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Phyllis
, August 28, 2023
(view all comments by Phyllis)
Thanks to the Goodreads Giveaway program and Ballentine/Random House Book Club for an advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.
“What could possibly go wrong?” Every time someone thinks that in this entertaining and witty debut, it’s only a matter of a chapter or two before we find out. I thoroughly enjoyed this ironic novel which sometimes bordered on slapstick yet is cleverly written. With something “going wrong” more often than not. But it all comes wonderfully together in the end.
First time author Michelle Hoffman uses her knowledge of music and piano to create a dazzling story in which former prodigy Prudence has a magical, interpretative skill when it comes to playing the piano, and I found myself cheering for this talented woman to conquer her mid-life crisis.
What makes this novel so entertaining is how each quirky character is connected to Prudence, often in unpredictable ways. There were several surprises, and it felt like an impending trainwreck in the best sense (if that’s possible). Most of the chapters ended with some kind of cliffhanger that made me want to read “just a few more pages.”
While I enthusiastically recommend this brilliant novel, it lost one star from me for the final trite paragraph which seemed like it was written by someone else. But don’t let that stop you from reading this laugh-out-loud novel that combines humor and drama into a heartwarming sonata.
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