Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Jun 2011
272 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
An adroit first novel of exceptional grace and emotional power by a legendary British ad executive.
Henry Cage seems to have it all: a successful career, money, a beautiful home, and a reputation for being a just and principled man. But public virtues can conceal private failings, and as Henry faces retirement, his well-ordered life begins to unravel. His ex-wife is ill, his relationship with his son is strained to the point of estrangement, and on the eve of the new millennium he is the victim of a random violent act which soon escalates into a prolonged harassment.
As his ex-wife's illness becomes grave, it is apparent that there is little time to redress the mistakes of the past. But the man stalking Henry remains at large. Who is doing this? And why? David Abbott brilliantly pulls this thread of tension ever tighter until the surprising and emotionally impactful conclusion. The Upright Piano Player is a wise and acutely observed novel about the myriad ways in which life tests us - no matter how carefully we have constructed our own little fortresses.
"Starred Review. Readers who can make it through the gruesome opening scene will be rewarded with a powerful and well-written portrayal of loss and grieving. Highly recommended." - Library Journal
"In an elegant debut filled with anguish and yearning... Abbott impresses most in his easy balance of the disparate plot elements... and overarching themes of reconnection and regret." - Publishers Weekly
"A beautifully constructed debut." - The Guardian (UK)
"Elegant, rich and gratifying." - The Independent (UK)
"The menace simmering beneath the surface of its prose is compelling." - Daily Mail (UK)
"David Abbott's The Upright Piano Player is a wise and moving debut, an accomplished novel of quiet depths and resonant shadows." - John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Commoner and Reservation Road
This information about The Upright Piano Player was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
David Abbott worked for forty years in the advertising industry as a copywriter and creative director. He was a founding partner of Abbott Mead Vickers, Britain's largest advertising agency. The Upright Piano Player is his first novel.
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