An Unfinished Score

When I first read the description of 'An Unfinished Score', I was drawn- not to the plot- but to the music. As a lifelong musician (and a violist at that!) I love books infused with auditory splendor.

That being said- I was caught in the story within the first chapter. I'm not ashamed to admit I read this cover-to-cover in a single sitting. Suzanne is a believable character. She is talented, a little selfish, and flawed. She's someone you can relate to- likable even if you don't like her actions. The supporting characters are just as effortless and real. I was especially drawn to the young Adele, who is (despite being deaf) the most normal.

Blackwell did a wonderful job creating deep characters, a believable plot, and a silent show more soundtrack. The musical pieces mentioned add almost another dimension to the book, which is a rarity. This is definitely one that I would strongly recommend! show less

i picked this book up because i am a musician and a reader, hoping for something that was able to bring two of my loves into one happy place, and i definitely wasn't let down. although it was less happy and more passionate, less Mozart and more Rachmaninoff, it was a wonderfully constructed literary piece and i am glad to have read it.

the book opens with Suzanne preparing dinner for her "family", her husband Ben, and her live-in best friend Petra and daughter Adele. the radio announces an airplane crash and the death of the most famous person on board, Alex Elling, a famous conductor and Suzanne's lover. in the wake of this news, Suzanne falls into a spiral of self-pity and loathing, all while maintaining her outward composure, and we show more follow her on her emotional train wreck. when Alex's widow, Olivia Elling, contacts Suzanne and blackmails her to complete Alex's unfinished viola concerto, Suzanne is faced with the painful consequences of her choices.

throughout the story, flashbacks to Alex's life with Suzanne are played out, and although adultery is nothing to condone, their love story is tender and passionate. woven through with music, their love for each other is nothing like the tense and distant marriages that they each have waiting for them at home.

"Doloroso, he wrote over the beginning of the andante, saying, "Play it like your heart is being squeezed of its blood, so great is your pain. Play it like you are mourning for the beautiful life you might have led but were denied." "

the writing was very lyrical and intense, just as you'd hope from something so laced with musical innuendos and it really was a lovely, musical journey on its own. the nice thing is, i don't think you have to be a musician to appreciate that about it. there was indeed a lot of technically sound musical information, but it was presented in such an unimposing way that i think even non-musicians could appreciate it. and if you are a musician, there's enough depth and variation to the tones presented, both in the narrative and musically, that you'll wish that you could have been there to hear the performances. and for me, personally, it made me ache to play the piano again.

my only complaint about the book, and it's not really a complaint so much as an observation, is that the characters were all so distant and cold. it was often difficult to relate to or feel for them because of the icy residue that was found each time they walked into a scene. but, given the circumstances of their story, it is almost understandable. they are each, in their own way, in a very disconnected place, dealing with dishonesty, infidelity, misunderstandings, and the challenges of being struggling musicians. so, that being said, although i had a hard time really feeling for Suzanne or Petra, or particularly Olivia, they were all integral pieces to the ultimate composition of the story.

in the end, this is a story about honesty and repentance, both for friends and lovers, husbands and wives. Suzanne is forced to come to terms with her marriage, her best friend, her failing marriage and her struggling career and her flawed honesty is compelling.

"She stares at her hands on the keyboard, hands that belong to someone who would manipulate the affections of other people. Perhaps this is how it happens: You slip along and have your reasons, and one day you wake up as a bad person."

her recollections of herself, along with those of Petra and Ben, to a lesser degree, culminate into a beautifully told story that i'd recommend to musicians and non-musicians alike. show less

This book is wonderfully written. Layers upon layers of emotion are weaved within its storyline. It very much reminds me of a good musical performance; the story’s depths and nuances portray shifting and mixing emotions that are not satisfactorily expressed by words alone. Also like a good musical score, the author provides just enough expectation through foreshadowing that the ending, although a surprise, is not entirely unexpected. The writing fulfills each expectation that the author creates within the reader’s mind, but she provides just enough frustrating inconsistencies in Suzanne’s actions and reasoning that the fulfillment does not come easily. This frustration serves as dissonance – the chords within the music that show more contrast, rub against, and ultimately frame the greater harmonies at play within the work.

If you are looking for a book whose story is superbly told and is saturated in deeply rooted emotion, this is the book for you. show less

An Unfinished Score delves you deep into the psyche of Suzanne; wife, friend, musician, and adultress. Suzanne has to mourn in secret the death of her lover and the death of the escape from her boring marriage. Suzanne has lied to everyone, including sometimes herself in this elegantly written, very believable story. Written with an angst that the reader will be at once drawn to and repelled by, with an ending that will quite possibly leave you with more questions than answers. This would be an excellent read for a book club and definitely some lively discussion!

A paradox of sorts, An Unfinished Score tells the story of Suzanne Sullivan, a musician, a wife, and an adulterous. While preparing dinner for her husband and their extended family, Suzanne hears on the radio that her lover, Alex Elling, has died in the crash of a jetliner. Suzanne must mourn in secret while continuing her life as a concert violist and a wife. She continues to silently grieve through rehearsals, performances, and everyday life as the wife of a composer who distances himself from emotion, mother to her best friend, Petra’s daughter Adele, and counselor to Petra herself. After a series of mysterious phone calls Suzanne meets Olivia, Alex’s widow. Olivia compels Suzanne to finish a Viola Concerto that Alex was show more composing before his death. Struggling to complete the score of the concerto Suzanne relives memories of her separate life with Alex and the emotions that the concerto invokes.
Suzanne is the other woman, someone who we despise in theory, but cannot help but empathize with throughout this story. She is flawed and realistic. Olivia is the scorned wife, a woman whose pain we understand but whose actions create a conflict that seems cruel. Suzanne, Olivia, Ben, Petra, and Adele are subject to the errors of humanity. An Unfinished Score is perfectly orchestrated to bring about empathy and understanding in unexpected places. It is the story of life: love, loss, betrayal, and redemption. An Unfinished Score provides a plethora of discussion points and is meant to be shared. This is a great book for group discussion. I highly recommend An Unfinished Score. show less

I wanted to love this one and if I could I'd give it a 3.5. I just felt like there was too much going on, particularly in the first half of the book for me to attach to any of the characters. The writing is wonderful and the second half really picks up.

An Unfinished Score is beautifully written, a book as much about music as it is about the musicians who are the main characters. Each section is assembled carefully, just as a score might be. Blackwell does an excellent job of weaving in and out of the music without over-simplifying for the casual fan while writing a lovely story about a woman who, thinking she has a chance to rediscover her dead lover, finds many unexpected things along the way.