The Beethoven Medal

Pennington #2

by K.M. Peyton

Being in love with Patrick Pennington isn't easy. With his all-consuming passion for music, and his desperate need for freedom, Ruth isn't sure there's room for her in his life. Will he ever love and need her in return?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, 20th Century, Music, Romance

185 pages, Hardcover

First published June 20, 1974

About the author

Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults

Reviews

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually belonged to my mom before she gave it to me years ago. She told me it was called "The Beethoven Medal" when it first came out in 1972, but they switched the title for a little bit before going back to the original title. I was intrigued by a book with two titles so I asked to read it. Once I started reading I couldn't put it down! K.M. Peyton shows that a well written book with great characters will never go out of style. It is a book that I love because of how perfectly imperfect the characters are. The parents wanting to watch over their daughter, the brother who wants his sister to spread her wings and be happy, the daughter lacking confidence but finding herself trying to become who she wants while trying to spend time with a boy, the boy being a mysterious, moody, musical genius who does odd jobs around the area and has a few secrets trying to distance himself from the girl he's drawn to, and the protective and caring professor who will do what he can to make sure nothing distracts his pupil from his full potential and musical dream. These are just a few of the characters that are in the book. All these characters come together and create a world I feel so happy to be in if only for a while. In the future, when I find this book among my book collection, I will think back to the treasure my mom gave me that is this book.

[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although a huge fan of her Flambards novels, I had tried and not gotten through the early book about Patrick Pennington. I was startled when I picked this one up and realized she had introduced Pennington to Ruth Hollis from the "pony" book series that began with Fly-by-Night. Unlike other authors who try to blend their series and are unsuccessful (for example, Madeleine L'Engle who gets tangled time-wise but perhaps doesn't care), Ruth and Pat have instant chemistry and are an oddly convincing couple. This book was impossible to put down from the first moment, and of course, I then had to go back and reread all the earlier books.

[Kayli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated: So, obviously I read this before and loved it (which is weird because on this second reading I didn't recall any bit of it from before), so I just bought it to read again and I wasn't as enamored with it. After reading the first book about Penn he got kind of tiresome. And Ruth wasn't super interesting, but still, read it in one night and then the next book too, so it definitely was readable/engrossing.

I really really enjoyed reading this story. It is a teenage love-story, and a good one of those is so VERY hard to come by, but when they are done right can be so good. This was a good one. Of course, being in that genre, be ready for lots of FEELINGS and teenage angst, but it's done so well and convincingly. I really liked that the male character is the ever-popular dangerous bad boy/talented genius/needy boy type, and he never did get completely figured out. Now I want to read more by Peyton.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Hollis, the pony mad heroine of Fly-by-night, has a new passion in her life, patrick Pennington, the moody, difficult, trouble prone hero of Pennington's seventeenth Summer. pat is working as a baker's boy, and Ruth hopefully mows the lawn every day at the hour the bread is expected. Shy but determined, the lovestruck Ruth slowly gets to know the reserved Pat and a relationship gradually blossoms. but with pat trouble can never be far away, and then there is the professor, who is determined to keep Pat at his work and not distracted by girls. this book vividly describes the joys and pains of first love, and of course you want ruth to get her heart's desire, while at the same time perhaps regretting a little that a man has taken the place of ponies as her greatest passion.

[Priscilla King · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick Pennington was struck on skinny little Sylvia at the end of his Seventeenth Summer, and he might be tempted by rich Claire or old flame Rita, but in this book he meets the love of his life, Ruth Hollis, the problem pony rescuer. Not that Ruth can rescue Penn. Nobody ever can. Peyton never gives a character an easy time. But they're a pair...and this story is a nice cautionary tale for anyone who fantasizes about reforming a "Bad Boy." Patrick's not even really bad so much as thoughtless, but his first real romance should give romantic girls much food for thought.

