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The Strings of the Lute
Growing up Catholic together on Long Island, NY, shy, free-spirited Lorraine DeVico and outgoing, traditionalist Suzanne Tierney are inseparable. Their friendship endures Lorraine's crisis of faith at sixteen and the divisive Vietnam years. But, in college they choose different paths. Lorraine travels to France where she meets Larbi El Maghrebi, a charming Moroccan student with whom she falls deeply in love. Embarking on an odyssey of faith and love, she follows Larbi to his Muslim country to make her home in his world. Hit with a "double whammy" on arrival, she must adjust once again to life in a strange land as well as to life as part of a "mixed couple." Years later, when tragedy strikes, it is Suzanne who takes up the journey, traveling to her friend's adopted home for the first time. She arrives though with a hidden agenda - she wants to take Lorraine's child back home with her. With all the talk nowadays of a "clash of civilizations," The Strings of the Lute takes a look at the little picture: ordinary people, of totally different backgrounds, cultures, and religions, dealing with some of the extraordinary issues of our time.
- GenresFiction
409 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Colucci
2 books162 followersA native New Yorker, Eileen Colucci has been living in Rabat with her Moroccan husband for the past forty plus years. She is a former teacher and recently retired after twenty-eight years as a translator with the U.S. Embassy, Rabat. Her articles and short stories have appeared in various publications and ezines including Fodor's Morocco, Parents' Press, The New Dominion and Expat Women.
Colucci holds a BA in French and English from the University at Albany, SUNY, and an MA in Education from Framingham State University.
When not writing, Colucci enjoys practicing yoga, taking long walks and losing herself in a great book. Now that she and her husband have four grandchildren, they spend as much time as possible in Virginia with their two sons and their families.
Colucci holds a BA in French and English from the University at Albany, SUNY, and an MA in Education from Framingham State University.
When not writing, Colucci enjoys practicing yoga, taking long walks and losing herself in a great book. Now that she and her husband have four grandchildren, they spend as much time as possible in Virginia with their two sons and their families.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 4, 2009
Gosh, this book deserves a major publisher, and I really hope that it gets much wider distribution, and many more readers. This would be an excellent book club book. I could see my book club having an interesting discussion about it. We’ve had a tendency to select books that take place in different cultures and different time periods so this novel would fit right in.
I’m the exact age of the two girls/women main characters and much of the 60s-70s material was familiar to me, including almost all of the pop culture and also the lie about the severity of the illness of a parent. I do think I especially enjoyed it partially because I was the exact same age as the 2 girlfriends, but I think readers of all ages will be able to identify with the relationship and the story. The friendship resonated and felt real when they were in high school and college. I was surprised by one omission of confiding in one by the other later on in their lives though. I thought I’d be disappointed that the coming of age material flew by so quickly but I was just as riveted by their lives as adults.
From reading the author’s bio I’d figured much (but not one important fact made clear early on) that this novel was at least somewhat autobiographical, and actually at end in her notes the author explains that this novel started out as a non-fiction book. I think it retains its authentic feel.
One incredibly creative and fascinating thing is that this book is structured like a piece of music. Instead of Prologue and Part 1, Part 2, etc, with chapters, it’s Preludes, and First Measure, Second Measure, through Fifth Measure, with each measure having 3 parts, or chapters/sections. An explanation in the end notes (which I read well before finishing the book) is that it’s very loosely based on a type of Arabic song/nouba. Anyway, I was charmed by the arrangement.
At one point about halfway through the story the main character Lorraine states that she dislikes books that have up in the air endings so I was afraid this book would leave way too much up in the air, but it did not. Obviously, people’s lives were going to go on past when the novel stopped but I thought just the right amount about people’s lives was resolved and revealed. The reader is warned at the very beginning of one very important thing that will happen but that did not at all distract me from the story as it evolved. I was completely engaged as I was reading.
I did go nuts at the decision one character made toward the end, completely bonkers actually, but all the characters and their lives felt so real and my reaction is a testament to the power of the story and the connection I felt to the characters, so I guess I’ll get over it. Someday. Maybe. I guess I hope she’ll eventually change her mind but I kind of doubt it. Oh well.
This book is about a marriage between an interfaith/intercultural couple, and other such couples, and relationships in general between people of different backgrounds (religions, cultures, countries, languages) so might be of particular interest to readers in these situations, but given our world today that includes so many people, and this story and its characters have universal appeal in my opinion.
