Mozart's Sister

Ladies of History #1

by Nancy Moser

The year is 1763. Eleven-year-old Nannerl Mozart is performing before the crowned heads of Europe with her younger brother, Wolfgang. But behind the glamour lurk dark difficulties-- the hardship of travel, agonizing bouts of illness, and the constant concern over money. Their father, Leopold, is driven by a desire to bring his son's genius to the attention of the world. But what about Nannerl? Is she not just as talented? In a time where women's choices are limited, what hope does she have of ever realizing her own dreams?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Historical, Christian, Music, 18th Century

332 pages, Paperback

First published March 7, 2000

About the author

Nancy Moser is the author of over forty books. Her award-winning stories will inspire you to discover your unique God-given purpose. Her genres include both contemporary and historical stories, inspirational humor, and children's books.

Her newest release, "An Undiscovered Life" is about an elderly woman who wants her family to know about her "before" life—her life before them. It's inspired by Nancy's mother who died in 2020 at age 99. It's a poignant, inspiring family story.

Another newer release is "Eyes of Our Heart" which showcases a group of ordinary people who are called to discover where God is working in their lives--and join Him.

Another recent release is "The Shop Keepers", book #3 of the Pattern Artist series about a group of women designing fashion and opening their own store in 1911-19 New York City. The first book in the series, "The Pattern Artist", was a finalist for a Romantic Times award.

Other titles include the time-travel historicals, "Where Time Will Take Me", "Where Life Will Lead Me", and the Downton Abbey-inspired Manor House Series beginning with "Love of the Summerfields."

Her historical bio-novels allow real women-of-history to share their life stories: "Just Jane" (Jane Austen), "Mozart's Sister" (Nannerl Mozart),"Washington's Lady" (Martha Washington) and "How Do I Love Thee?" (Elizabeth Barrett Browning.)

"An Unlikely Suitor" was named to Booklist's Top 100 Romance Novels of the last decade. Nancy's time-travel novel, "Time Lottery", won a Christy Award, and "Washington's Lady" was a finalist. Her contemporary books are known for their big-casts and intricate plotting.

Some contemporary titles are "The Invitation", "John 3: 16", "The Sister Circle", and "The Seat Beside Me."

Nancy and her husband live in the Midwest. She's earned a degree in architecture, traveled extensively in Europe, and has performed in numerous theaters, symphonies, and choirs. She is a fan of anything antique--humans included.

Website: nancymoser.com

Reviews

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first problem with this book is that it never should have been written in the first person. In a message to the reader at the back Ms. Moser states that it was an Editor from Bethany House Publishers who wanted it this way. Big mistake. She goes on to say this same Editor asked for a ‘historical’ book; Ms. Moser replied that she did not write historicals. She should have stuck to her guns. She was clearly misled into doing something she was not comfortable with & it shows on every page.
Within the first couple of pages we find Wolfgang playing ‘rock-paper-scissors’, that game began in China & became popular in Japan during the 18th century but it never made it to Europe or anywhere else until the 20th century….Mozart was born in 1756.
The characters appear to be a bunch of simpletons & I disliked them all intensely!
Furthermore, in a historical novel it is not enough to simply write down what people wore & what a place looked like, something more is required to create an atmosphere of the time period which this book simply does not capture. The language does not reflect the time, and neither does the prose.
On Page 120 Nannerel states “my soul was too distressed” - I felt the same way. This book distressed my soul. It is well that Ms. Moser stated that she did not write historical novels because if she did & this is an example, she would have to find something else to do with her time.
Not being a historian myself, nor do I profess to be a Mozart expert I cannot speak to many of the situations presented in this book as being fact or fiction, however, Ms. Moser mentioned that she researched extensively with four books at her side – it would seem to me that referring to four books is a little lame to suggest that you have properly ‘researched’ anything.
I can only say that this book did not capture the atmosphere of the times, throughout I was well aware that I was reading a novel written in this century by an author who admittedly does not write ‘historicals’ & there is no way writing in the first person could have worked for this book. It was just a bad idea!
Rita Charbonnier’s novel of the same name (2007) is a hundred times better.

