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The Music Room: Summary and book reviews of The Music Room by William Fiennes, plus links to an excerpt from The Music Room and a biography of William Fiennes.
The Music Room A Memoir
by
William Fiennes
Hardcover: Sep 2009,
224 pages.
A bittersweet description of an ancient family house in an enchanted setting, and of growing up with a damaged brother.
William Fiennes spent his childhood in a moated castle, the perfect environment for a child with a brimming imagination. It is a house alive with history, beauty, and mystery, but the young boy growing up in it is equally in awe of his brother Richard. Eleven years older and a magnetic presence, Richard suffers from severe epilepsy. His illness influences the rhythms of the family and the house’s internal life, and his story inspires a journey, interwoven with a loving recollection, toward an understanding of the mind.
This is a song of home, of an adored brother and the miracle of consciousness. The chill of dark historical places coexists with the warmth and chatter of the family kitchen; the surrounding landscapes are distinguished by ancient trees, secret haunts, the moat’s depths and temptations. Bursting with tender detail, The Music Room is a sensuous tribute to place, memory, and the permanence of love.
Book Reviews
BookBrowse - Kim Kovacs The Music Room lacks the gossipy tone prevalent among so many current memoirs; it exposes no family scandal or deep emotional scars, and pushes no political agenda. It is, however, a gentle love-filled memoir which should appeal to many, especially those with an interest in modern castle life! Full Review (members only, 1225 words).
Kirkus Reviews
Interspersed is a precis of the history of research regarding his brother's status epilecticus. An artful memory piece about a unique home life.
Publishers Weekly
The book feels fluffed up at times with asides on the history of epilepsy, but more often than not these serve the greater purpose of evoking a sense of continuity and reflection.
Sunday Times (UK)
Evocative and wistful…glows with the joy of remembrance.
Financial Times
This is a moving book, written with sensitivity. Fiennes writes with great precision and skill; his images stay with you.
The Guardian (UK)
This is no misery memoir...on the contrary, it is a thoughtful and lyrical account of an extraordinary childhood.
New Statesman
Beautifully written…detailed without being overblown, precise without being precious.
The Spectator (UK)
Fiennes has a poet's gift for creating images that are fresh and original...yet so natural as to seem almost inevitable.
The Daily Telegraph (UK)
It is a beautiful and fortifying book, even a great one.
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The Music Room
(members only, 1225 words).
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