The Bells

by Richard Harvell

I grew up as the son of a man who could not possibly have been my father. Though there was never any doubt that my seed had come from another man, Moses Froben, Lo Svizzero , called me “son.” And I called him “father.” On the rare occasions when someone dared to ask for clarification, he simply laughed as though the questioner were obtuse. “Of course he’s not my son!” he would say. “Don’t be ridiculous.” 

But whenever I myself gained the courage to ask him further of our past, he just looked sadly at me. “Please, Nicolai,” he would say after a moment, as though we had made a pact I had forgotten. With time, I came to understand I would never know the secrets of my birth, for my father was the only one who knew these secrets, and he would take them to his grave.
 
The celebrated opera singer Lo Svizzero was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps where his mother served as the keeper of the loudest and most beautiful bells in the land. Shaped by the bells’ glorious music, as a boy he possessed an extraordinary gift for sound. But when his preternatural hearing was discovered—along with its power to expose the sins of the church—young Moses Froben was cast out of his village with only his ears to guide him in a world fraught with danger.
 
Rescued from certain death by two traveling monks, he finds refuge at the vast and powerful Abbey of St. Gall. There, his ears lead him through the ancient stone hallways and past the monks’ cells into the choir, where he aches to join the singers in their strange and enchanting song. Suddenly Moses knows his true gift, his purpose. Like his mother’s bells, he rings with sound and soon, he becomes the protégé of the Abbey’s brilliant yet repulsive choirmaster, Ulrich.
 
But it is this gift that will cause Moses’ greatest determined to preserve his brilliant pupil’s voice, Ulrich has Moses castrated. Now a young man, he will forever sing with the exquisite voice of an angel—a musico —yet castration is an abomination in the Swiss Confederation, and so he must hide his shameful condition from his friends and even from the girl he has come to love. When his saviors are exiled and his beloved leaves St. Gall for an arranged marriage in Vienna, he decides he can deny the truth no longer and he follows her—to sumptuous Vienna, to the former monks who saved his life, to an apprenticeship at one of Europe’s greatest theaters, and to the premiere of one of history’s most beloved operas.
 
In this confessional letter to his son, Moses recounts how his gift for sound led him on an astonishing journey to Europe’s celebrated opera houses and reveals the secret that has long shadowed his How did Moses Froben, world renowned musico , come to raise a son who by all rights he never could have sired?
 
Like the voice of Lo Svizzero , The Bells is a sublime debut novel that rings with passion, courage, and beauty.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Music, Book Club, Romance, Literary Fiction

374 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2010

About the author

RICHARD HARVELL was born in New Hampshire, USA, and studied English literature at Dartmouth College. He now lives in Basel, Switzerland, with his wife and children. The Bells is his first novel.

About The Bells:

INDIE NEXT PICK, October, 2010

"The Bells does for the ears what Perfume did for the nose. A novel to engage the senses as well as tickle the mind."

—Sarah Dunant, international bestselling author of Sacred Hearts

"Harvell has fashioned an engrossing first novel ringing with sounds; a musical and literary treat."

—Booklist

"Wrenching and painfully triumphant.... A poignant and acutely told story of the human spirit; highly recommended."

—Library Journal

Reviews

[AiK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Из этого полуисторического романа мы узнаем о таком явлении в музыкальной истории, как певцы-кастраты, которые пели в церковных хорах и блистали на оперной сцене. В романе есть как вымышленные персонажи, так и реально существовавшие, такие как композитор Кристоф Виллибальд Глюк и певец Гаэтано Гуаданьи.
Несмотря на указанное выше познавательное значение, сам роман мне не понравился из-за скудости языка, осовремененных отношений, которые звучат чуждо для середины восемнадцатого века, сказочности сюжета с приключениями. Герои - Мозес и Амалия почти повторяют миф об Орфее и Эвридике, конечно, без спускания в подземное царство, но которое заменяется замужеством и разлукой. Автор, желая показать, что любовь духовная выше любви телесной, влюбляет Амалию в скопца. Но это выглядит сказочно. На последних сроках беременности, она легко и без колебаний покидает своего вельможного мужа, что тоже диссонирует с моралью тех времен. Гораздо реалистичнее выглядят сцены издевательств над Мозесом в монастыре - человеческому обществу свойственно гнать и унижать непохожих, имеющих какой-либо недостаток людей. Использование образов колоколов неплохо вышло, но они полностью растворились в последующей бурной жизни Мозеса.
Какой-то идеи нет, просто полное приключений жизнеописание, заканчивающегося на краже новорожденного сына Амалии и переезда в Венецию.
Подводя итог, этот роман можно классифицировать, как сказку с некоей отсылкой к мифу об Орфее и Эвридике.

[Keilani Ludlow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Spoilers -I'm probably going to get chewed out for my moral views for this review but -
Ugh. The underlying story is interesting. The son of a deaf/mute woman from a small hill town has through the course of events, developed or maybe even been born with the ability to hear sound very differently, hear little details, great distance, how bits and pieces of sound go together. His description of what he hears is in great color and detail. It could be beautiful but the surrounding of the story is coarse and vulgar. His father was a priest who repeatedly raped his mother as she had no means to stop him. His father thinks he's mute too, but then tries to kill him when he finds out the boy can talk and therefore can give away his secret. He is saved by two priests who of course turn out to be gay. He's taken to a monastery and it's discovered that he has the voice of an angel. At some point a priest castrates him to preserve his voice. The story goes on...

My dislike of the story is this, the graphic, coarse, vulgar descriptions. The choir-leader priest who touches, pokes, caresses, coaxes him into his best singing? Sexual abuse? Hard to say but it's definitely on your mind while reading this. The main character's graphic descriptions of the different sounds of sex at various houses as he listens outside the window, the feeling he has as a girl bends over and he can see she's not wearing underwear under her dress, the descriptive near-sex experience (because of course he's castrated) with the girl he likes, and so on. I got about half way through and gave it up and it should have been sooner. Again, the underlying story could be interesting, the description of sound is interesting, but the dirt surrounding it makes it not worth the effort.

[Marialyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic! The ending gave me chills. This was a little unknown book to me but one that left me in awe. It was written about an 18th century opera singer and the struggles he went through in his life. From his impoverished beginnings where he learned the love and feel for his mother's bells, to the opera house where he became a great virtuoso, the reader becomes involved with his life, his friends, his love, and his ability to sing like no other.