The author may (or may not) have made one small error. It’s obvious she knows much about the Moslem religion and about Christianity/Catholicism, but she mentions one thing that pertains to Judaism at one point, talking about special foods for Yom Kippur, which is actually a day of fasting. Now, she could be talking about the break fast at the end of Yom Kippur, as she also did with the many days of fasting and breaking the fast for Ramadan, but she talked about special foods. Anyway, I talked to two of my friends who grew up in very observant Jewish homes and neither could come up with traditional foods for the break fast of Yom Kippur. Maybe that was just their families. For me it would be first water then just about everything I’d normally enjoy. But that’s a very small quibble, especially since sampling 3 people (including myself) is not a scientific inquiry and perhaps in some Jewish families/traditions there are special Yom Kippur break fast foods.
Anyway, this was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if Goodreads ever allows member to assign half stars I’m likely to bump it up to 4 ½.
I’m the exact age of the two girls/women main characters and much of the 60s-70s material was familiar to me, including almost all of the pop culture and also the lie about the severity of the illness of a parent. I do think I especially enjoyed it partially because I was the exact same age as the 2 girlfriends, but I think readers of all ages will be able to identify with the relationship and the story. The friendship resonated and felt real when they were in high school and college. I was surprised by one omission of confiding in one by the other later on in their lives though. I thought I’d be disappointed that the coming of age material flew by so quickly but I was just as riveted by their lives as adults.
From reading the author’s bio I’d figured much (but not one important fact made clear early on) that this novel was at least somewhat autobiographical, and actually at end in her notes the author explains that this novel started out as a non-fiction book. I think it retains its authentic feel.
One incredibly creative and fascinating thing is that this book is structured like a piece of music. Instead of Prologue and Part 1, Part 2, etc, with chapters, it’s Preludes, and First Measure, Second Measure, through Fifth Measure, with each measure having 3 parts, or chapters/sections. An explanation in the end notes (which I read well before finishing the book) is that it’s very loosely based on a type of Arabic song/nouba. Anyway, I was charmed by the arrangement.
At one point about halfway through the story the main character Lorraine states that she dislikes books that have up in the air endings so I was afraid this book would leave way too much up in the air, but it did not. Obviously, people’s lives were going to go on past when the novel stopped but I thought just the right amount about people’s lives was resolved and revealed. The reader is warned at the very beginning of one very important thing that will happen but that did not at all distract me from the story as it evolved. I was completely engaged as I was reading.
I did go nuts at the decision one character made toward the end, completely bonkers actually, but all the characters and their lives felt so real and my reaction is a testament to the power of the story and the connection I felt to the characters, so I guess I’ll get over it. Someday. Maybe. I guess I hope she’ll eventually change her mind but I kind of doubt it. Oh well.
This book is about a marriage between an interfaith/intercultural couple, and other such couples, and relationships in general between people of different backgrounds (religions, cultures, countries, languages) so might be of particular interest to readers in these situations, but given our world today that includes so many people, and this story and its characters have universal appeal in my opinion.
The author may (or may not) have made one small error. It’s obvious she knows much about the Moslem religion and about Christianity/Catholicism, but she mentions one thing that pertains to Judaism at one point, talking about special foods for Yom Kippur, which is actually a day of fasting. Now, she could be talking about the break fast at the end of Yom Kippur, as she also did with the many days of fasting and breaking the fast for Ramadan, but she talked about special foods. Anyway, I talked to two of my friends who grew up in very observant Jewish homes and neither could come up with traditional foods for the break fast of Yom Kippur. Maybe that was just their families. For me it would be first water then just about everything I’d normally enjoy. But that’s a very small quibble, especially since sampling 3 people (including myself) is not a scientific inquiry and perhaps in some Jewish families/traditions there are special Yom Kippur break fast foods.
Anyway, this was a great book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if Goodreads ever allows member to assign half stars I’m likely to bump it up to 4 ½.
January 31, 2009
Excellent story! Struck many chords with me, since I too, am a "mixed-couple" - I never think of it anymore, but apparently other people still do!
A great part of the book is about struggles Lorraine had with her new home of Morocco, new traditions, and religious differences. What struck me was Lorraine and Larbi saw nothing insurmountable about their relationship, even when others did. Lorraine was continually warned about marrying a Muslim, a Moroccan, and a "non American". I thought it was wonderful how the author didn't exhaust the reader with continual antagonistic fights and struggles of culture clashes and religious rights and wrongs. Rather, it was a love story, two people with whom love really did conquer all.
