-- AN EQUAL MUSIC is a wonderful novel. It contains relationships, music, romance, & European capitals. Novel contains eight parts with short chapters. At almost 400 pgs. it's easy to read. Well-developed characters mimic real people. At reaching The End in Fall 2009 I feel bittersweet. -- ( )

It's hard to review this book without giving away too much. I will say, however, that it is very different from Seth's "A Suitable Boy" (one of my very favorite books). For one thing, "An Equal Music" is much shorter.
The characters are of a different type; rather than Indians as in "A Suitable Boy", here they are English and/or European. Instead of an epic story, "An Equal Music" is a story about musicians and it is also a love story.

This is not an effort to compare the two books unfavorably or otherwise, but just to say that it's interesting that Vikram Seth has used different writing style and approaches for his books. For example "Golden Gate", which I have not read yet, is a novel set in verse. He has also written some non-fiction works. ( )

A novel of music and obsession. Michael Holme is a violinist, the second violin on the famous Maggiore String Quartet. A decade earlier, instead of pursuing a solo career, he left his teacher in Austria and retreated to London. He also abandoned the love of his life, Julia. Imagine his surprise when he sees her on a London bus. She shows up at one of the quartets concerts, and they begin an affair, since she is now married with a son.

There is a surprising plot twist here, which I will not reveal, since to do so would spoil the surprise and the book for the reader. But the twist does bring up some interesting moral questions. To what lengths would you go to play the music that you love with the person that you love? Would you risk your own career? Would you risk the careers and reputations of your friends and colleagues?

The decisions made by Michael are interesting to question and debate, something that would make this a good book club selection. His character is, for me, too self-centered and indecisive, although the author does an entirely convincing job portraying Michael's character.

The descriptions of the music and the musicians ring true, and musicians of any instrument or style of music should find the book an interesting and enjoyable read. ( )

A beautiful book that really captures the imagination - recommended especially for musicians and music lovers. ( )

Michael is a violin player. Michael plays in a string quartet. Michael's two loves are his violin and his ex-lover Julia. Michael tracks down a rare Beethoven quintet. From these bare bones, Vikram Seth constructs a sonata of a novel. Music is the narrative thread, indeed it is more than that : it is the heart of the story. It weaves in and around the complex dynamics and strange interpersonal relationships that lie at the claustrophobic heart of a string quartet.

This is a novel of unresolved relationships, in the manner of a fugue that never quite manages to properly conclude. Why did Michael abandon Julia in Vienna years before? What was the big problem between him and his teacher Carl Kall? What drives the individual members of the quartet - what combines them and what separates them?

Seth pursues these threads while always keeping the music at the forefront of the readers' minds : a mysterious Beethoven quintet, Bach's "Art Of Fugue", Schubert's "Trout Quintet", the dynamics of string instruments, rehearsals and public performance. Only at one point - the interlude in Venice towards the end of the book - does the music take a (comparative) back seat, and it is no surprise that this is where the story dips in tension and meanders a little.

The strength of the novel lies in its descriptions - closely observed, poetic, vivid, and yet somehow spare too; the narrative is nicely paced, with tensions largely maintained and no needless sidetracks. If anything, the sense of claustrophobia is built remorselessly through the first half of the novel, and while it persists through to the end, the accompanying tension and slight sense of mystery seems to dissipate somewhat in the second half.

The novel's big flaw - though this may have been Seth's intention? - is the character of its narrator Michael. Several women appear to fall for him, yet it is hard to understand why. He is moody, selfish in a nagging and insistent kind of way, and apparently insensitive to his lovers' needs due to his emotional immaturity. He is in many senses every woman's nightmare : initially impressing as attractive, sensitive, artistic and talented, but poisoning this through his marked negative traits which emerge sooner or later. The love for him by Julia is particularly incomprehensible, and in her position I would either given him a good slap, or given up on him pretty quick; I certainly would not have returned for a second helping.