The writing made the character ever so endearing as he learns not only to sing but to feel the music as it makes its way through his heart and soul. Moses is a haunting character and his life makes you cringe at times as well as filling you with tenderness for his many trials.

In this book, Harvell has created a stunningly beautiful tale of love in all its various forms. You will care so much for Moses and his friends and despise those who mistreat and harm him. I can only hope that Mr Harvell continues to write as his words were mesmerizing and his tale captured my spirit from the first page to its very brilliant ending.

[George Ilsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rewarding and illuminating (but also disturbing).

One does not often read novels about young male singers who are castrated to preserve the angelic purity of a clear young unbroken voice. The details about castrati are gross and engrossing.

It's a topic that makes you wonder if humans actually did some of the unbelievable things that humans are known to have done. Oh, the sacrifices that are made for Art. Other than that, I'll let the 5 stars speak for themselves.

[Bobby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s Cry to Heaven meets Perfume.

The author writes gorgeous, elegant prose and knows how to keep the reader continuously interested. The title made me think at first of Edgar Allan Poe, and the story indeed includes several events as grotesque and horrifying as anything in Poe, although the style is more sedate and much less baroque, which I suppose is appropriate for a musical tale set during the neoclassical period.

The main character is prodigiously talented and suffers terribly throughout the book, but he does not have a particularly interesting personality and does not really instigate much of the action—most of the time things are done to him or for him by far more interesting characters. Telling the story in first person also makes this character come across as biased, egocentric, and ultimately unreliable, since he spends so much time emphasizing what a misunderstood, put-upon, suffering genius he is and assuring us that anyone who likes him is charming, perceptive, and compassionate, while anyone opposed to his interests is mediocre, uncomprehending, cruel, pompous, or just plain repulsive.

The plot is inspired by Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, and is justifiably and entertainingly as far-fetched and melodramatic as any typical opera plot or Greek myth. The beginning and ending are particularly hard to swallow—would a child brought up in a church belfry by his deaf-mute, Quasimodo-like mother be more likely to become a musical prodigy or to end up, say, stone-deaf and mentally ill? By the end of the novel I couldn’t help wondering if the sometimes preposterous story is meant to be accepted at face value or whether it is also supposed to be open to interpretation as the fantasies of a self-deluded madman with a vivid imagination and a talent for writing rather than for singing.

This is a very impressive first novel, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I tried to describe Richard Harvell's The Bells to a few friends today. After I told them it was about rape, kidnapping, castration and a bit improbable, they wanted to know why they'd want to read it. Good question. My opening pitch was how I absolutely loved this book. It seems to be a book you're going to love or hate. Every time I try to sum up the feelings this story provoked in me, I can't seem to get it right.

I was quickly drawn into the story of a deaf-mute woman who is a ringer of three magnificent bells in a Swiss village. She rings the bells with such abandon and feels their vibrations to the very core of her being. She is repeatedly raped by the priest of the church and gives birth to a son. They live in the belfry and scrounge for food and sustenance to survive. Rage overwhelms the priest when he realizes the boy is neither mute nor death as he thought and he tries to drown him. He is saved from the river by two monks who name him Moses Froben and take him to their abbey. Here, Mose's beautiful voice is discovered. To keep the voice of an angel he is castrated; becoming a musico. This debut novel then follows the life of Moses as his incredible singing voice eventually transforms him to Lo Suizzero, the greatest musical talent of Europe in the 18th century. His road to fame is fraught with adventures including love, heartbreak, and tragedy.

I liked everything about The Bells, the characters, the story, the history. I don't know much about opera or if after you see a great performance you would rise and say bravo but after reading The Bells I wanted to say just that; "Bravo, bravo, bravo!". The Bells is much about sound, song and music and how they can fill your mind, body and soul and leave you either feeling satisfied or yearning for more. I marked passages of music to search out and then found Tanya (Goodreads reader and BooksontheNightstand group member) had done my work for me by creating a play list on iTunes. The link to the playlist can be found @ http://booksonthenightstand.com/2010/...

Even though The Bells is 384 pages and I'm generally a slow reader, I found myself flying through it during the past New England snow storm.

I read a review that called it a Danielle Steele like romance set in The Middle Ages. To each their own I say.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a breathtaking book. For me, it's awesomeness lies in Harvell's descriptive passages, where he makes sounds come alive and assume a persona. The sounds of bells, of music, of breathe, of hooves on cobbles, of lovemaking, of a cat's hiss, of so many sounds so beautifully described that they become a character that invades the book in such a magical and believeable way that it would be impossible for the book to exist without it. The author begins the book with a letter from the narrator's son. This part of the book was absolutely lost to me, because Act 1 begins with a story of a boy born to a mad woman who lives in the church belfry and rings the bells. Quickly the reader learns that the woman is deaf and the boy's father is Father Karl Victor Vonderach, the shepard of the town church. We learn the history of the bells and what brought them into being. The meat of the story at first is just a little difficult to follow and the letter at the beginning and Act 1 talk of two boys who have questions about their paternity. The letter at the beginning is short and faded so quickly into the background music of the book that its low hum made no effect on me whatsoever. I had completely forgotten it, so when I came to the end, I reread it and said, well, of course. However I was happy that I hadn't realized the impact of the letter. Better not to know, not to realize, better to wonder how things are going to turn out. I think the letter would have better served as an epilogue, and for me, that was ultimately the purpose it served. The boy narrator is Moses Froben and his mother is a tragic character as well as is his father. However the mother, Adelheid's life is shot thru with threads of gold, which she spins about her son. Moses Froben becomes a tragic character as well, but like his mother, he makes use of tragedy and sorrow, weaving them into his world, often with extreme angst. He meets extraordinary characters, characters that use and manipulate him and others that exude an otherworldly grace and kindness, the music of love. Such a beautiful book. I hope I never forget Moses, Nicolai, Remus, and Amalia. Amalia, his sweet love, his musical counterpoint, the one who gives Moses's life meaning. Exquisite!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dal titolo originale The Bells, questo primo e unico romanzo di Richard Harvell mi ha incredibilmente sorpresa e colpita. E, cosa che raramente accade, anche la traduzione italiana nel titolo L'esatta melodia dell'aria ne restituisce perfettamente il senso.
L'aria, non soltanto quella che si respira, che costituisce l'atmosfera e ciò di cui viviamo, ma anche e soprattutto l'aria che si ascolta, come quella che tra tante costituisce la celebre opera "Orfeo ed Euridice" di Gluck che fa da filo rosso in questo romanzo.