[Brianna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. I read it when I was a teenager. I didn't know then that there was a prequel, (Pennington's Last Term), and two sequels. I recently read the prequel, and now I have re-read this book. Penn is now called "Pat". He is going to music college in London and working as a bakery delivery boy when he's home on holiday. "Pennington"s Last Term" was told from Pennington's point of view. In this book, we see things through Ruth's eyes. Ruth is a new character, she wasn't in the last Pennington novel. She has a massive crush on the good-looking delivery boy. She always manages to be outside doing yard work at delivery time. This book, like the last one, is a drama that also manages to be funny. There is a very funny scene in the beginning of this book. Pat cuts his finger on the door of the van. Ruth and her family don't know that Pat is also a pianist. They can't understand why he's so upset. When he is invited into the house to wash out the wound, Ruth, her mother and her brother watch "in silence" as this hulking, muscular young man meticulously cleanses, medicates, and dresses what is basically a scratch. After he leaves, Ruth's brother tells her, "He's a raving hypochondriac!" But Ruth isn't deterred. A little while later she's walking down the road to catch the bus to go into town, and Pat is driving by, finished with his rounds. She waves him down, which is uncharacteristic of the quiet, shy Ruth, and asks him to give her a ride into town. Once she's in the truck, seated next to her crush, Ruth can't think of anything to say. The writing is so good, we can practically experience Ruth's excitement and desperation. We feel for her. The author manages to convey through Ruth what adolescence is like. The constant mood shifts. The confusion. Trying to figure out what everything means and who you are. And what it's like to have a huge crush. Of course, Ruth and Pat start to date, but it doesn't go smoothly. Pat is complex, belligerent, and vulnerable. Ruth falls in love with him, and so do we. Ruth herself is a complex, believable character. The book ends with Pat looking at prison time for punching a police officer. Ruth promises to wait for him. Will she? What will happen to Pat's amazing musical gift if he isn't able to practice the piano for nine months? I guess I'll have to read the sequel!

[Yellowoasis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book again after such a long time gave me such pangs of delicious longing. Ruth falls hard for the difficult, brilliant young pianist - I can't wait to get stuck into the final book next.

[Tani Hanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book shaped the writer and romantic I am. I love Pat, and everything about him. Pls read this book, and keep in mind when it was written. My daughter found the book sexist, which shocked me, just like how Ruth was shocked at her mother’s reaction to the movie. I love you, Pat, forever.

[Lucy Houbart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. I'd read that it might not be as good as the first. I probably enjoyed it even more than the first. The relationships are so true and well described. Its hard to put any of these books down, they are so captivating. I'm preferring the change from the horse world to the world of classical music. Listening to classical music is more accessible to us than horse riding. Penn's character is extreme but it is also believable. Their relationship is dated but so true for that time and we can learn so much from reading recent history on what relationships were like then. There's an indepth description of peoples' emotions for all the main characters so that we learn so much about them. The action is gripping as there are so many twists and turns. But I never think this couldn't have happened. Such a satisfying read.

[Hazel Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lot better than the first book. You can tell Pennington is trying and he’s more than his willful rebellion. However, as someone who’s type is nerds and quiet boys, I do not understand Ruth’s love for Pennington. A fun read, all in all.

[Ann]

Teen love story that is a notch above the rest.
Years ago I read Flambards by this author and loved the story and the horses. While The Beethoven Medal has just a moment or two with a horse it was still filled with the same youthful passion for experience.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C. fiction, YA, relationships, pianist, obstacles, series, (Pennington, #2), from stash, discard

[Joanne Shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure I’d bother tbh. Stop at Pennington’s Seventeeth Summer.

[Tabitha Suzuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favourite childhood author who read my first attempt at a book when I was 17, despite having never met me!
Inspired my first published book: 'A Note of Madness'.

[Kelly]

Ah I remember reading this book when I was about 12/13 and it was my very first book that pulled me in emotionally.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

[Rachel Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading my teenage favourites by one of my favourite authors. Just as good now as they were then.