That aside, this is an absorbing book and it is not essential to have a deep knowledge of music in order to enjoy it. ( )

It was a fantastically told story, I raced through it and particularly enjoyed learning more about music, and the personalities that make up the quartet. My one reservation was the narrator Michael, it's all about him ... selfish, immature and obsessed. ( )

Seth is skilled at writing conversation. If you're interested in music, it's a must read. ( )

Extrardinary achievement for an Indian author to create the world of a working class boy from the north of England who becomes a professional musician in London. Also a beautifully written love story. Although "A Suitable Boy" was more successful, I was more impressed by the sheer imginative craftismanship of "an Equal Music" . ( )

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A wonderful story of the joy and pain of music, of love won, love lost and the challenge of finding yourself ( )

Michael Holme is a violinist in London, a member of the Maggiore String Quartet. Although he has been somewhat successful, he is unhappy, haunted by Julia McNicholl, a love interest from his student days in Vienna 10 years ago. Everything is turned upside-down when Julia suddenly reappears in Michael's life. Although Julia is now married with a young son, she and Michael are unable to resist each other's company. She even agrees to accompany the quartet on a trip to Vienna and Venice; Julia is a pianist and is hired to perform selected works with the quartet.

In addition to the romantic storyline, this character-driven novel follows several other threads related to Julia, the other members of the quartet, Michael's family, a former professor, and a mentor in his hometown. Seth brings all of this together through music. Having played the violin myself for a number of years, I really enjoyed this view of the international music scene and the many different composers and works referenced throughout. Some understanding of and appreciation for classical music is important to get the most out of this enjoyable romantic novel. ( )

never read a book that is so thoughtful about music and has made me want to know more about music ( )

An equal music by Vikram Seth.. I haven't read A Suitable Boy since its was too big for me. This is very unusual novel. Story set in London, Venice and Vienna, is about Michael Holme violinist with Maggiore Quartet finding his ('so-called')love, Julia McNicholl who he had lost almost 10year ago. Onething stands out in this novel, is that Art/Music/Poetry is as great as deep as truth, as important as love, and can be as redeeming.
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Vikram Seth's splendid first novel, A Suitable Boy, was a desperately hard act to follow. The premise of this, his second novel, is a consuming passion for music. If you're not obsessed with music yourself, you may not discover a consuming passion for this book. ( )

I think An Equal Music by Vikram Seth is a true masterpiece. I picked up the book because it was about a violinist, as I am as well, although I haven't picked up my violin in a while. The book so accurately portrays the joy and wonders of being a musician, along with the struggles and hardships that a musician faces.

The Daily Mail newspaper claimed that this book is a "masterpiece...as clear, lovely and civilised as a Schubert quartet', which is also how I feel. The book reads like a music score. There are slow and beautiful parts, and quick and heart racing parts. This book is simply a masterpiece.

The protagonist Michael is a violinist in a string quartet with his closest friends. He nurtures the heartache of his lost love Julia, the love of his life. Their relationship fell apart but his feelings for her never died, despite the years that have passed since he last saw her.

He is eventually reunited with her when she comes along to one of his quartet's performances. She is now married with a child, but has a terrible problem that could destroy her music career. The story picks up dramatically as we follow Michael and Julia. We long to see them in love again. But can her problem affect their relationship as well as her music career?

An Equal Music takes us through a rollercoaster ride of emotions. We follow Michael's journey with his beloved violin, the beautiful Tononi, and his hobby of swimming. We share the same longings and hopes that he has. We want the best for him.