Nella Svizzera del XVIII secolo, Moses possiede una voce che allo stesso tempo è dono e condanna. Questa sua dote, a partire dal momento in cui verrà scoperta rappresenterà per lui dannazione e salvezza, e attirerà sul protagonista fama e disgrazia elargite in egual misura. Perché proprio al fine di rendere il suo dono unico e inalterabile, Moses sarà sottoposto alla pratica della castrazione. Egli diventerà così un angelo, creatura né completamente uomo né donna che con la sua voce conquisterà e ammalierà intere schiere di donne e pubblico.

La musica è la vera protagonista di questo romanzo in cui ogni parola diventa nota, e come per Grenouille, che in Profumo domina la realtà con il suo olfatto sovrumano, anche per Moses la realtà viene completamente assorbita e decodificata attraverso uno dei cinque sensi, quello uditivo.

Ma L'esatta melodia dell'aria non è solo questo: è la storia di un bambino allevato in un campanile, salvato da un Gigante e da un Lupo e cresciuto in un'abbazia; è la storia di una grande ingiustizia subìta, la trasformazione in angelo, che può diventare opportunità di redenzione, quando per Grenouille il proprio dono non è altro che occasione di vendetta e rivalsa.

È una storia ricca di speranza, desiderio di essere accettati ed amati per ciò che si è; una storia il cui messaggio più importante è che l'amore, in ogni sua forma, è il vero motore del mondo, dell'aria che respiriamo.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical fiction at its best! Loved this story and the characters!
I am surprised this author has not written more since this novel.
It is such a unique story.

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moses Froben, an opera singer of world-renown, raised a son who could not possibly have been his own. When his son asked how they had come to be together, Moses would studiously avoid the question. On Moses's death, however, his son found a memoir that told of Moses's humble beginnings and how father and son found each other.

The side of me that loves dark, convoluted, Gothic stories absolutely loved this book! A mother widely believed to be mad, an evil father, life with monks, and love against all odds just add up to the perfect read when I am in the right mood. And I was in the right mood for this one.

Gothic doesn't feel like exactly the right word to describe this book, but melodramatic has a negative connotation, at least to me, so I'm going to stick with Gothic.

Moses is a sensitive soul, and I found myself wanting to protect him in his childhood years. As he grew up and started to go after what he wanted, I was firmly on his side, cheering him on through everything.

I won't get into the supporting characters too much for fear of giving something away, but I even loved and loathed them as I was supposed to. I will give you this quote about a bookish monk*: "And sure enough, the next Thursday, when Nicolai had fetched me from rehearsal and scrubbed my face and combed my hair, there stood Remus, dressed in hat and cloak and carrying a satchel full of books as though we would be traveling for many days, as if running out of books were tantamount to running out of air." Who among us can't relate to that? And they were only going to be away for a couple of hours!

Moses' descriptions of sounds and music were a feast for all the senses. "Guadagni waved his hands as he sang, his long fingers describing ebbs and swells just as his voice did. In its delicate moments, he held me rigid as I strained to hear, and then, in its massive moments, I felt as if I might collapse under the force of his voice's brilliance. Guadagni gazed toward a corner of the room, and I saw in his eyes that there was his Eurydice, soon to be his again. Find her! the music said to me. Find her! It swept away any fear that lingered in the shadows of my soul. Warm tears stained my now-clean face."*

But mostly this story is about love. Motherly love, fatherly love, passionate love--love in all its forms. While I would never describe myself as being a fan of romances, I am a sucker for stories with such pure love in them.

If you're in the mood for a Gothic novel with a big voice, pick this one up. I think you'll love it.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.

*I read an ARC, so this quote might have changed or been removed from the final edition.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alcuni lo hanno paragonato a Il profumo, perchè questo romanzo vuole parlare dei suoni come Patrick Süskind ci ha parlato degli odori, ma non ritengo siano paragonabili: Il Profumo è uno dei miei libri preferiti, lo ritengo un capolavoro.

L'esatta melodia dell'aria è una storia ben scritta, favoleggiante al punto giusto, con un protagonista tutto sommato ottimista nonostante le avversità della vita, che perseverando nel suo ottimismo arriva a una sorta di lieto fine.
La storia dei castrati per diventare cantanti è tutto sommato marginale, così come la cronaca della vita quotidiana delle varie classi sociali. L'unica cosa che trovo slegata dalla storia è l'antefatto, ovvero la digressione sulla madre sorda e sul padre misterioso. Troppo lunga, e poco utile allo sviluppo della trama. Immaginavo che la figura religiosa del padre avesse un eco nella vita monastica, ma non ho ritrovato parallelismi..
I personaggi poveri sono i più belli. Penso a Nicolai, certo, ma anche la balia delle ultime pagine è una macchietta divertente. L'autorità è un antagonista, ma non il cattivo. Se vogliamo trovare un cattivo direi che sono le classi sociali, e l'impossibilità di muoversi dall'una all'altra se non per pochi eletti e con grandi sacrifici.

La scrittura è gradevole, l'impostazione e i personaggi semplici ma non banali. Ognuno ricopre bene il proprio ruolo, risultando in una lettura scorrevole difficile da mettere giù. In fondo è una storia di redenzione, con non pochi elementi fantastici o per lo meno fantasiosi. Una lettura positiva, leggera, adatta a queste giornate estive.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I wish I could have listened to a soundtrack while reading the beautiful descriptions of sound in this book. It was hard to put this one down. It has a little bit of everything orphans, monks, an evil abbot, controlling aunt and sinister Mother-in-law. The best part was the on the edge of my seat love story. At one point I felt like the novel was getting a bit overly dramatic and far fetched, but I decided it is a story in part about opera and singing so I just completely submitted to the drama and it was quite a wonderful ride.

[Gaetano Laureanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto questo strano romanzo, opera prima di Richard Harvell, un americano emigrato in Svizzera; proprio quella Svizzera da dove inizia la magica storia narrata dal protagonista Moses su un manoscritto trovato dal figlio “adottivo” dopo la morte del padre.