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject but I did not care for the writing or execution. The first half of the book about Nannerl and Wolfie as children and all the traveling and performances was interesting. The last half of the book could have been summed up in about 30 pages. What really turned me off was the contemporary writing style and words supposedly spoken by a girl in the 1700’s and the liberal use of one and two word sentences. Whatever happened to a well constructed sentence that conveys the time period and feelings of the characters? I alternately felt the author/character was stamping her foot or shouting at me with all the one word sentences.

[Chloé · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to give this book a good rating... but I just couldn't. I have played the piano since I was little and love it. I have always loved learning about composers and their lives. So when I saw this at the library, I gave it a try.

The pacing was weird. I honestly felt like half of the book was this:

We went to this city. Wolfgang played and I was only allowed to accompany.

Wolfgang and I got sick.

We recovered and moved on to another city.

Repeat.

Then, when we finally moved on from that, which I was quite over after 180 pages, we turn to this:

I want to be a concert pianist, but because women aren't known to do it I'm going to drop playing almost completely.

I, Nannerl Mozart, am an old maid and should marry.

I also hated the way this book portrayed Mozart. Like... if I didn't already have so much respect for him and hadn't known about him from the past, I would think of him as one of the worst people ever.

The book blames Mozart for his mother's death. It also blames him for any problem the family has. 'Wolfie', as he is called by Nannerl, supposedly wasted the family's fortune, married for lust, and just about anything else you can think of.

This entire book felt like a huge pity party for Nannerl and made me not like her at all. In fact, I'm going to do some research and hope and pray this entire book was just a poorly written story.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being a musician myself, I of course was extremely interested in this book. I love historical fiction and I find it interesting to read the possibilities of history. I loved that this book's focus was on Mozart's sister and not directly about Mozart--especially in that she was a musician as well and a very talented one at that. It made me grateful that life is more fair and equal for women in this day and age. Had his sister been a boy, we could have possibly had two "Mozart's" in the history books. I also find it extremely interesting that those who have will many times take for granted their blessings. Am I aware of what I am blessed with? I hope so! Great Read. I highly recommend it.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

First the good... This book inspired me to
1. Learn more about Mozart and listen to the operas mentioned
2. Travel
3. Be a big butch feminist and wear army boots every f-ing day

Now for the bad...

Nothing happened in this book. Nannerl (Mozart's sister) is portrayed as a sweet little big-nosed wallflower with a lot of musical talent, who basically does whatever she is told and whines and pouts internally, because she is female and cannot get the attention her brother gets for his talent. Yet, does she do anything about it? Dress like a boy and see what happens? Kick someone in the balls? Throw a tantrum? Have an affair with another woman? Push Wolfgang off the cavalier bench and show some royalty what she's made of? Compose something behind her father's back? No. She complains to the readers and accepts her fate. She stays home and reads letters, cleans the house and feels sorry for her wasted talent and lack of a penis.

To make matters worse, she bitches for the first 247 pages and then on page 248 says, "His kiss made me forget about the inequities of being a woman." My eyes started bleeding!!! Nannerl is the saddest sack of corsets I have ever read about. If she were still living, I would pull her petticoat over her head and slap her silly. She makes me puke. Oh, but don't let this line fool you into thinking this is a romance... she didn't get what she wanted AGAIN and commenced whining about it for the rest of the book, of course. But fret not, dear reader, God had his hand in it all, so it is just as it should be and she accepts her whole sucky boring existence on the last page. How utterly lame! LAME!!!!

At the end, the author, Nancy Moser tells us how she had to make some things up and this is a work of fiction based on historical facts. Well then, Nancy, could you make the main character behave badly once in a while? Put a little spice in poor Nannerl Mozart. Make her stop whining and take some action once in awhile.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting portrayal of what it must have been like living life in the shadow of W A Mozart. A talented musician in her own right, Nannerl struggles with her self-worth and frustrated ambitions as her father promotes Wolfgang as the future of the family's success. While the author focused most of the attention on Nannerl, I did like that she also considered how much pressure Wolfgang himself was under to be successful and support the family, so much so that he likely envied his sister. Of course, it's the classic case that the grass is always greener on the other side...

