaiian island of Kauai, and the Grenadines.

Reviews

[Jim Leckband · Rating 4 out of 5]

A piano virtuoso looks back at his life to figure out why he is alone (get it, soloist=>alone). I think that is the only reason why this is told as a flashback because there is no added frame story,insight or present day motivations. We are left to wonder why he is looking back.

The reason I got the book was because it was about piano playing - and it delivers wonderfully. Christopher either is a pianist or is a great researcher because he really brings across what a musician is going through to play at the Carnegie Hall level. This would be a 5 star book on this alone!

However, the other parts of the novel left me a little underwhelmed. First of all the soloist, Max Randal, is arrogant and selfish. Which is how one becomes a virtuoso. He is also unbelievably rich which puts another barrier to sympathizing with him. And the incredibly beautiful and talented ex-wives (how many were there? 4, 5, 6?). And the weird sub-plot of the quack, Albanian subterfuge and a long-lost Liszt work, was entertaining but out of place.

[Brandy Moriah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's been out of print since its first printing in 1986. It's Nicholas Christopher's first novel, and I've been looking for it ever since I read his second novel, Veronica, in 1997. His prose is smooth, elegant, precise, and funny, quite a difficult blend. Although it's a quiet novel, definitely fitting the literary fiction type of being more concerned about the character than the plot, Christopher describes everyday activities magically (sometimes literally). For me, it was a special read. Christopher being my favorite author, I know his work well, and finally being able to read his first novel, I was able to watch the beginning of trends, ideas, and techniques that would emerge in his later works fully-formed.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a pianist who is trying to orchestrate a comeback and figure out the adult he is becoming. It is a tale of past relationships, discipline, and the passion outside of romantic love.

Max, a pianist of the caliber of Rubeinstein, is now 32 and preparing a comeback tour. His first wife is dying, his second wife wants to get back together, and the mother of his child is leaving their young daughter with him for the summer.

Though Christopher has a hard time refraining from including the fantastic in his novles, he sure weaves a magnificent story. Sometimes very technical (I actually jotted down some practicing advice), Max talks through the work of preparing for a recital; through the memory, the nuance, the pain. I loved it.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. It was not one of my favorites and I don't know that I would recommend it to anyone unless they were serious musicians or pianists. It tends to drag in parts and the lead character can be very maudlin at times, which I found irritating (which is surprising seeing as I am maudlin a lot of the time...).

The book,(which is about a prodigy concert pianist/soloist who after a 4 year slump is going to have his triumphant return and then tour) has moments of brilliance, but much if it lagged for me.



***I wrote that review on April 24th, 2007 in my book (just getting it here) and in re-writing it here, I find myself intrigued by this book. Enough that I would read it again. Funny, huh.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A piano master plans a return to public performance after a 4 year hiatus, but his attempts to prepare are muddied by the various relationships he has with the women in his life. I always enjoyed this author's writing but I didn't enjoy this particular effort as much because it wasn't based on the mystical as were his other novels, and that was disappointing, because he conveys the supernatural so very well. He does, however, provide a good reading experience, giving me at least a sense of what musical mastery must be like, something I can only imagine being that the only musical instrument I can play is a c.d. player.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read most of Nicholas Christopher's books and have loved them. I liked this one, too, however, by the time I was done, I was tired of listening to the self-absorbed main character examine every minute aspect of himself. I loved going through the preparation for his big comeback concert, especially the night of the concert. The author perfectly described the exhilaration and fear that comes with performing. And I enjoyed all of his relationships, especially with his daughter, Daphne. I just got tired of hearing him whining.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Completely pales to his epic, "A Trip to the Stars" (which is my all-time favorite book), but it's still very well written and a good story. However, I found the main character a bit too arrogant for my taste so I couldn't really relate to him-- he had to be arrogant, though, or the story wouldn't have worked. Christopher's descriptions, and those of the music in particular, were beautiful.

[Nancy Snow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read.

[George King]

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