Perdonando la forzatura che diventa parte fondamentale del libro ovvero l'estrema sensibilità acustica del protagonista che, a differenza della madre sorda, dovrebbe aver sofferto da piccolo a causa della prossimità con le campane più potenti dell’epoca, il romanzo scorre e le capacità quasi sovrannaturali del nostro eroe sono, per così dire, ”amplificate" dall'abilità narrativa dell'autore nella descrizione dei suoni che lo circondano e delle vibrazioni sonore che lo abbracciano.

I panorami sonori, proprio come i dipinti, si compongono di strati. La base è costituita dal vento.

Una storia di formazione, dalle montagne svizzere alla Vienna del diciottesimo secolo con filo conduttore il suono, il canto e l’amore impossibile che spinge Moses a superare ogni ostacolo.

Molte sensazioni hanno accompagnato la lettura, dolce ed amara al tempo stesso.

Ho odiato padre Karl Victor, per me l’unico personaggio negativo al 100%.

Ho sofferto per la menomazione inflitta a Moses, purtroppo crudelmente applicata a tanti giovanetti dell'epoca in nome del "bel canto".

Ho camminato insieme al silenzioso e spettrale protagonista per le strade ed i vicoli svizzeri e viennesi, dai quartieri ricchi a quelli poveri e malfamati.

Mi sono emozionato all'incontro di ... Gluck ed alla rappresentazione della sua opera Orfeo ed Euridice davanti al pubblico fremente di Vienna.

Un pizzico di avventura, infine, non guasta la ricetta, culminando con l’incredibile rapimento del piccolo Nicolai, favorito, ancora una volta, dai possenti rintocchi delle campane.

Concludo con una ultima nota: la figura della madre sorda che suona con arte le campane mi ha ricordato la percussionista Evelyn Glennie,

considerata la maggiore percussionista vivente, che - affetta da una sordità profonda dall'età di 12 anni - suona ascoltando la musica grazie alle energie sonore che le attraversano il corpo: "Suono scalza - dice - così che possa sentire dalla terra le vibrazioni". Percuotendo tramite la nuda mano o con l'aiuto delle bacchette, percepisce il suono come sensazione tattile, prima che uditiva.

[Nazzarena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwwwww
*_*

[Mrose46 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Bells is an almost magical story about a boy who, although he is born of a deaf mute mother, is ironically gifted with the ability to hear and distinguish the slightest and infinite variety of sounds heard in everything from the greatest operatic mass sung in Latin, to the sound of a metal key rubbing against the lock of a bedroom door, to the slightest breath from a baby’s lungs. Born into poverty as the bastard child of a woman who lived off of the charity of the local townspeople and the dreaded desires of the lustful village priest, Moses Froben became immune to the deafness that plagued all those who lived or worked in close proximity to what were considered at the time “the Loudest Bells on Earth,” in the Uri Valley of Switzerland. Instead of going deaf from hearing the bells rung by his waifish mother every day as she danced beneath the bells, pulling and hanging from the ropes, he developed the ability to distinguish every single individual note and tone contained in those titanic beloved and also feared daily peals.

The story of Moses’ six decade transformation from the poor, ragged son of poverty into one of the world’s greatest stars of opera is one that takes him from the village in Switzerland where he was born, to a monastery where he is adopted and rescued from the swirling currents of a river, and on to the protection of the maestros of the music worlds of Vienna and Venice. Along the way, the sheltered Moses is helped by a pair of atypical monks, Remus and Nicolai, whose belief in the power of love, knowledge, beauty and the ordinary pleasures of life is so extreme as to be considered heretical in the traditional world of monastic life.

For those who are not well versed in the world of 18th century European aria, reading the book is an eye-opening tool into certain practices and ways of life of the era. For example, the reader works alongside the dwarf Tasso under the stage of the Burgtheater in Vienna as he deftly draws pulleys that produce changes in backdrops and props on the stage for the grand operas. The reader also learns about the reverence and adoration for the musicians of the time that is such a force that it becomes the motivation and vehicle for the castration of young men whose voices show promise and who will forever after become known as “castrati” or “el musico,” a practice that is horrifying and incomprehensible to the modern reader, forever depriving the “castrati” of the chance for a complete physical and emotional love relationship for the rest of his life. Or perhaps not? What kind of power would be strong enough to restore the wholeness that had been taken away from a man?

One of the underlying themes of the story is that of the power of love as epitomized in the love that existed in the mythic story of Orpheus and Eurydice. According to Greek myth, Orpheus’ love for Eurydice was so strong that he was allowed to travel into the bowels of hell to retrieve Eurydice under one condition; i.e., that he not look upon her face until they were safely out of the ghastly conditions in hell.

The first appearance of the Gluck opera Orpheus in Vienna in 1762 is the setting for the culminating scenes in the book which are every bit as fast paced as any contemporary page turner book. The reader is enthralled as Moses and his band of misfits carry out a plan to kidnap his one true love from the cold loveless noble family where she has been sequestered. After sharing in the story of a lifetime of humiliation, cruelty and deprivation, and with a background of all the passion of the aria sung by Orpheus and the ever more powerful Pummerin bells of the Stephansdom in Vienna, the reader cheers Moses’ determination and daring as he seeks to finally be allowed the experience of pure, unselfish love. Does this Orpheus successfully save his Eurydice? Read the novel and see.

The Bells is the first novel of writer Richard Harvell who based the story on a significant body of research of the geography and events of 18th century Switzerland and Austria.

[Holly Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Resounds with Operatic Melodrama"

How ironic that Nicolai, the protector of our musical hero says, "“Such music! Opera! How could I waste a moment with a book!” Although the writing is at times contrived, the power of visceral sound that reverberates from the pages of The Bells is astounding. If you are a lover of theatrics and sumptuous opera, this book is for you. Overwrought with all of the excesses we revel in on the opera stage, this opera lover read the book more with her ears than her eyes.

Moses, the protagonist, is a singer whose unusual auditory gifts were sharpened by the resonance of church bells rung by his deaf mother. As a young boy, Moses gloried in the sensations and success of his singing, wanting to be like the beautiful music he sang, with no clue of the ramifications of that success. Forbidden romance, brilliant singing, conspiracy and the search for identity round out his life.