The author did a great job portraying life at the time, especially the life of a musician who was so dependent on the favor (and whims) of nobility. I found it interesting to read that Moser herself prefers to write in the current day and was reluctant to write this story set in its own time, but she really did a nice job with the research and setting the stage. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in music or in the classic struggle of sibling rivalry, especially for a parent's affection.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely HATE the way the author uses contemporary phrases as if they came from Nannerl's mouth. For instance "I can't get my mind around...".

and secondly, I wish someone had warned me that a secondary character in this book is GOD. God wants me to do this. God wants to me do that. If I pray my brother will recover from disease. And then God thinks I am important.

Also, I read a bunch of these reviews and they say "Nannerl was just as talented as Wolfgang" but the author actually takes pains to show that Mozart's sister can't compose, she can't sing, she is capable of playing without looking at her hands as it Wolfie, but she can't memorize as much detail as Wolfie, or play as many instruments. To me, the author is making a case for "God knows best".

There must surely be a better bio-novel out there about Mozart's sister.

[Joanna Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I do not consider myself a musician, I really enjoyed this book. I did grow a little weary with Nannerl’s jealousy/feeling sorry for herself/discontentment, but I can imagine that was a real part of her life. She couldn’t marry the man she loved, but that tragedy added depth to the story. I liked how it ended— that she was pleased with the difference she had made in the lives of Johann’s children. Definitely recommend it to history and music lovers.

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!

[Jacolien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mozart: de bekende componist kennen de meesten wel. Maar wie kent zijn zus? 'Nannerl, de zus van Mozart' beschrijft haar verhaal.
Hoewel ik het interessant vond om meer over de zus van Mozart te weten te komen, was het boek voor mijn idee redelijk langdradig zonder een duidelijke verhaallijn. De schrijfster besteedt veel bladzijden aan de reizen die Wolfgang en Nannerl maken, maar evenveel aan de jaloezie en wrok van Nannerl, beschreven vanuit het ik-perspectief. Er lijkt zich weinig karakterontwikkeling voor te doen: op een moment lijkt het alsof Nannerl deze gevoelens ten opzichte van de oneerlijkheid van het leven als vrouw in de 18e eeuw los kan laten, maar vervolgens blijkt dat helemaal niet zo te zijn. Ook blijft Nannerl haar vader op een voetstuk zetten, ondanks alles wat er gebeurt. Het laatste stuk van het boek heb ik zelfs meer scannend dan diep gelezen.
Er zijn zeker ook pluspunten te benoemen. Ik vond het een leuk detail dat het boek opgedeeld is in verschillende delen die een muziekterm als betiteling hebben, wat tegelijk de betekenis is van het betreffende deel. Daarnaast heeft de schrijfster met dit boek meer licht geworpen op wie Nannerl was, een vrouw die, ondanks dat ze even getalenteerd was als haar broertje, altijd in zijn schaduw stond en als vrouw geen mogelijkheden had om te worden wie ze wilde zijn: professioneel musicus.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. Nannerl (mozart's sister) is hard to really like for a great deal of the book. The author wrote in first person from Nannerl's point of view. While I found her to be self absorbed and petulant I gritted my teeth and overlooked it in the beginning because she was a child but 7 years later as a young woman she's still whining about the same things. There were redeeming moments of clarity and even a special moment with God's message to her. But then she falls back on old selfish patterns of thinking. There was way too much of these petulant feelings in the first 2 thirds of the book. She almost always felt sorry for herself and even some of the things I would feel sympathetic about I didn't because she was so obviously trying to manipulate sympathy. Her sad moan that her dad was this way sigh but she was dutiful sigh....It was aggravating! I do recognize that as she matures she learns to deal with these emotions much better. But too much of the book focused on her poor pitiful me voice!
I really liked learning the fact Mozart had an amazingly talented sister. I also liked the few historical tidbits that I could toss in with things I'm learning while reading a biography on Marie Antoinette, who the Mozart's preformed for before she became queen.
Also Nannerl's life becomes more interesting as she develops interests and less moping. Her life circumstances certainly were frustrating and I was sad for the way things seemed to conspire against any of her desires. But at this point she's able to find contentment and joy and gratitude in what she does have and what she has accomplished and in her faith and service instead of focusing on all the injustices of her life.
In the end I felt a sense of relief and pride that she's learned to grow up and accept life with more dignity and grace. She learns gratitude too. Though it did seem her feelings for her brother were still ambivalent and detached. I liked the references to faith and God because while a non spiritual person may think its trite someone who has experienced the peace and joy that surpasseth all understanding will understand the grounding hope and direction God's comfort and guidance can give to life even in moments of great personal trial.

