Translated from original Catalan by Martha Tennent
2.5**

From the book jacket: In the winter of 1991, at a concert in Krakow, an older woman with a marvelously pitched violin meets a fellow musician who is instantly captivated by her instrument. When he asks her how she obtained it, she reveals the remarkable story behind its origin…

My Reactions
I really wanted to like this book … no … I wanted to love this book. But it missed the mark for me. I think that is because it felt unfinished.

The basic story line is engaging and what kept me reading, but there were huge gaps that left me hungry for more detail. Anglada began with a date in 1991, so we know where we are at when the violin first makes an appearance. And the next chapter begins Daniel’s story (the luthier who crafted the violin) as he struggles to survive in the concentration camp. In bits and pieces we learn of the conditions, the sadistic doctor, the capricious whims of the commandant, the deprivations, the dreams and nightmares, and the fragile friendships formed. But suddenly Daniel is crafting a violin and we don’t know why. Or how he got the tools and materials. I actually went back to the previous chapter and re-read, thinking I must have dozed off and accidently skipped ahead. But I hadn’t.

Eventually we are able to piece together the story, but not until there are a few more abrupt changes in time frame that not only were disorienting, but made me feel that parts of the story were left out. In summary, while the storyline played the reader’s heartstrings like a violin virtuoso, I felt that the book was unfinished. ( )

Beautiful and powerfully telling story. It a special tribute to the craftmen and musicians who bring us such delight even in the mist of misery and death, that make life that much more precious. ( )

Brilliant! This story is staying with me even though I finished the book a few days ago. I normally don't like books about any war, they are just too emotional and upsetting. This one though, had a ribbon of hope weaving through it the entire time. ( )

I loved the story. Haunting. The translation was a bit stiff in places. It I followed the tale with great interest. A triumph of the human spirit! ( )

Although this is not a long novel it packs a punch.It is beautifully written and lovingly crafted much like the violin at the center of this novel. Daniel creates this violin while in Auschwitz at the command of the local commandant who has bet him against a case of wine with a sadistic Nazi doctor. This doctor Rascher is a real person who conducted horrible experiments on concentration camp prisoners.
This novel, in such a short time, gives a reader great incite into the horrible hunger, cold and fear these people had to deal with daily as they struggled to remain alive in Auschwitz. ( )