Author Richard Harvell, inspired by his wife’s singing, Swiss cowbells and a recording of Gregorian chant, dug his heels into extensive research of 18th century opera and church music. I compliment his use of cliffhangers and his phenomenal knowledge of acoustics and musicology. For my taste, however, he overdid the use of auditory stimulation in his writing.

This book is striking, horrifying, sensual and mesmerizing. If you enjoy melodrama, you will revel in The Bells.

Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of
Crestmont

[Christy B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a few books this year that have impressed me, but I've been waiting for a book like this. The kind of book that grabs me and doesn't let go, not even long after I'm finished. The kind of book whose story will always linger in my mind.

The Bells is the story of Moses, a boy whose voice enchants anyone who hears, but like so many boys of the time, Moses is a victim of castration, an act that will preserve his beautiful voice, but cause him both great physical and emotional pain. He both hides and questions himself and no longer shares his voice. He becomes a shadow at night, exploring the surrounding town, listening and watching.

This is a story of love, friendship, sacrifice, loyalty, and weaving through it all: music. The descriptions of music in this book were absolutely breathtaking. It truly captured how music can move a person both in their soul and body, whether they are they creator or the listener. At one point, Moses uses his voice to reach out to his love, who does not recognize him. A truly moving moment.

Taking place in 18th century Switzerland and Vienna, The Bells is a truly brilliant piece of work not just for fans of historical fiction, but for any fan of good fiction. It's one of few books that have truly moved me; a very unique story.

[Dustin the wind Crazy little brown owl · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're looking for a beautiful, overlooked, underappreciated treasure of a novel - here's one.
The Bells is rich with themes of legacy and purpose.

I'm rather jealous of the author - born in the United States and now living in Switzerland. My ancestors immigrated from Switzerland in 1861 and I often daydream of visiting that ancestral country someday. I'm assuming Richard Harvell is still in Switzerland since we haven't heard from the author in ten years.

The Bells is a novel that intrigued me when I worked at Borders Bookstore. I bought a hardcover copy during the Borders Liquidation Sale in 2011. During the global pandemic of 2020, I obtained an audiobook to assist me in the auditory experience of The Bells.

Favorite Passages:

In terms of space, our belfry was a tiny world - most would have thought it a prison for a child. But in terms of sound, it was the most massive home on earth. For every sound ever made was trapped in the metal of those bells, and the instant my mother struck them, she released their beauty to the world. So many ears heard the thunderous pealing echo through the mountains.
_______

It so happened that this village possessed, among its treasures, a deaf idiot girl. She was wont to star down the villagers with a haunting glare, as though she knew the sins they fought to hide, and so they drove her off with buckets of dirty wash water whenever she came near. This deaf child was staring at the belfry as she climbed the hill, for she, too, had heard the bells, not in her vacant ears, but as we hear holiness: a vibration in the gut.
_______

. . . the memory of the bells' peal pulls her to the doors and into the church, where she has never been before. There are shards of glass on the floor - the shattered windows - and so she leaves bloody footprints as she climbs the narrow stairs at the back of the church.
_______

The villagers said my mother was not of sound mind. She was skittish, had a wild look; she was dirty, and cried or laughed at nothing. She hid from them in caves; she sometimes went without clothes; she raised her son in a belfry; she ate with her hands; she cared for nothing but her child and the ringing of her bells.
_______

She swung amid the bells, closed her eyes, and, I believe, fantasized that she was one of them.
_______

As my mother rang her bells, she tuned the fibers of her body as a violinist tunes his strings.
_______

I cannot remember my mother's face, but I remember this landscape of her sounds.
_______

We always feasted in the belfry, and threw the bones and pots and spits to the ravine below, where they gathered like the refuse of a bloody battle. We ate with our hands and tore the meat with our teeth, wiping our palms on the rags we wore. We had the luxurious freedom of the wretched.
_______

I am so tired. I am falling asleep, and my last thought, as Rapucci grunts and Ulrich quietly sob, is that what these awful men have taken, one day I shall steal it back again.
_______

"It is bad enough that this city is full of reformers. Now even children are molesting women."
_______

"Science is our way of praying."
_______

"We tried, but we failed. We did not get enough chances, that's the problem. It's unfair, the way it is. Disease getting all the chances it wants, and we getting so few. If it were the other way around we would stumble un the solution one way or another. However, I do thank you for trying. A noble job you have done."
_______

And so, against the sense of Science, I began to sing. From that small library of music in my head, I chose sections from Dufay's Mass for St. Anthony, a piece written when music was still pure and clear, more like a shallow mountain stream than today's profound musical oceans.
_______

I sang even more loudly, and my voice shook off all the dirt and grime that weighed us down. It shook away sadness and disease. It shook away fear and worry. It shook the meek into courage. The sick rose from their beds. My voice shook the desperation from their eyes. It shook the exhaustion from their bodies, the disease from their lungs. We had again what we had lost.
_______

"My son, you are a eunuch. You are not a man. Nor are you a woman. You are a creature that God never intended to create, and so you are destined to remain outside God's design. His law says you cannot marry; nor may you become a priest. This is not cruelty. I expect if you are sincere, you see why it must be so. Moses, your body will not let you be a father. You are weak - a woman's muscles 0n a man's heavy frame. You cannot work the fields. And your mind is also weak. You will never know manly reason."
________

. . . I closed my eyes and unlocked the library of my memory, and my imagination sampled the pleasures of every sound I had ever heard. My heart soared. Hope that I could be happy in this beautiful world began to reawaken inside of me.
Until I opened my eyes and found myself in my cell, in my prison, in this imperfect body, and once more I loathed myself for dreaming.
_______

Three times in my life my dead mother called me with a bell. This night was the first: the abbey's bell struck two.
_______

