I recently finished The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr. I'll be honest - I bought it because of the cover. Who could resist this design?? And the tag line: "Play like no one is listening."
So, marketing kudos to the folks at Little Brown & Co.
Really loved this book. It's a contemporary YA, and I often have trouble getting into contemporary YA stories because they seem so formulaic - first love, dysfunctional parents etc. This story is different. Parents are a problem to Lucy, but only in so much as her mother has high expectations of her which have been dashed by her decision to give up a promising career as a concert pianist. We find out that these expectations are actually fueled by the paternal grandfather who himself is a complex and believable character. This is NOT a story about first love - although Lucy has her share of crushes, usually on older guys/teachers which is completely believable in the context of her struggles to find herself and work out what position music should hold in her life if she's not going to be a world famous performer. It is a story about figuring out who we really are, working out what's truly important and what isn't, and then finding ways to create a life that focuses on the things that make us happy, while coming to terms with the fact that those might not be the things that would necessarily make other people happy. This book is original, and extremely engaging, and easy to read. Highly recommended!
So, marketing kudos to the folks at Little Brown & Co.
Really loved this book. It's a contemporary YA, and I often have trouble getting into contemporary YA stories because they seem so formulaic - first love, dysfunctional parents etc. This story is different. Parents are a problem to Lucy, but only in so much as her mother has high expectations of her which have been dashed by her decision to give up a promising career as a concert pianist. We find out that these expectations are actually fueled by the paternal grandfather who himself is a complex and believable character. This is NOT a story about first love - although Lucy has her share of crushes, usually on older guys/teachers which is completely believable in the context of her struggles to find herself and work out what position music should hold in her life if she's not going to be a world famous performer. It is a story about figuring out who we really are, working out what's truly important and what isn't, and then finding ways to create a life that focuses on the things that make us happy, while coming to terms with the fact that those might not be the things that would necessarily make other people happy. This book is original, and extremely engaging, and easy to read. Highly recommended!
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