A great part of the book is about struggles Lorraine had with her new home of Morocco, new traditions, and religious differences. What struck me was Lorraine and Larbi saw nothing insurmountable about their relationship, even when others did. Lorraine was continually warned about marrying a Muslim, a Moroccan, and a "non American". I thought it was wonderful how the author didn't exhaust the reader with continual antagonistic fights and struggles of culture clashes and religious rights and wrongs. Rather, it was a love story, two people with whom love really did conquer all.
November 5, 2010
Captivating tale of 2 close friends. Picking up this wWell written novel after 2009's twists, issues & home ownership! Story of one mixed couple...thru travels to [sorry not finished! Some health challenges this summer:] Barcelona & across the Mediterranean.
Author shows real continuity throughout. Misplaced this book during a move & was delighted to pick it back up again!
Author shows real continuity throughout. Misplaced this book during a move & was delighted to pick it back up again!
August 23, 2022
Thank you Goodreads for this book. I really enjoyed following Lorraine’s life from the US to France and finally to Morocco. The author did a beautiful job describing her challenges assimilating into different cultures. This story is mainly about Lorraine’s friendships, relationships and overcoming tragedy. I wondered at first about the name of the book, but came to understand the healing powers of the lute.
March 27, 2017
The lute in the title is the instrument Moroccan Larbi was given by an uncle to help him overcome his grief. Later on in his life he gives the instrument to a friend to help her cope with her loss.
This is a book about love: the love between two girl friends growing up together, the love between a Moroccan architect and a girl from the US, the love between parents and children and the lingering love for people departed.
The book starts slow and it took me awhile to start liking it - it is not so much a novel as someone telling you their lifestory - but it becomes a lot more interesting when she meets Larbi. The writer successfully brings the world in it to life. The French town, the Moroccan daily life. As the writer is living for decades in Morocco the book gives you in my opinion a real glimpse of Moroccan life. I wondered if some things were not more or less a personal memoir.
At first I had the feeling the writer ended the book too suddenly. I was annoyed how the girlfriend did not tell the husband about how happy his wife had been when she had discovered something. The limbo we as readers ended up in. But after a day or so - while I was still thinking about the novel - I think that limbo might be part of the charm.
http://dutchysbookreviews.blogspot.nl...
This is a book about love: the love between two girl friends growing up together, the love between a Moroccan architect and a girl from the US, the love between parents and children and the lingering love for people departed.
The book starts slow and it took me awhile to start liking it - it is not so much a novel as someone telling you their lifestory - but it becomes a lot more interesting when she meets Larbi. The writer successfully brings the world in it to life. The French town, the Moroccan daily life. As the writer is living for decades in Morocco the book gives you in my opinion a real glimpse of Moroccan life. I wondered if some things were not more or less a personal memoir.
At first I had the feeling the writer ended the book too suddenly. I was annoyed how the girlfriend did not tell the husband about how happy his wife had been when she had discovered something. The limbo we as readers ended up in. But after a day or so - while I was still thinking about the novel - I think that limbo might be part of the charm.
http://dutchysbookreviews.blogspot.nl...
June 17, 2022
I enjoyed this book so much that I read it twice. It’s a story of strong friendship and love, with a tinge of tragedy and mystery. The lives of the characters are so richly drawn that some of them could become novels on their own (especially Lorraine’s mother). The settings are so interesting: the US, France and Morocco in the 60s. The main character’s cross-cultural experiences were eye-opening and sometimes funny. It’s such a good book and I echo Lisa Vegan’s comment on this page that it deserves a major publisher and a wider audience. (I think it should also be published in France.) I hope more people read it. Please give it a try and let me know what you think.
dnf
September 11, 2022I received this book on Kindle in a Goodreads giveaway.
DNF @ 18%
This book just didn’t grab me, it was very slow paced and very long (for me) and I just didn’t realize really care enough about the story to keep me motivated to finish it.
DNF @ 18%
This book just didn’t grab me, it was very slow paced and very long (for me) and I just didn’t realize really care enough about the story to keep me motivated to finish it.
April 10, 2009
The Strings of the Lute is an all right novel. It reads more as a memoir of than of a fictional novel. The book is about a young woman, Lorraine, and her love affair with a Moroccan. The main thing missing in this novel is dramatic tension. There really isn't anything that the main character is going through or changes who she fundamentally is. The people around her change, but the novel reads more like real-life than a story. I liked the novel because I could relate being in college and my first love; however, when reading a novel, I'm looking for the character to grow and change; and Lorraine really didn't do it.
January 22, 2011
Slow paced, interesting only because I'm interested in the region, however, I'm sure would be boring to most readers. Not everyone with a story to tell can tell a story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews