REVIEWS

Book has special appeal for music lovers

The Spanish Bow by: Andromeda Romano-Lax Harcourt Trade Publishers, 2007 ISBN-13: 978-0151015429 560 pages

If you like history, Spanish history, Yo Yo Ma, and the cello, then you will enjoy this book.

I usually step into a book by first perusing the inside cover to catch a glimpse of what lies ahead. I rarely look at the author’s biography. But when I picked up this book, I was drawn to back cover and read about the author. It was then that I knew that this book would not only be about music, but about the cello. I was right.

The first pages of the book are rivetting. You are drawn into the story of Feliu, who was to be named Feliz, but the Notary added a “u” at the end of this boy’s name and thus, he comes into the world, not only misnamed, but breached and looks stillborn. He alive, but his birth is a foreshadowing of his life; his personal triumphs and his hardships.

His father has died and has sent the family a box of treasure containing and item from every part of the world Feliu’s father visited. Since Feliu is the one who accompanies his mother to fetch the package from the train, he is allowed to be the first one to choose an item of his liking. He does not want to make the wrong choice, and looks to his mother for guidance. He ends up choosing a bow, which he believes is for the violin, but later discovers that the bow in his possession is the key that will unlock his true calling- becoming a cellist.

Feliu is musically inclined but is encouraged to use his talents for pleasure rather than for work. But the young man’s musical interest only grows deeper when he is first introduced to the cello. The reader is sucked into a trance and can feel the character’s passion for the instrument, every musical note, every emotion and is guided through a breathtaking journey as Feliu listens to the cello for the first time.

You are transported into the years that span from 1892-1940’s. Each character that you encounter has his/her unique styles of speech, mannerisms, needs, dreams, and passions. The reader is also drawn into the culture of the many places Feliu travels to hone his music. It is on his many journeys that the reader gets a first hand experience of the makings of a musician.

During his travels, Feliu collaborates with Justo Al-Cerraz, a piano prodigy. The tumultuous friendship only gets better when a third character, Aviva, an Italian violinist with a haunted past, comes into their lives.

The ending offers a surprising twist which you will be privy to when you delve into the pages of The Spanish Bow.