Body and Soul by Frank ConroyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Honestly, really a 4.5, largely based on the ending. Conroy didn't go for the cliché, and that was so refreshing. The book is beautiful on so many fronts, and there are so many opportunities to be maudlin, but Conroy takes the road less traveled (most of the time). The relationship between Claude and Weisfeld is likely one of my favorite relationships in all of literature.
There are a few times where it gets in the weeds with musical description (and I say this as a musicologist) that seemed to be trying too hard, but on the whole the musical journey seemed very relatable and even inspiring. Not everyone is a Claude, of course, who we understand to be a prodigy, but Conroy shapes his character enough we are intrigued in how he has to navigate his world (and the world at large).
After a slow-ish start, that seemed like it was going the route of the tried and true inspirational tale of the talent who comes from tough circumstances, things get considerably more interesting as Claude experiences loss and disappointment (unconnected to his music and performing), and some of the secondary characters actually develop as well. Really a joy to have read it.
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