Synopses & Reviews
William Fiennes spent his childhood in a moated castle, the perfect environment for a child with a brimming imagination. It is a house alive with history, beauty, and mystery, but the young boy growing up in it is equally in awe of his brother Richard. Eleven years older and a magnetic presence, Richard suffers from severe epilepsy. His illness influences the rhythms of the family and the house's internal life, and his story inspires a journey, interwoven with a loving recollection, toward an understanding of the mind. This is a song of home, of an adored brother and the miracle of consciousness. The chill of dark historical places coexists with the warmth and chatter of the family kitchen; the surrounding landscapes are distinguished by ancient trees, secret haunts, the moat's depths and temptations. Bursting with tender detail, The Music Room is a sensuous tribute to place, memory, and the permanence of love.
Review
"Exemplary." The Telegraph
Review
"An artful memory piece about a unique home life." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Humane rather than melodramatic, a lovely memoir rich with poignancy of family and place." Wall Street Journal
Review
"A haunting lament for a life that could have been and the love that remained for a broken mind." Amanda Foreman, author of The Duchess
Synopsis
A bittersweet description of an ancient family house in an enchanted setting, and of growing up with a damaged brother. "Sublimely evocative."--.
About the Author
William Fiennes’s first book, The Snow Geese, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, the Hawthornden Prize, and was shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize. He lives in England.