Landscapes of sound, like paintings, are composed of layers. The wind forms the foundation, which is not a sound, technically, but creates sound as it plays the city: it clangs a loose shutter, hums in a keyhole, makes a whistle of the tin knife coat of arms that hangs above the butchers's shop. With the wind come those other sounds of weather: The rain patters on the cobblestones, it drips off eaves, it rushes in gutters. Sleet hisses. Snow dampens other sounds with its blanket. The earth shifts. Houses creek.
On top of these are the sounds that feed upon the silence of dying and decay: the jaws of rats, dogs and maggots; the bubbling streams of wash water and urine steaming in gutters; the piles of rotting scraps of food and cackle for the patient listener; the heaps of warm manure that sizzle their putrescence; the flit of falling leaves; the dirt settling on a fresh grave. In the twilight, winged beasts feast on the dead and dying: the flutter of the bat, the graceless clap of the alighting pigeon's wings, the mosquito's tenor, the fat fly's ecstatic hum as he hops from shit to urine. No sound was ugly. I laid my ear to graves. I crouched at piles of manure. I followed the streams of urine along the gutters.
_______

It was outside Haus Duft one night that I discovered I was not this city's only ghost.
________

Soon the room seemed noisy. With each glimpse, each painting whispered to me. I removed many of them and turned them so they faced the wall . . .
_______

"If you see me, I will disappear." It was not a lie.
_______

He fed me figs that tasted as if they were soaked in blood. I ate them greedily.
_______

I ran inside the black mountain. I pushed aside wrinkled grandmothers, mourning widows. I knocked a general to his knees, splashed holy water upon the floor. Windowpanes as red as blood cast the pale faces pink. Except for the constant booming, my footfalls upon the black-and-white-checkered floor were the loudest sound in what I realized was a vast church. I stopped in the center of the nave and looked up at the ceiling. It was like the ceiling of a forest: looming gray pillars split into intertwining branches of stone that could have held up the sky.
_______

It had grown quite dark. The Riecher Palace was squeezed between tow larger, but less pristine facades, so all I saw of the grand building was its face, with two lit windows in the second floor its glowing eyes, and its closed black gate its fearsome mouth.
________

Follow me that miraculous evening as I turn at the Schottentor back up the Schottengasse and into the heart of the inner city. I strolled blindly, listening to the clink of silver against Vienna's finest teeth emanating from the elegant residences along the street . . .
________

I tried to gather words, but all I could manage was to clench and unclench my fists before my face, as if trying to grasp some elusive speck of magic dust floating in the air.
________

The ground floor was some kind of public house, with a single word printed above the door: Kaffee.
"In here," Remus said. The sole room was crowded with men on benches. They all drank the same steaming liquid, with a pungent, earthy smell. It seemed a magic brew, for they were all possessed by the same wide-eyed vivacity. They pounded on the tables and spat urgent monologues into each other's ears. At the back of all of this, a raven-haired man played the sorcerer; he ground beans, as black as death, into a fine powder before mixing it with steaming water from a samovar.
________

There was an empty fireplace against one wall. Thick curtains covered the three small windows, so only a dim, indirect glow illuminated the room. Stacks of books were piled on the tables and on the floor along the walls. The close air smelled like drying hay.
Someone sat in an armchair, his back to us, but he was such a large man that even in the dar, I could see it was my friend.
________

"They tear him to pieces. As his dismembered head floats down the Hebrus, he calls Eurydice's name."
________

It was the fifth of October, 1762 - barely forty years ago today if we count revolutions of the sun,, but so much longer by an other scale. We were so young. Little Napoleon still needed seven years before he was ready to be born, and another thirty to conquer France. That year Robespierre and his Terror cried in a Calais crib. Frederick the Great was just Fredrick then. America was a far-off place where cotton grew, not a nation that would embarrass George III with revolution. Bach and Vivaldi were still our heroes. No one had ever heard of Beethoven; he was not yet alive. Little Mozart was six and, in fact, was that night just ten miles from where this history unfolded, speeding toward the imperial city to play his tiny violin for the empress. Today, Amadeus is already fifteen years dead, though he will outlive us all.
The year 1762 was still one full of dreamers. And one of the most faithful dreamers had a sack over his head that October evening. He was being shoved foot first into a coal chute, which, though it may have been the widest coal chute n the empire, was not quite wide enough for this dreamer, large as a bear. His two friends pushed with a violence that made several well-dressed passersby pause in consternation. Then there was a tearing of cloth, a thick pop, and our dreamer slid into the chute.
________

Though I could never unbreak what had been broken, I would stop mourning all that I had lost.
_________

"The moon spins so fast around the earth, that if we stood on it, we would shoot off and burn up in the sun."
_________

I had no time to explain. "My mother," I said, "she was a bell."
_________

"Have you no ears? Have you no heart?"
"I . . . I do," stammered the Kirchner.
"Then, sir," Gluck said in a reproaching tone, "next time you hear beauty calling in the night, I suggest you listen."
________

Nicolai, my son, have I made up for all that I robbed from you? Have I replaced with love your destiny of wealth and privilege? Your double inheritance? Think back through all you know . . .
________

History records the footsteps of its heroes, and in late 1763, on the night of my debut in Teatro San Benedetto, I became a hero.

[Rhlibrary]

This book is unlike any piece of historical fiction I’ve read before. Gone are the queens and other royal figures, the courtiers and painters. Moses, the son of a deaf-mute, grew up in a belfry before being cast out, found by two monks and taken to live in the Abbey of St. Gall where he sings in the choir. He is the one that no one wants with a operetic voice so in demand it becomes his curse. Gothic in tone with gorgeous language that has an ear for sound this book will pull you into the landscape of the Swiss Alps, Mozart’s Vienna, and Moses’ world. -Marie

“A surprising love story of the unlikely places family is to be found, with a cast of endearing characters. Just imagine – a romantic, love-drunk monk!