[Meredith (Austenesque Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a bio-novel about the not-so-famous sister of Mozart. A bio-novel is where the author takes their true life stories and writes a novel, but sometimes has to come up with parts of it, like dialogue. As a musician, avid reader, and a person intersted in history I loved this book. I am not a big fan on biographies, so to read one that is like a novel is more enjoyable for me. I found it educational, captivating, and a real page turner. I checked a lot of parts in the book to see if they were really what happened or the imagination of the author, and was pleased to see that the author did not alter the story of Nannerl's life (Mozart's Sister).

It was fascinating to learn that she was just as talented as he was, she was a child prodigy, yet she was denied so many opportunities being a female, and she never received the chance to progress and become a professional, although she could have.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning about Classical composers, is curious to read about Mozart's sister, and anyone who is willing to try a bio-novel. Reminder it is not a biography.

I have read "Just Jane" ny the same author and loved it. I look forward to reading the third book which is about George Washington's wife entitled "Washington's Lady."

[ClaraBelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this, it was so amazing and awesome! I’ve always enjoyed classical musicians, especially Mozart and Beethoven, and ever since watching the movie based on this book, I’ve been intrigued to discover more about this immensely talented musician who wasn’t allowed to shine or become famous, due to an overbearing father and cultural disapproval of women celebrities in 1720s Austria! I loved her tenacity, woman power, her deep faith in God that sustained her through the smashing of her career and marriage ambitions. Very easy to read but the last 1/2of the book sorely lagged and was hard to get thru.
What I loved: learning about the Mozart home life and her as a lesser known equally talented pianist
What i didn’t like:her annoying, suppressive father; her not being allowed to marry the man of her dreams and instead being forced to marry a dull, unloving man at the very end; and how her first child was forceably adopted by her overbearing father.
Recommend: for older teens and adults
But OVERALL YOULL LOVE IT AND BECOME ADDICTED TO THE SERIES AND AUTHOR

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually only got a chapter or two into this book and couldn't handle it anymore. Maybe it's because I was at the beach distracted by children? But, most likely it was because I thought the writing style was crappy. It was written in the first person, but so awkwardly. Like, "I grew up with Mozart. I am his sister. Today I am visiting his grave. Oh no. He doesn't have one. Let's go back so I can tell you how it happened." That was just the first chapter, but I couldn't take it so I laid it aside. Maybe someday I'll try it again. I was mostly interested because there is an independent film coming out that looks pretty good.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another new favorite on my list. It is a well-researched and well-written historical novel about the life of the Mozart family, mainly focusing on "Nannerl" Mozart. I really enjoyed the characters and the journey through Europe.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish the book rating were on a 1/2 star scale or out of 10 stars. The book was well written and I would like to give it a 3.5. I may change my mind and bump it up to a 4 later because I did enjoy the book I just felt it was slow paced.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this whole series, but this was my least favorite. It was still historically strong and I got to know the Mozart family, but the story was very sad. Of course, not all real stories are happy, and this one was one of them. While a great book and very positive, it still made me feel sad.

[Kami · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reading was very slow and just not interesting.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

One word - Laborious!

[Becki Basley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mozarts Sister by nancy moser

(Overdrive audiobook)

This novel tells of Mozarts Sister, Nanneri, and her life as Mozarts older Sister. As a child, she was as talented as her younger brother and both children would play before royalty at the direction of their father. However as as Nanneri grew older and became of marriageable age, she and her mother were left to live frugally in Salzburg while Wolfgang and his father toured the World.
In the story, Nanneri talks of how jealous she was to be left behind, of her brothers love and focus in Music in spite of anything esle in life. Her fathers determination to make Wolfgang succeed and her mothers blind devotion to her father.

Nanneri is equally as loyal to her father to the point of giving him her own newborn son to raise and Never really having her life until the death of her father. Looking at it from todays social norms and mores made it at times very difficult to stomach some of the fathers decisions in regard to his wife and his daughter. But overall it was an interesting read covering the political backdrop of the time. Personally not My favorite book but its a Well written one. Its Also part of a Series: Ladies of history.. this is the first book.

[Joleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The narrator for this book was terrific. However, the book was... how can I put this? Disappointing. I guess I had a hard time with the fact that the author's version of this woman's life was not flattering, and it was also greatly fiction, not really biographical. Told in first person we heard Nannerl (yes, Nannerl) Mozart share her feelings about everything, and honestly, it was tiresome.

The main character loved her brother, adored her father and was in love with a man she could never marry. Although she married and bore children for a man she never seemed to love, her life seemed marked by discouragement and resignation. She was continually dissatisfied with her life, but in the end stated that she lived a life content in her savior... except that it never really seemed that way.

I've enjoyed several books by Ms. Moser, but this one... sadly, not so much.

[Barbara Cryer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually could have been a good book. Just written very flatly.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser


I received this book as a Kindle freebie a few months back, and it has been on my list of "to-read" books for quite a while.

Mozart's Sister is about exactly what it sounds like it is about, Mozart's older sister, Marie Anna "Nannerl" Mozart.

The story is told from her point of view, in the first person. The story begins when the Mozart children are both fairly young, and their father Mozart has prepared to begin taking them, the Wunderkins (Wonder Children) on tour around Europe to showcase their outstanding talent.

Nannerl loves playing music and delights in nothing more than playing and performing across Europe. She loves traveling and meeting royalty and the gifts that she receives for her playing.

It doesn't take too long before it becomes clear that their father, Leopold, wishes to mostly spend his time nurturing Wolfgang's talent, rather than Nannerl's. It makes sense because once Nannerl is a bit older, she will be unable to continue performing as she will be expected to take on the role of a woman: mother and homemaker.

Leopold extends the time that the children can perform as wunderkins by lying about their ages to make them seem younger, but eventually they are forced to return to Salzburg, and from that point Nannerl becomes trapped in the role of a woman, and is stuck at home while her father and Wolfgang continue to travel and show off Wolfgang's talents.

Nannerl is extremely jealous, and wishes more than anything she could go along with her father and Wolfgang and once again perform for the world's royalty, but her father will not let her travel. Instead, she must stay in Salzburg with her mother.

Eventually, Nannerl meets a man with whom she falls in love, and she finally begins to see herself become content with her life, even though it is not full of music as she had once dreamed. However, the politics of the time, and her father's relationship with the archbishop may make it difficult for her to marry the man she loves...

Will Nannerl ever find a way to be content with her life? Will she get a chance to be with the man she loves? Will she be doomed to a life of discontent? And is her brother's life as glamorous as she once thought, or is he secretly worse off than she...?

Read Mozart's Sister to find out.

I was pretty excited to read this book, as it is historical fiction and I absolutely adore classical music. It really intrigued me to hear the story of Mozart told from another perspective: that of his sister.
That being said, I found this book fairly disappointing. While it wasn't bad, I found it very difficult to get into. I had to keep pushing myself to read it. It wasn't one of those books that was hard to put down, rather it was one of those books that's hard to pick up.

I found myself struggling to get into it, but once I was a bit into the read it got somewhat easier. I have tried to pinpoint exactly what it is that didn't appeal to me, and I find it hard to say. Perhaps it's that descriptions of events dragged on for so long but were about a relatively short time period.

The writing wasn't terrible, and the story wasn't terrible but it just didn't resonate with me like many other books do.

I found Nannerl almost annoying at points. While I did feel bad for her at times, being stuck in a role she couldn't leave, it almost seemed whiny at times.

At the end of the book there is a note from the author about how she came up with the idea, and she made it very clear she didn't want to write first person or historical fiction. Though she said she was glad she did when she was finished, I think the writing has the feel of an author who didn't love the first person narrative or the historical fiction element.

I have to say I am glad I didn't pay anything for this book. I don't regret the read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it.

2 out of 5 stars.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Free Kindle download. Before I read this, I expected I would be comparing this book to Mozart's Blood by Louise Marley or Booth's Sister by Jane Singer. Having read this now, the comparison to Booth's Sister isn't so farfetched, but I would also add The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory and Secrets of the Tudor Court by D. L. Bogdan for the sake of comparison.

