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The Black Violin [Paperback]

Maxence Fermine , Chris Mulhern
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)

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Book Description

1 April 2003
There were many musical souls adrift on that raft of silence that is Venice. There was the music of Johannes Karelsky.There was the music of Erasmus, the violin maker. And there was the music of war. But of that, the two men never spoke.

From the internationally acclaimed author of "Snow" comes a timeless tale of love and music set against the romantic backdrop of eighteenth-century Venice.

In 1797, the violin prodigy Johannes Karelsky arrives in Venice after fighting with Napoleon's army in the Italian campaign. After the war, he boards with an aged violin maker named Erasmus who created the legendary "Black Violin," which he forbids Johannes to touch because, as he says, "Once you have tasted it, you will never be the same again." Johannes becomes obsessed with the idea of playing this violin as well as finding the woman who saved his life when he was injured in battle.

Beautifully written and highly evocative, "The Black Violin" interweaves Johannes's quest for love and the history of this mysterious instrument in a narrative that is sure to resonate long after the last page is turned.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 90 pages
  • Publisher: acorn book company (1 April 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0953420566
  • ISBN-13: 978-0953420568
  • Product Dimensions: 16.6 x 13 x 1.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 890,394 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"Kirkus Reviews"

A romantic story etched as delicately as frost on a windowpane....Crystalline and spare, this tale nevertheless packs substantial heat in its passionate embrace of youthful ideals and matters of the heart.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


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Johannes Karelsky was a violinist. Read the first page
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars beautifully composed 12 Jun 2003
By deadbeat VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This is Fermine's third book in what is dubbed his 'colour trilogy'. It's central theme is not necessarily music, but the trials and tribulations of making it, of finding inspiration. The protagonist strives towards making the perfect opera, something he realises cannot do without having lived it first, and entwined within this is the tale of Erasmus: a tragic love story, shrouded in magic, and overshadowed by Erasmus's love for music and worship of the mysterious black violin.
I would recommend reading this book to anybody. It is very short, and simply written. Though this could at once be seen as a draw back, it is also the book's saving grace. The simple choice of words give the book a certain confidence and weight, bordering on the biblical.
This is not a book that will change your life but it is beautifully composed, and a joy to read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Cynical, hollow and cheap. 28 Nov 2008
Format:Paperback
This is a poorly written (and translated) story.
The central metaphors linking females and violins are not sustained.
The sparse narrative style really works in some similar stories (I am thinking of "Silk" particularly), the prose has been boiled down so much that what is left is meaningless and stilted. Any lyricism has been lost in translation.
The story is awkward, obvious and the protagonist baffling.
A very cynical piece - saccharine and vacuous.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book, shame about the proofreading 14 Dec 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
An intriguing and magical tale of passion for music, the artistry of the instrument-maker and the dehumanising effects of war. A short and thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Acorn Book Company is a small press making really lovely books at a decent price. I would do almost anything to see publishing like this continue in the face of the mass-market juggernauts of the publishing world. But despite the pleasing cover, the tactile paper and the careful typesetting, one thing seems to have been forgotten. We don't just look at books. We also read them. And, Acorn Books, you need a proofreader. Too many errors in spelling and punctuation (even to the extent that they obscure the author's meaning in places), spoil the reading experience, and this is why I gave the book only 4 stars.
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