I also found myself reacting in much the same way as when I read Sarah Dunant’s SACRED HEARTS. Her novel sparked a brief obsession with nuns. I sought more information on young aristocratic girls forced into convents in Italy. And with THE BELLS, I wanted to learn more about the castrati; those young boys in Italy physically assaulted and altered in order to preserve their voices.” -Erica

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book. A man has written to the boy whom he raised as his son, the story of his life - and what a story! Born to a deaf mother in a bell tower in the 18th century Swiss Alps, Moses Froben goes on to become Lo Svizzero, one of the most highly acclaimed opera singers in Europe. How he got from the bell tower to Europe's celebrated opera houses is an astonishing tale. His father tries to kill him. He is rescued by two monks and taken to the monestary where his beautiful voice is discovered. To preserve that astounding voice, he is castrated. And eventually he ends up in Vienna at the premiere of Orpheus and Eurydice. Beautiful writing with lovely descriptions of the sounds heard by Moses's very sensitive ears. Engaging characters. A bit melodramatic at times, but that added to the appeal of this story that I couldn't put down and didn't want to end.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this story of love, loyalty, being true and steadfast. The author focussed completely on the texture of sound, how sound reverberates through life, life, friendship. Sound is a symbol of Life, felt at it's deepest and most pure.
I really liked how "bells" played such a large role in this book and portrayed truth, solidity, joy, pain and, most of all, love.
This book has been said to "do for sound what Perfume: The Story of a Murderer did for smell" and, having read Perfume, I'd have to agree.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another wonderful recommendation from Books on the Nightstand. I'll not go into much detail laying out the general storyline because you can read that elsewhere and it just doesn't adequately prepare you for what an amazing jewel this book is. The description from the Goodreads summary reveals that the main character, "was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps where his mother served as the keeper of the loudest and most beautiful bells in the land. Shaped by the bells’ glorious music, as a boy he possessed an extraordinary gift for sound. But when his preternatural hearing was discovered—along with its power to expose the sins of the church—young Moses Froben was cast out of his village with only his ears to guide him in a world fraught with danger."

This story delves into the world of Europe's celebrated Opera houses from centuries past as well as the unique existence of the castrati, young boys routinely castrated in order to maintain their angelic voices. See, you just winced just like my husband did when I mentioned that, didn't you?

I listened to this one and found the production quality and narration excellent. This is a story along the lines of "Amadeus" that completely and wonderfully immerses you in this very foreign world. I am a music lover, especially classical, and even though opera is not my favorite musical venue, this made me long for a good aria. I have read on other forums that there are complete lists of all of the music that is so beautifully mentioned in this book. I am familiar with some but not all of the music listed here and seeking out the rest of the musical selections are now on my "to do" list.

This is a beautifully told, lyrical story that I found immensely satisfying.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could convey how much I loved this book without sounding like a gushing teeny bopper. Harvell's straight-forward writing and beautiful descriptions wrapped me up and carried me along on a fascinating journey. Every character felt so real to me, and the story was so wonderful. I loved the historical setting, and the way that the theme of the bells was woven throughout.
A few reasons why this was a five-star book for me, but may not necessarily be so for you:
1. It dealt heavily with music, which I love.
2. It was set in the Swiss Alps, an area I have visited, and which is just so beautiful that I would have enjoyed reading about pretty much anything that happened there.
3. Before reading this one I had just finished a string of mediocre fiction, and was beginning to doubt that there were any decent modern authors out there. This forcefully restored my faith in good writing and storytelling.
4. I love books that convey a sense of place. I will never live in an 18th century Swiss monastary, but I got to experience what that was like through this book.

Those are my disclaimers to my gushing. Even without those plusses, though, this is a solidly 4-star book, and if you're looking for a tantalizing story with great writing, you will not be disappointed.

[Almeta · Rating 4 out of 5]

The marketing comparison of The Bells to Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is misleading and appropriate at the same time.

The Bells, like Perfume, is an adventure story, but of a far different nature. The characters that helped or hindered the hero’s progress were fun to get to know. I feel that books could be produced about their adventures as well. Like what Anne Rice did with all of the vampire characters.

Speaking of Anne Rice; the comparison should have paralleled Cry to Heaven.

The Bells did amplify my senses for the perfect sound, therefore can be compared to Perfume's ability to heighten my sense of smell. The association stops there.

Throughout the book I couldn’t stop thinking about how much a sound could hurt, a smell doesn’t hurt. Er wait, maybe English Leather and dirty socks do!

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I almost passed this book by thinking I had no desire to read about opera but decided to give it a try based on the recommendations by Random House's library marketing reps.

This historical novel set in the 1700s about "musicos" (also known as castratos and countertenors) during the birth of opera is definitely on my best of 2011 list. The scope and historical elements were fabulous and the music was sublime, but there are a few heartbreaking moments of brutality and sadness. Anyone wanting a sweeping epic similar to THE SHADOW OF THE WIND by Carlos Ruiz Zafon or PHANTOM by Susan Kay (a novel based on The Phantom of the Opera, one of my favorite historical novels of all time) will love this book.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questa è la storia di Moses, piccolo, sensibile, indifeso bambino della Svizzera del 18° secolo, che inizia il viaggio della sua vita in uno sperduto villaggio montano dove la madre, derelitta e sorda, vive con due soli amori: il figlio e le campane della chiesa cittadina. Ed è con questo potente e roboante suono, che il piccolo Moses inizia il suo particolare ed intimo rapporto con l’infinito e vasto e misterioso mondo dei suoni. Il suo udito sopraffino gli permette di vedere una dimensione di questo nostro vivere celato a tutti gli altri. Sarà questo enorme dono che lo accompagnerà e soprattutto lo guerderà nel difficile e sofferto percorso che lo vedrà protagonista.
Richard Harvell mi ha colpita con la sua prosa deliziosa e melodiosa; ci sono passaggi che hanno un sapore del tutto unico e speciale leggendoli. Affermazione forse stramba, ma che spiega in modo perfetto lo stile dell’autore. Harvell riesce a far assaporare la melodia delle parole, dei gesti, dei momenti, rendendo la lettura di questo titolo una esperienza veramente piacevole, che resterà con il lettore per molto, molto tempo dopo averlo concluso.
Purtroppo, e questo è l’unico punto debole di tutta la lettura, e che ovviamente è da vedere nel contesto del mio personale gusto, ho trovato un po’ in ribasso gli ultimissimi capitoli. La lettura di L’esatta melodia dell’aria è un crescendo di emozioni, tale da avermi fatto sperare in un finale così perfetto ed entusiasta da far meritare al titolo un pieno cinque stelle. Ahimè così non è stato; ho trovato la parte finale un po’ scontata, un po’ prevedibile e ‘stonata’ rispetto a tutto quanto avvenuto in precedenza. Tuttavia, questa unica opera di Richard Harvell, oltre all’aver meritato per me 4 stelle, finisce dritta in quelle letture che identifico come le mie preferite in assoluto.
L’esatta melodia dell’aria è un titolo che tutti dovrebbero leggere, perché riempie il cuore di melodie dolci e sincere, dalle quali non ci si vorrebbe separare mai.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is my third time reading this book, this is my only review of it. I remember rushing through it on my first time around, equally amazed by the tale itself as by the background it illuminated for me. I felt very ignorant of the 18th century operatic culture that "castratos" were such an important, but appalling, part of. I was enthralled by the story and knew I would read it again. When I read it the second time, I felt a certain abhorrence due to the excruciating detail of some of the descriptions entailing maiming and disease. This strong distaste made enough of an impression that I was leery of reading it yet a third time. However, this happens to be a time when it is hard to get hold of new material to read (Covid19 has closed all the libraries!) and so, a bit hesitantly, I picked up "The Bells" again. I am SO very glad I did. By this time through, I was familiar enough with the story to be able to concentrate on the structure of the book as well as its fundamental message. In two readings you would have thought I'd got there, but it wasn't until this time around that I fully appreciated that every sentence in the book leads the action onward and even if it isn't apparent at the time, later, every word, every line plays its part in the progression of the plot! And over and above that rare achievement, the book picks up the pace and becomes more and more interesting about half way through and continues to get better all the way to the end! It has been my sad experience that many books are just the opposite...they begin well and deteriorate as they fizzle out at the end.
Now, about the book's message. I really thought I understood that it was about love in difficult and even impossible circumstances. It does indeed carry that theme and it does it well. I don't even know if I have the ability to express what I felt as I read it this time, but I will try because it moved me profoundly. Without giving away too much, I will just say that there are two essential characters who seem to be opposites in every way. They are the two monks who rescue the little boy Moses and take him to live in their home, a monastery. On my first and second times through the book, I really thought that the one named Nicolai was the most loving because he was passionate, impulsive and motivated by his heart. This third reading allowed me to see that I'd got it all wrong and that it is actually the quiet, grumpy Remus who loved best by helping others in the book achieve their dreams and desires while putting aside his own interests and needs. It is so subtly done that I missed it, TWICE! Hopefully, other readers won't be as obtuse as I am!
This is a complex book and this review in no way pretends to cover all the intricacies. I hope you will read it, if you haven't already. You don't really need to read it three times, but if you do, I'll bet you will still enjoy it and find new insights each time!