Mozart's sister Nannerl is a largely unknown person, and according to the author's note, at the time Nancy Moser wrote this book there were no books about Mozart's sister. So, much like the books I mentioned above, this book is about a little known relation to someone famous. That said, because that person's life has pretty much been determined, the story's arc really has no wiggle room, being based on real events in a person's life, and any blank spots in that person's history is mostly speculation. So I don't really understand the reviews that criticize the book for being dull; for me, this was more about learning how a particular person lived during a particular time in history.

I did find a lot of similarity between this and Booth's Sister in that while the sister is as talented as or more talented than the more famous brother, it is the brother who gets all the play in history, simply because he's male. Also, the brother is the more flawed of the two siblings. In John Wilkes Booth's case, he wasn't as dedicated in acting or as good at memorizing lines, and he was more extreme in his politics and beliefs. In Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's case, he was irresponsible, undisciplined, and terrible with money. It really makes the point that throughout history women have to be three times as good as their male counterparts to get even half the recognition. The woman's talent and skill is always downplayed in favor of the man.

Of course, with universities turning out more female doctors than male these days, it's different now, but it's still remarkable from a historical standpoint.

Outside of that, I really loved the detail about all the travel — all the logistics involved in budgeting and sickness, the trouble with culture shock and keeping up to date with fashion so you fit in, the money changing, the language barriers, and so on and so forth. Moser was incredibly lucky to have access to the letters exchanged among the Mozarts, and I'm so glad she included what she learned of all those neat little details about what they got paid and what they had to buy.

I was also very fascinated by Leopold, Mozart's father — his drive and ambition was incredible, akin to "stage mothers" of today. I can see now how my knowledge of Mozart is no accident; he'd be largely unknown if it weren't for his father.

It's a shame they were all so lousy with money, though, and that Mozart ended up being buried in a communal grave. But it's nice to know that Nannerl didn't turn out so bad.

Downloaded October 18, 2010. Finished reading November 2, 2010.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This is a copy of a review I submitted to Amazon on 3/29/07.)

As noted by Mrs. Moser and other reviewers, books on Mozart's sister have been sorely lacking. However, details of her life are brought to light in Mozart's Sister. I am an avid reader of anything Mozart and, as a Christian, even more excited to see something related to him published by Bethany House.

I didn't have much trouble getting into the book. What I gradually found grating, though, was her writing style and the phrases she used. Maybe it's just a personal preference, but I found them a bit too modern and cliche for this period.

What I found interesting is Nannerl's narrative changes as she grows. As a child she thinks of much simpler things. As she gets older, you can see her character develop more as her focus changes. Maybe this is a pretty simple effect but I enjoyed being able to recognize it.

Yes, there was much about Nannerl being brushed off as a composer in favor of her brother, but I soon became weary of her mood swings -- in one line she's annoyed over a situation, a couple lines later she's happy about something. This continued through most of the book and I thought by the time she was older, it might have worn off a little bit and she would eventually find a happiness in her situation, even though she wasn't able to become as "musical" as Wolfgang. I agree with another reviewer: the latter part of her life with the romance was much more intriguing and brought the character of Nannerl into her own, especially after she married, and had to suddenly take care of a number of children from her husband's previous marriage. However it was hardly focused on.

I also really enjoyed Mrs. Moser's interpretation of young Wolfgang and his interactions with Nannerl, as well as their tours when they were younger. Another character the author had to flesh out with a lack of sources was Nannerl's mother, and I liked her interpretation of her too. I wasn't too thrilled with Leopold's character. There were just some things that didn't seem to settle right with me, as a Mozart biography reader. But I have to give Mrs. Moser credit, as sources about Nannerl are pretty rare.

And while I don't enjoy being inundated with holier-than-thou characters and hackneyed spiritual speeches (one extreme), there was not much in the way of a Christian focus here (the other extreme). There was a touching scene between Nannerl and a Protestant pastor in England, but beyond that not much else. By the time I finished I was unsure why Bethany House wanted to publish such a book that had so little in the way of Christian character. It ended up feeling like the "religious bits" had been added in as an afterthought.

In any case, this is a good read from the library, but seems a bit trite after a while. However it's wonderful to see a historical figure, otherwise outshone by her brother, brought to light.

