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The Magic Bow
362 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1940
2 people want to read
About the author
Manuel Komroff
104 books4 followersManuel Komroff (September 7, 1890 – 10 December 1974) was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, editor and translator.
He was born in New York where he began his working life as a journalist. He also spent some time in Russia during the Russian Revolution.
One of his most successful publications was his edited version of The Travels of Marco Polo, first published in 1926.
He was born in New York where he began his working life as a journalist. He also spent some time in Russia during the Russian Revolution.
One of his most successful publications was his edited version of The Travels of Marco Polo, first published in 1926.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 7, 2023
I didn’t finish (I got to page 261). Which is a bummer. Because I’ve loved every book by Komroff up until this one.
First, the writing was getting to me; particularly the dialogue. It was an incredibly repetitive back and forth, and so took pages to get any information exchanged.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes, I talked to him.”
“Did he say much?”
“Yes, he said much.”
“What did he say?”… and so on (my example).
Lame.
Komroff! You write so much better than this. What happened?
Secondly, I didn’t think this was actually a romance. I just thought ‘A Romance of Paganini’ was a poetic use of the word since this book is about a genius performer, beautiful Stradivarius violins and music.
But it is a romance, with a Countess; which you know isn’t going to go anywhere because Paganini was a pauper. And the romance (and the “romantic” dialogue, of course) was also lame.
Anyway, this is not the biography I was hoping for.
One positive: it was interesting having Napoleon’s March into Italy take place during this story and learn about him and the current affairs of Paganini’s time. Also learning more about the violins made by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, and Amati.
Cleanliness: blasphemy is sprinkled throughout. Kissing, an arm around a waist, a night alone together (nothing is even hinted at but you can assume what they did). A few subtle sexual innuendos. A stint at gambling which is not shown favorably and is regretted.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
First, the writing was getting to me; particularly the dialogue. It was an incredibly repetitive back and forth, and so took pages to get any information exchanged.
“Did you talk to him?”
“Yes, I talked to him.”
“Did he say much?”
“Yes, he said much.”
“What did he say?”… and so on (my example).
Lame.
Komroff! You write so much better than this. What happened?
Secondly, I didn’t think this was actually a romance. I just thought ‘A Romance of Paganini’ was a poetic use of the word since this book is about a genius performer, beautiful Stradivarius violins and music.
But it is a romance, with a Countess; which you know isn’t going to go anywhere because Paganini was a pauper. And the romance (and the “romantic” dialogue, of course) was also lame.
Anyway, this is not the biography I was hoping for.
One positive: it was interesting having Napoleon’s March into Italy take place during this story and learn about him and the current affairs of Paganini’s time. Also learning more about the violins made by Stradivarius, Guarnerius, and Amati.
Cleanliness: blasphemy is sprinkled throughout. Kissing, an arm around a waist, a night alone together (nothing is even hinted at but you can assume what they did). A few subtle sexual innuendos. A stint at gambling which is not shown favorably and is regretted.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
Displaying 1 of 1 review