[Diane D · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the minute I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. The Bells, tells the story of Moses Froben, who was born in a belfry to a deaf-mute, in a small and extremely poor village of the Swiss Alps in the 1700's. The villagers thought his mother was crazy, because she was skittish, dirty, and hid from the village people in caves or the belfry. She cared about nothing except her son, and her ringing of the bells every day. Moses as a young child, was allowed to live in the belfry with his mother because it was believed that since he did not speak, he was as deaf and mad as his mother. However, this was not the case. Since Moses had been exposed to the daily ringing of these loud bells from the time he was in his mother’s womb,instead of deafness, he was born with an extraordinary acute sense of hearing.

When Father Carl Victor learns that Moses can speak, the priest fears that Moses will be able to expose what he has for so long kept hidden. He tells Moses , “If God will not make you deaf, then I will do it”, and to keep his secret he tries to drown Moses in a river. When two monks, Nicholai and Remus, rescue the frightened boy, Nicholai names him Moses, “a fine enough name for a boy swimming in the river”. Nicholai promises to care of Moses. When they bring the young boy back to the monastery, the abbot tells them they must take Moses to the orphanage in Rorschach or they will be forced to leave as well.

From this point on Moses preternatural hearing causes him both pleasure and pain. Later he is take later to a new cathedral, the Abbey of St. Gall, it seems that his life will improve. His performance in the choir makes him its prized singer. His keen sense of hearing and his love of music blossom, and he prepares for his first opera, but all this comes at a price.

Without revealing significant plot elements, I’d just like to say that this is truly a remarkable, unforgettable, historical debut novel. It is rare for me to read a story and be brought to tears, but this story had that effect on me. Told in the first person narrative, the sometimes touching, sometimes horrifying details of young Moses growing up, shall stay with me for a long while I am sure. The innocence of Moses as a child is so pitch perfect. The title of this novel was simplistic, but perfect, as The Bells, and sound, were key elements throughout this story. In summary, I just can’t imagine any book moving me the way this one did. I will be a Richard Harvell advocate, as this is a book that should be read by anyone who enjoys a story of substance, one that evokes emotion, and one that you will talk about again and again -- an awesome choice for book clubs everywhere.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5/5 STARS

[Cydnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the write-up in the paper about this novel it sounded like an interesting book. As a music lover, the idea of a book based on a singer and sounds seemed a good fit. I really tried to like it, but it didn't happen. I can't blame it on being the product of a first-time author, because I have read a number of first-novels this year and loved them.

Things I liked:
1. The descriptions of sounds and the way that the vibrations affected the body and inanimate objects.
2. The characters were distinct and well written.
3. Word-pictures were well done, in that I could easily 'see' what was going on.
[that's important to me]
4. Nothing that really made me say, "Oh yuck, why did they put that in?"
5. I gained an understanding of the life of a castrato/musico. I had heard of them, but didn't know
much about them. Great descriptions of their physical traits.

Things I disliked:
1. When Moses is young he uses his gift of understanding sound to help him sneak into people's homes
to steal food to sustain him and his mother. As an adult, he sneaks into people's homes to listen to them make love. Creepy!
2. Moses steals away another man's wife [his former 'lover'] and then the man's child [because he thinks that he deserves the child] and that is supposed to be okay. Not.
3. The story kept dragging out for over 300 pages. It felt plodding at times.

Not a book that I would push friends to read. I kept reading it because I had too much time invested and kept hoping it would get moving. It was okay, but nothing stunning.

[Neil Cochrane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The jacket claimed that "'The Bells' does for the ears what 'Perfume' did for the nose," and the reviewer was completely on the mark. 'Perfume' is one of my favorite books because it was such a sensory experience. Similarly, 'The Bells' heightens your awareness of sound even as you read, sympathizing with Moses as he experiences and defines the world through sound. Unlike 'Perfume''s Grenouille, though, Moses is a very sympathetic and lovable character; he is as dear and true and honest as any protagonist I've ever read about. The vivid writing and deeply developed characters, as well as the gentle yet earnest plot progression, make 'The Bells' a very, very enjoyable read.