“An Equal Music ” By Vikram Seth
He was a student in Vienna ten years ago, his name is Michael. He is a violinist who was in love with Julia, a pianist. Their paths separated; she got married to someone else and after ten years she enters into the life of Michael once again. It’s a story of Michael and his music quartet, and it’s a story of Michael and Julia and their love.
If you are a music lover, then this book will be for you; Seth talks about so much music throughout – there’s Bach and Schubert and Beethoven and Mozart and their musical pieces in great detail.
If you aren’t a music lover, you can just enjoy Seth’s poetic prose and his descriptions of London, Vienna and Venice. This is a moving story of two musicians who love to make music and love. There is always a constant threat of loss which maintains the book’s melancholy. They feel it. They make music from it. They move forward together and alone, but joined forever by their music.
One of the most extraordinary aspects of this novel is the way in which it manages to convey music through language. One Page Turner loved the way Seth writes about music and the way he integrates music into the lives of the characters (all professional musicians).
The book is very informative about music and quartets and about Bach and many other composers. Some felt the music descriptions were tedious and difficult to understand. Others thought Michael was not a likeable character, especially regarding his obsession with Julia. Ultimately this is a love story, a tragedy, a loving tribute to chamber music and insights into the world of performance and maybe a book for classical music lovers.
Scores ranged from 5 to 8, with an overall average of 6.