Do not be discouraged if you are not a musician. This book will touch your heart just as it has touched mine even if you are not a musician. There are several musical terms used in this book, but a quick search for them in the dictionary will show you what they mean. ( )

I find it hard to believe that the same person who wrote the Suitable Boy wrote this piece of drivel. The characters were 2 dimensional and the plot worthy of a Harlequin romance novel. ( )

From Publishers Weekly (on Amazon.com):Seth finds his true voice in this lyrical, ravishing tale of star-crossed lovers - an English violinist and the pianist he desperately pursues. Unlike his previous work, A Suitable Boy (a 1349-page family melodrama set in 1950s India and self-consciously modeled on the social novels of Dickens, Trollope and Eliot), this novel is tightly controlled, original in design, awash in the music - and spirit - of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Haydn, Brahms and Bach. Even readers not familiar with specific pieces of Western classical music will be caught up in the contemporary love story, set mainly in London and Vienna with excursions to Venice and northern England. Michael Holme, brooding member of an English string quartet, endlessly adrift a decade after breaking up with pianist Julia McNicholl, suddenly bumps into her again in London. They resume their affairAwith guilty reluctance on her part, as she's married to an American banker and has a son, but with reckless abandon by Michael, who betrays and then ditches his girlfriend, a needy French violin student 15 years his junior. Beyond mere erotic duplicities, a far more tragic obstacle emerges - Julia is rapidly going deaf. Music, her lifeblood, is slipping away from her, a secret she keeps from her fellow musicians until Michael clumsily reveals it. Around this simple plot, Seth weaves an exploration of the creative process as he delves into the quartet members' quirks and neuroses, their romances, states of exaltation, their synchronous vision. All the rehearsals, shoptalk, fiddling and ruminations blunt the impact of Julia's tragedy and the love story's momentum, but Seth's musical, quicksilver prose keeps the narrative aloft. It's a classy novel, told with keen intelligence and sensitivity, embodying a brave attempt to fathom the world of deafness as well as the high-strung milieu of performing artists. ( )

Tedious, over-descriptive,lacking tension and authentic characters. Stereo-typing of Northern background. The descriptions of London and music references raised the level of enjoyment. ( )

A good story, but it doesn't ring really true regarding the life of a chamber musician (well, it goes pretty far, but doesn't quite get there).

Not his best, but even a so-so book from the pen of Seth is an event. An enjoyable read. ( )

This book has been billed as one of the greatest novels about music. I don't think so. What we have a a tale about a violin player, who leaves his one true love, doesn't bother to tell her where he's going or why, and then regrets it ever since. And the violin player in question is a immature prat, to be honest.
We start the story years after, when the central character spots his love (who he has no idea was in London, where he lives) on a bus, and chases after her, only to fail. From here on in, we get an idea of what an empty life he is leading. It is hard to say any more without giving the plot away (which I hate in reviews), so you will just have to read it for yourself if you are that interested.

As a one time musician, I felt that Seth didn't quite get the music practice scenes in this book right. I am not saying that they are not well written, just someing about them doesn't ring true - the dialogue from the rehersals, the talk about practicing. However, I thought his sections where the quartet perform on stage were spot-on. Perhaps other performers would feel differently than me on this.

I love writers who can fill their books with beautiful writing about the things I am interested in - food (Toni Morrison is excellent in this regard), music, love, travel. Sadly, Seth has let me down. Which is a shame, because he really is such a greater writer in other cases. ( )

Michael plays second violin in an up-and-coming Maggiore Quartet, lives on the north side of Hyde Park, takes early morning dips in the Serpentine, has a French girlfriend named Virginie. But his mind is constantly drawn to his first and only love, Julia, whom he knew in Vienna many years earlier. When he catches sight of Julia on a London bus, he cannot help but pursue her. Vikram Seth's new novel is a gently-paced, multi-layered work, proceeding in short sections which flit from Michael's ongoing search for Julia back to his childhood as a Rochdale butcher's son, his early training and breakdown in Vienna under the tyrannical Carl Kall, and the emotional history of his quartet; while Michael's discovery of a Beethoven trio rewritten as a string quintet acts as a motif for Michael's pursuit of the lost Julia: can Michael recapture the magic of the past, like Beethoven, who deafly transfigured what he so many years earlier had hearingly composed? Seth is quite brilliant at conveying the intense and complex interplay of chamber musicians, in rehearsal and performance (an odd, obsessed, introspective, separatist breed), and manages the near-impossible--to write in 1999 about Art and Love without embarrassment. --Alan Stewart