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The Busker #1
The Busker
Alex Fraser is a rootless drifter, a Scottish fiddler who makes his living by playing his country's traditional music on the street. He makes his home wherever there's a pavement where his fiddle and bow might earn him a few coins. He tries to stay anonymous, for he's a man hiding from life, haunted by the death of his wife, which he caused, and for which he was convicted of manslaughter. After serving his sentence in Barlinnie prison in Scotland, he decides to try his luck in Europe.
In Switzerland he befriends Max, an old accordion player who also works the street. Max tells him a complicated story, a puzzle rooted in the Spanish Civil War. It's a tale of kindness and brutality, involving a German intelligence unit, a rescued child, a valuable painting and an even more valuable inheritance. Max knows he is dying. He wants his unfinished business taken care of, and because he has come to trust Alex, he charges him with the task. In spite of his doubts, Alex agrees to try.
The maelstrom of violence and greed he uncovers is byzantine, daunting and ruthless. It pursues him relentlessly across a continent, it makes him confront love again, and it forces him to take responsibility for an orphaned child.
And above all, it gives him no choice but to trust in his own resolve, and to believe again in his own worth as a human being.
In Switzerland he befriends Max, an old accordion player who also works the street. Max tells him a complicated story, a puzzle rooted in the Spanish Civil War. It's a tale of kindness and brutality, involving a German intelligence unit, a rescued child, a valuable painting and an even more valuable inheritance. Max knows he is dying. He wants his unfinished business taken care of, and because he has come to trust Alex, he charges him with the task. In spite of his doubts, Alex agrees to try.
The maelstrom of violence and greed he uncovers is byzantine, daunting and ruthless. It pursues him relentlessly across a continent, it makes him confront love again, and it forces him to take responsibility for an orphaned child.
And above all, it gives him no choice but to trust in his own resolve, and to believe again in his own worth as a human being.
236 pages, Paperback
First published November 9, 1989
About the author
Brian McNeill
20 booksLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk musician performer, songwriter, composer, producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material.
As a novelist he has published two books, The Busker and To Answer the Peacock. He has also produced an acclaimed audio-visual show about Scottish emigration to America, The Back o' the North Wind.
Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk musician performer, songwriter, composer, producer and musical director. He was a founding member of The Battlefield Band which combined traditional celtic melodies and new material.
As a novelist he has published two books, The Busker and To Answer the Peacock. He has also produced an acclaimed audio-visual show about Scottish emigration to America, The Back o' the North Wind.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 27, 2009
A darker book than To Answer the Peacock. Very high body count, among both villains and sympathetic characters.
The book has been out of print since before I heard of it. So I bought a used one online. When I paid $27 for the used book, I somehow failed to realize I was getting a little mass-market paperback. Oh well.
The book has been out of print since before I heard of it. So I bought a used one online. When I paid $27 for the used book, I somehow failed to realize I was getting a little mass-market paperback. Oh well.
Displaying 1 of 1 review