Lynne Alexander (1) (1943–)

There are two main characters in this novel and one of them is a 300 year old French viola da gamba named Rose. The novel charts the love affair between Rose and her lover/handler/master musician Nicholas. Rose speaks in the first person and tells her story dating back to when she was first made. Nicholas’ story is told in the third person and focuses on his time when he owned Rose, which is most of his adult life. The novel feels a bit like a one trick pony, especially as Rose and show more Nicholas are given alternate short chapters.

Lynne Alexander had a career as a professional harpsichordist before she turned to writing in 1980, she has written five novels. Her background as a professional musician in the field of early classical music gives her knowledge and insight on performance and playing and her love of music is evident throughout this novel. She is particularly good when describing the musicians who have owned and played Rose, placing the reader is an anthropomorphic situation, inviting us to feel what it could be like to be Rose. She also writes well about Nicholas a man in love with his music and his instrument at the expense of all human relationships. One gets the feeling that Lynne Alexander might have met people a bit like Nicholas in her career as a musician. As Rose’s story unfolds along with that of Nicholas there is some playful linking between the two. “Calm yourself Nicholas you have nothing to fear from Roger” says Rose after she has talked about one of her previous owners.

This novel stands or falls by the readers willingness to accept the central premise of this story: can we believe in the central character being a musical instrument - I might have said an inanimate object, but of course we must believe that Rose is more than that. In fact Lynne Alexander wants us to believe that Rose is a particularly sensuous women:

he removes his shoes. Tenderly he lifts me by the neck and seats himself at the window. He wraps his legs around me in a sort of embrace, my tailpiece well off the floor. He manipulates my ebony tuning pegs with their bone studs until I am in a fine temper………..

There are many passages like this - a sort of eroticism as Rose describes Nicholas and the other musicians that have played and handled her. The descriptions do become a little too similar as there are limits to how erotic handling a viola da gamba can be. In my opinion Lynne Alexander writes well about music and art and her observations of human relationships are quite compelling, however I think she was aiming for a more sensual connection with music, love and eroticism and her writing does not quite achieve that for me. An interesting read, definitely worth a look for music lovers and so 3 stars. show less

The fifth novel by Lynne Alexander that I have read, and possibly the best. Extremely powerful writing and very sensitive handling of a difficult theme (the reaction to a child's death). Very moving.

Powerful and original writing. Also, that rare quality in modern literature, intelligent ideas.

An excellent novel - especially for those to whom music is an important part of life,