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There are currently 31 member reviews
for Mozart's Sister
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Catherine (Nashua NH)
Mozart, Dad, Mom and I or the dysfunctional family
I discovered Mozart the brother, the child, the man completely different from Mozart the musical genius and the picture is far from a nice one.
Despite a very unorganized story, I did enjoy the book.
As for Mrs. Charbonnier, I would say "talented writer but can do better".
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Betty (Jasper GA)
Long Name, Short Career
I have been interested in the life of genius composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ever since seeing the movie "Amadeus" several years ago. This novel about the life of his sister, Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, sheds new light on the Mozart family.
Fraulein Mozart (Nannerl to the family) had musical talent very nearly equal to that of her illustrious brother. Modern readers will be incensed at Herr Mozart's unilateral decision that Nannerl must give up her dreams of developing her talent and become a music teacher to support the family while the favored son, Wolfgang, develops and displays his talents in the capitals of Europe.
This book is an easy read and presents insight into the lives of a middle class family in Eighteenth Century Europe. The only quibble I have is with some awkward phrasing which may stem from the translation of the work into English from the Italian.
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Anna (Auburn AL)
Should appeal to a variety of book clubs
Charbonnier's first attempt at a novel is a good, if somewhat uneven one. The unevenness may be more a function of the translation than of the author's art and skill. In spite of that, I enjoyed the book very much and found the events described to be faithful to what we know of the events of "Nannerl's" life. The book should appeal to a wide variety of book clubs, especially those interested in music and/or women's issues.
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Alice (Sacramento CA)
Mozart's Sister ( Lost In Translation)
I have enjoyed this book enormously, but not because of outstanding or even good writing. The characters and the story are fascinating, so those two things kept me going. I had difficulty relating to the dialogue of the young people. It seemed way too formal, too adult...but maybe they were so outstanding that they really spoke that way...or maybe the author's true version was "lost in translation".
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Amanda (Omaha NE)
A book that should appeal to a wide audience!
Rita Charbonnier successfully captures the mounting tension and complexity of a Mozart opera in her new novel Mozart's Sister. For readers who enjoy looking at events through the eyes of those usually forgotten by history, Mozart's Sister should satisfy. For readers frankly uninterested in the history of classical music, the novel can still be enjoyed for its careful depiction of the constraints and alternative routes to reward women knew in the 1700s.
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Jill (Newport RI)
Review of
I thought this book was just okay but not great. It started out nicely but was not engaging as I went through the chapters. It was challenging to get through as I was quickly bored with the writing. I also would challenge her choice of dialog, as some of the things she wrote seemed to be inconsistent with the period.
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Janice (South Woodstock VT)
Mozart's Sister
Mozart’s Sister by Rita Charbonnier (Crown) is the story of Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, or “Nannerl,” to her family, who was like her famous younger brother a child prodigy. Unlike Wolfgang, with whom she was in childhood very close, Nannerl’s talents were quickly channeled into teaching, in lieu of composing and performing, to support her brother’s career. Unlike Wolfgang, she remained close to her domineering father and obeyed his wishes, even in her romantic life.
The premise of Charbonnier’s imaginative novel is that Nannerl resented her lot bitterly, that she struggled to repress her love of music, and that this denial of her gifts led to her estrangement later in life from Mozart. Charbonnier’s power of invention stretches further to explain the mystery of the Mozart siblings’ estrangement by having the self-centered, dissipated young Mozart trifle with Nannerl’s favorite student, who is the daughter of her first fiancée d’Ippold (whom in fact she renounced at her father’s insistence).
Charbonnier’s “interpretation” of the historical record, scant on this intriguing sister and brother, make for an extremely lively novel in the romantic tradition. Opening with her mother’s labor pains (and cursing) at a court performance as five-year-old Nannerl placidly receives accolades for her performance at the harpsicord, the novel flashes from one graphic scene to another, leapfrogging over months or decades in cinematic fashion, with frequently shifting viewpoints. It’s all vivid and melodramatic. Whether you like it or not will depend upon how much it troubles you when, for example, an 18th-century gentleman says, “Get lost!” And how much you want your characters to offer a convincing interior life.
