Letters to the Pianist Runs the Gamut of Emotions
There are scenes of hope and happiness in Letters to the Pianist, almost seeming
like a fairytale when seen through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Ruth and her
younger siblings Gabi and Hannah. But soon
the realities of war and its aftermath intervene and sadness descends as a life
is lost or dreams are shattered. There
are also characters to loathe, individuals cruel and heartless almost beyond
words. Romance and love also find their
way into the story, passionate in places but never graphic in its
portrayal. And finally, tension abounds,
clearly the dominant emotion as the father, Joe, and Ruth find themselves
embroiled in situations fraught with peril, literally fighting for their lives
in the finale. With finely crafted
prose, author S.D. Mayes elicits the full gamut of emotions. I have read books that have produced stronger
feelings of anxiety or hope or affection, but I’m not sure I’ve read any that
have elicited such range of feelings in the span of 400 pages. Kudos to the author.
The pacing was excellent, as the author keeps you a bit off
balance, always wondering what’s next.
Character development was also good, with Joe and Ruth in particular
coming to life. As with many books of
this genre, I enjoyed the interplay of history and fiction. Admittedly, I’m not that well versed on
Britain during World War II and the players, although some are nearly
universally known. One of my few unmet
hopes in this book was that the author had described some of her research in a
note at the end. However, I did fill in
a few holes myself with online searches, again attesting to how gripping I
found the tale. Other than that, the
finale at the Douglas-Scott estate was the only other issue, as it seemed a bit
convenient, but it was an extremely minor concern given the strength of the
story.
Overall, Letters to the
Pianist is an excellent book, a truly griping story that will push your
emotions to their bounds.
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