[Sensitivemuse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an interesting point of view to see Mozart from a different angle. (In fact, I didn’t even know he had a sister). This book was really good when it came to historical accuracy and it was well written. I really did like Nannerl, and really did sympathize with her once her father started pushing her aside and focus more on Wolfgang.

You could really see the extreme differences on how each gender was treated in this book. It’s so blatantly different and the gap is so wide especially when Wolfgang and his father go on tour while Nannerl and her mother stay at home. It just did not seem fair as Nannerl is just as talented and gifted with music as Wolfgang but because she’s female she’s expected to give those talents up to get married, and have children. It’s these kinds of injustices that made me angry in the book. It felt that such wonderful talent was wasted and I could not help but get even more angry at her father for pushing her aside, and at her mother for not doing anything at all. However, it was like that back then, so it’s hard to get used to such gender disparity.

I have to admit I hated her father at first. He was the type of parent that lived through their kids and profited from it. However I reserved most of my anger towards Wolfgang. Oh my. What a spoiled piece of...well you get the idea. His ego was as big as the moon (his father helped a lot with that) and he treated the rest of his family like dirt. Once he got even more famous, he suddenly became ‘too good’ to be with his family to visit. What a horrid little creature he was in this book! Towards the ending of the novel he just got worse. Their father on the other hand, I started taking a liking to him. It seemed he finally realized Wolfgang was a jerk after all and treated Nannerl much better.

The writing was excellent throughout the novel, although the plot was a bit slow paced. Nannerl’s faith is admirable yet you wonder if it’s possible for her to just keep relying on her faith for the answer, what if she had decided to take matters into her own hands? perhaps the plot would have a huge change but it might have made it a little more interesting. I really did like the characters in this book despite Wolfgang being a twit. Everyone was exceptionally well written and were well developed throughout the story.

This was a well written historically accurate novel seeing a famous composer through a different set of eyes; namely his sister. It’s a different point of view and despite the slow moving plot, the characters are well written and you’ll find yourself engrossed in this book. It’s well worth the read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart (30 July 1751 – 29 October 1829), nicknamed "Nannerl", was a musician, the older sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and daughter of Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. Five other children died.

Leopold took her and Wolfgang on tours of many cities, such as Vienna and Paris, to showcase their talents. In the early days she sometimes received top billing and she was noted as an excellent harpsichord player and fortepianist. Equally as talented as her brother she was downplayed for being a woman.

Both children survivied smallpox.

Wolfgang received the Order of the Golden Spur from Pope Clement.

He wrote down the Miserer after hearing it played in the Sistine Chapel. It was forbidden to copy or take away any part of it.

Marianne remained entirely subordinate to her father. She fell in love with Franz d'Ippold, who was a captain and private tutor, but was forced by her father to turn down his marriage proposal. Wolfgang attempted, in vain, to get Marianne to stand up for her own preference.

Eventually Marianne married a wealthy magistrate, Johann Baptist Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg (23 August, 1783),[3] and settled with him in St. Gilgen, a village in Austria about 29 km east of the Mozart family home in Salzburg. Berchtold was twice a widower and had five children from his two previous marriages, whom Marianne helped raise. She also bore three children of her own: Leopold Alois Pantaleon (1785–1840), Jeanette (1789–1805) and Maria Babette (1790–1791).On 27 July 1785 her first child, a son who was named Leopold after his grandfather was born.. Marianne had traveled from her home in St. Gilgen to Salzburg for the birth. When she returned to St. Gilgen, she left her infant in the care of her father and his servants.

Wolfgang died 5 December 1791.Age 35 Perhaps of Rhuematic fever. Buried in a common grave in in St Marx, Vienna

Nannerl died at age 78

World figures at this time were:
Maria Theresa-Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and of all Austria, Hungary and Bohemia
Catherine the Great
Marie Antoinette
Gearge III of England

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

This historical fiction is the "untold story" of Mozart's talented older sister, published by Bethany House. At the end of the book, the author admits that she is new to historical fiction, and it shows. Her research is thorough, but her heroine embodies the attitude of a modern whiny teenaged girl more than one of the era. (When will historical fiction authors desist from the "I hate my corset/stays" and "if only I were a boy" plots? Girls of the time knew how valuable their roles were--even if we refuse to see that value today.)

