Hungarian Dances
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Review
‘Jessica Duchen's debut novel is captivating, imaginative and fascinating. As a musician and a mother, I recognized many of the scenarios and found the questions that were posed very poignant, both from a musical and personal perspective. The pace builds powerfully to a dramatic and ultimately very moving conclusion. Completely gripping!’
(Tasmin Little on RITES OF SPRING )
'Adam and Sasha appear to have the perfect life - good jobs, a nice home, money and three perfect children. But as their marriage begins to unravel, their ballet-crazy daughter starts staving herself - and her parents are too preoccupied to notice. A haunting, heartbreaking novel.'
(Closer on RITES OF SPRING )'A sensitive and thought-provoking novel that will resonate all the more for those with musical leanings.'
(Femke Colborne, MUSO on RITES OF SPRING )'Duchen skilfully balances the conventions of the genre with the authority of a writer who really knows her subject. ALICIA's GIFT is a wonderful read. But make sure you keep the Kleenex handy when you tackle it.'
'This is a very well written study of the problem of being and having a child prodigy.... it's a gripping read and it's very easy to get caught up in the excitement of wanting Alicia to succeed... I enjoyed this book a lot'
'I suggest you give Hungarian Dances a whirl.'
(South China Morning Post )The Times
'Everything she writes is worth reading'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hungarian Dances is a marvellous, intelligent, thought-provoking meditation upon the human condition; it explores the themes of identity, whether national or sexual, of the possibilities of love, of betrayal, and of the deep meaning of music, whilst carrying you along on a beautifully-crafted story that is utterly absorbing. It may be a cliché to say "I couldn't put this book down", but in my case it is a quite literal statement of fact. I read it throughout the night despite having several urgent matters to attend to and desperately needing my sleep! (Warning: clear your diary before picking this up!)
This is a wonderfully-written book; nothing in the prose jarred, nothing was extraneous. Don't let the slightly girly cover put you off - this is seriously good literature. As a professional opera singer, I am used to hurling any books which mention classical music at the wall in irritation; this one, with its accurate portrayals of the frustrations, disappointments, and sublime joys of music-making, resonated strongly in my soul.
If you like your novels to make you think, without being overtly pushed to do so, this is not to be missed. Glorious!
This is a wonderfully-written book; nothing in the prose jarred, nothing was extraneous. Don't let the slightly girly cover put you off - this is seriously good literature. As a professional opera singer, I am used to hurling any books which mention classical music at the wall in irritation; this one, with its accurate portrayals of the frustrations, disappointments, and sublime joys of music-making, resonated strongly in my soul.
If you like your novels to make you think, without being overtly pushed to do so, this is not to be missed. Glorious!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I found this a most exciting and gratifying book for the plot as well as for its treatment of two passions of mine: music and Budapest. Jessica Duchen is well known as a writer on music and as a very successful novelist. She also has one of the best-run blogs on the net: you will find a lot about this book there, including photos of places in Budapest described in the book. You can also make the acquaintance of her cat Solti!
Like all good communicators, Jessica Duchen wears her learning lightly and writes in a limpid, flowing style which makes one want to keep reading. She manages to keep several plots going at once without ever losing the reader and always judges perfectly the right moment to move on so as to maintain suspense.
She has a vivid eye for detail and one easily empathizes with the characters: the scene in the run-down Budapest café where the gypsy father of Mimi, whom she wants to invite to her concert at the Liszt Academy, refuses furiously from the humiliation he feels at being dirty and unwashed and therefore unworthy of going to such a place is quite heartbreaking.
This book could be classed as "popular fiction", "a good read", "a real page-turner" but I think this would be to underestimate such a well-crafted and profound novel. Highly recommended. A paperback version is now available.
Like all good communicators, Jessica Duchen wears her learning lightly and writes in a limpid, flowing style which makes one want to keep reading. She manages to keep several plots going at once without ever losing the reader and always judges perfectly the right moment to move on so as to maintain suspense.
She has a vivid eye for detail and one easily empathizes with the characters: the scene in the run-down Budapest café where the gypsy father of Mimi, whom she wants to invite to her concert at the Liszt Academy, refuses furiously from the humiliation he feels at being dirty and unwashed and therefore unworthy of going to such a place is quite heartbreaking.
This book could be classed as "popular fiction", "a good read", "a real page-turner" but I think this would be to underestimate such a well-crafted and profound novel. Highly recommended. A paperback version is now available.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story gripped from the first page to the last. Although the central family in the story is Hungarian and musical, you don't need to be either to get totally caught up in their story as tumultous events, personal and political, overtake them. The narrative sweeps you along at a cracking pace that never lets up despite ranging back and forth between past and present. Jessica Duchen has created a hugely rich and appealing tapestry of characters, and her deftly interwoven sub-plots are filled with astute observations and wry insights about relationships and human behaviour. If the sign of a good book is that you don't want it to end, I was utterly bereft when it had finished.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Spellbinding book
I bought this book because I like the author's classical music blogs. I was at first wary of buying a book written by a critic/bloggist/twitterati but it turns out Jessica Duchen... Read more
Published 7 months ago by mimoblade
Adultery and Eastern European Passion
An in many ways excellent tale of a Hungarian emigre family of musicians living in London. Karina has given up her musical career to become the wife of a sweet but slightly dull... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Kate Hopkins
Hungarian Dances
I bought Hungarian Dances because I love literary novels about music and culture, and most of all because I love Hungary. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dan Holloway
good
Hungarian dances follows other books i have read of Jessicas. I think she is one of the best authors i have read. Like others, i found this absorbing, intriguing. Read more
Published 15 months ago by itchybeard
Fantastic story, beautifully constructed
This book was a great read and I found impossible to put it down until I finished it!
The stories are beatifully constructed and held together. Read more
The stories are beatifully constructed and held together. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by A. Mongiardino
surprisingly very good! (not a chick lit!)
I picked this book up because I was going on holiday to Budapest and wanted to read a novel about Hungary (surprisingly difficult to find novels set in Hungary and written in... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by J. Mellor
Hungarian Dances Rocks
A really good read. I enjoyed Hungarian Dances very much -and I admired it enormously too. Jessica Duchen brings Hungary vividly alive for the English reader,which is a great and... Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2008 by Mary Hamer
Epic gripping story!
I loved Hungarian Dances. I felt I knew the characters so so well and at the end I wanted to phone them up! Ms. Duchen has a wonderful ability of bringing fiction to life. Read more
Published on 25 Aug 2008 by T. Saiten
A knockout novel
This is one of the most compelling novels that I have read in recent years. Strong, vivid characterisation, a superb dramatic pace and a very original way to tie up all the threads... Read more
Published on 24 Aug 2008 by Matthew Taylor
Pure pleasure!
Jesssica Duchen's third novel is an enchanting read. The characters are so vibrant and touching, they became friends I was sorry to part with. Read more
Published on 5 Aug 2008 by Lady Dahrendorf
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