War and Music: A Medley of Love

by Max Evans

Ty Hale, a young corporal from Lovington, New Mexico, finds himself alone in the middle of a grain field in Normandy after being knocked unconscious by the explosion of a German artillery shell. Stunned from the explosion and overwhelmed by visions of the grandfather who raised him and the simple life of the New Mexico prairie he has left behind, Ty attempts to rejoin his unit but instead stumbles onto a country estate and inextricably into the lives of its inhabitants. Philippe Gaston, a former music teacher, his stunningly beautiful daughter Renée, and Hans Heinike, a German deserter and an accomplished musician, are attempting to carve out a normal existence in spite of the chaos and destruction that surrounds them. As Philippe devotes his time to his German protégé, Ty and Renée fall in love and Ty learns of the Gaston estate's unique legacy of survival and the most recent story of violence and sacrifice that has preserved this pristine oasis in the midst of a raging war. The music that permeates their solitary existence, whether it be the buzzing and chattering of insects and birds, a violin and human voice joined in concert, or the fire of machine guns and the distant rumble of tanks, draws these unlikely comrades together and reveals the common humanity that resides in us all. The war, the music, the love, and the rhythms of nature are all timeless and eternal.

181 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2010

Reviews

[Wisteria Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

WAR AND MUSIC: A MEDLEY OF LOVE[return]Max Evans,University of New Mexico Press, June 1, 2010, $24.95,HC, 180pp, 978-0-8263-4908-8.[return][return]Ty Hale, a young soldier from New Mexico is left by his unit in a grain field in Normandy after being knocked uncouncious. As he grasps the situation, a hellish scene of bloody bodies surround him. Confused and battered he gathers himself together to search for his unit. [return][return]At a country estate he meets Philippe Gaston, a music teacher and his attractive daughter, Renee. Also there is Hans, a talented musical prodigy and German deserter. The four become quick friends and their love of music is shared. Renee and Ty fall in love. All four have a passion for music as it provides a cocoon of comfort while the grim gore of battle continues around them. [return][return]In War and Music, Max Evans describes the grisly stage of war as a symphony of sounds, the pleading painful cries of the wounded is a serenade of devastation. The loudest sound amid the medleys of war is that rarest of moments when all is quiet, impossibly quiet. [return][return]Misplaced and intrusive the book contains excessive ineffective and forced metaphors[return]With sometimes little sense they interrupt what otherwise would be beautiful writing. For example: [return][return] He was drawn to the house as he must have been drawn to his mother s breast soon after birth. and The three males were as dead as childhood dreams. [return][return]War and Music is a contrast, the horrific and gruesome vision of battlefield carnage with the haunting sounds of a soldiers suffering. This is not a book for those with a weak stomach for gore, but if you can persist, his message of hope is shared with those who have a love of music, that transcends the reality of the moment.[return] [return]

[Kathleen Rodgers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing that “War and Music” by legendary New Mexico author Max Evans is probably his last novel, made the reading of this finely crafted story all the more sweeter. My mother gave me this book three years ago for Christmas, and I finally took the time to savor each page, each character and situation, knowing that Mr. Evans based his novel on his experiences during WWII. The tale primarily takes place in Normandy, France, but there are many references to New Mexico, and I found myself re-reading whole passages out loud to my husband so I could share this story with someone else.

There’s a very disturbing scene in the book that I will always refer to as the “French farm house scene,” and it will forever haunt me for it’s stark and macabre setting now stamped on my brain. What this scene taught me is that people can die in war without ever being hit by a bullet or a bomb.

From the moment I began reading until I turned the last page, the story, the setting, the characters, and the tightly woven plot intrigued me, but I was also saddened that mankind will always find a way to feed “the beast of war.” Mr. Evans shows us the brutality we humans are capable of, but he also shows us that we are equally capable at creating art, music, and beautiful stories such as “War and Music.”

Kathleen M. Rodgers ~ author of “The Final Salute”