The book begins when the siblings are the golden children touring Europe--and already the heroine is whining that her brother gets more notice. I was ready for some character development, but her attitude does not change until the last quarter of the book--if that. That is a shame, because her character accomplishes some wonderful feats in the last part of the book, which might have been interesting to spend more time watching her learn how to do. It is ironic when authors who find it unfair that male achievement gets more recognition only recognize female achievement when it occurs in a "male sphere." For all of the time spent talking about her under-appreciated musical talent (which was, indeed, quite good), her "feminine" accomplishments (building a healthy family from the untrained collection of children she "inherited" as the third wife of her husband) are barely mentioned.

Since the book is from a Christian publisher, I expected to see the main character's faith throughout the book. It was mentioned--but only just. I had the feeling that references were pasted in to make the book appeal to the publisher. She goes to a mountaintop (literally) and finds some connection to her faith--but then there are no more than passing references to that for the rest of the book. Her faith has nothing to do with her attitudes or behavior, and nothing to do with the plot at all.

The book is well-written, and may appeal to some teen girls looking for a music-related book. Otherwise, I would pass on this one.

[Evelynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finis. Finally.

Well, let me start this review by saying that this book was like a biography written in a fictionally-styled first-person perspective. The dialogue was limited, most of the book made of long, seemingly never-ending narratives from Nannerl's point of view.

And all the misery Nannerl went through nearly drove me out of my mind. Over and over, she hoped that her father would realize that she was just as much a musician as her brother. And her father did realize that. But he wanted his son to succeed, not Nannerl, as a woman didn't have as much social standing as a man - or even a boy - did. After she finally half-accepted that, she fell in love with Franz. And then, again because of her brother, she was unable to marry the love of her life! UGH! Then her father had the gall to practically shove her into a marriage that she would first regret, and wouldn't appreciate until she saw God's hand in it. And that is much later. I think the fourth-to-last page.

Let me have one line of ranting: AHHHHHHHHH! WHY WHY WHY! STUPID WOLFIE, ALWAYS MESSING THINGS UP! SELF-CENTERED ARROGANT MAN! AND BOO TO THE FATHER FOR PREVENTING HIS DAUGHTER FROM DEVELOPING HER TALENTS AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN! AHHHHHHHH!

*pant, pant* Okay, maybe that was more than one line. But I'm done ranting.

There is one lone thing that I loved about this book, and that was how the sections were titled. Prelude, Overture, Interlude, Serenade, and Coda. It was simply brilliant and beautiful.

But if only it had been accompanied by a better-written story.

It wasn't a bad book at all. It had a lot of historical facts, which were very interesting. But they should have been saved for a biography, not a novel. In fact, if this book had been advertised as a biography written in a fictionally-styled first-person perspective, I think it would have done a lot better. But as a novel, it's rather... dull.

And that is all I have to say.

[Dailycheapreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank goodness I stuck with this book to see it through to the end.
This book by Nancy Moser is, obviously, about Mozart’s Sister Anna Maria, who usually went by Nannerl. It is clearly a fictionalized account, but is thoroughly researched so it makes for a lazy way to learn some interesting history.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, known to his older sister as Wolfie, begins to display his musical genius as a young boy. For an older sister who is nearly as gifted at playing the piano, this makes for a strained relationship. Their father is determined to show the world their musical gifts are from God and continually pushes them to perform before audiences. When they were just 12 and 7, they set out on a Grand Tour of Europe, playing before royalty in many countries.

As such, the first part of the book read like a travelogue of 18th Century Europe. The first person narration hardly sounds like a young girl, except for repeated complaints that her little brother receives more attention and Nannerl’s predictable remarks that it wasn’t fair she couldn’t be a composer just because she was female.

Even so, the story was interesting enough to keep me reading.

The second half became much more interesting. Nannerl and Mozart were separated when he went to Vienna and she had to cope with her father’s efforts to control his son from afar. She also came to realize that her most marriageable years had passed while she was occupied with music. It is a far more interesting tale to see her balance her gifts in music with just-as-strong desires to be a wife and mother. Nannerl’s situation is made more complicated by her brother’s notoriety which was not well received in their hometown of Salzburg and the archbishop’s desire to retaliate for perceived slights from the Mozarts men.