About this title: Child prodigy Renne Sundheimer underwent a trauma at the age of 18 and was no longer able to play the cello. He lives alone, mourning his lost talent, and becomes deeply involved in teaching a small Korean boy with incredible gifts, that are reminiscent of Renne's own. Then his life is irrevocably altered when he becomes a juror in a trial for the brutal killing of a Buddhist monk.
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Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780394570105ISBN:0394570103
Description: Very Good in Very Good dust jacket. 0394570103. Price on DJ is $19.00; 1 x 7.7 x 5.8 Inches; 285 pages; "As a child, Renne showed promise of becoming one of the world's greatest cellists. Now, years later, his life suddenly is altered by two events: he becomes a juror in a murder trial for the brutal killing of a Buddhist monk, and he takes on as a pupil a Korean boy whose brilliant musicianship reminds him of his own past. " read more
Edition: 1st edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House, New York
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780394570105ISBN:0394570103
Description: Fine in Very Good dust jacket. unread copy with good clean, bright, tight pages. no ink markings. Minor shelf wear. NO NAMES. NO UNDERLINING. NO TEARS. CLEAN BOOK. No remainder marks, . Unknown printing. Illustrated by. 284 p. ; NEW unread copy. Author's third novel, follwing "Iron & Silk". Child prodigy Renne Sundheimer underwent a trauma at the age of 18 and was no longer able to play the cello. He lives alone, mourning his lost talent, and becomes deeply involved in teaching a small Korean ... read more
Edition: Stated First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House, New York
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780394570105ISBN:0394570103
Description: No Illustrations. Very Good in Very Good jacket. PICTORIAL DUST JACKET. ILLUSTRATED HALF CLOTH COVER. INTERIOR PAGES CLEAN, BRIGHT AND TIGHT. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1995-02-07
ISBN-13:9780679759263ISBN:0679759263
Description: Very Good. Previous owner's name on end paper, pages are otherwise clean, crisp and unmarked. Covers show light edge wear.; 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Free Delivery Confirmation! Ships same or next business day! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1995-02-07
ISBN-13:9780679759263ISBN:0679759263
Description: New. New papercover book with publisher's inventory mark. We ship 6 days a week, generally within 24 hours; single CDs and DVDs upgraded to 1st class! read more
"A very disappointing effort from Salzman. The plot is very enticing: Reinhardt, a child prodigy cellist, loses his gift and spends years trying to get it back so he can live the life of a concert musician. After a decade of futile practice, he is asked to tutor another child prodigy, withdrawn nine-year old wunderkind named Kyung-Hee. And if Salzman had just stayed with that, I think he would have written a fine book. There is the possibility of youth vs. age, the teacher craving the talent the student possesses, the cultural conflict of east vs. west (Reinhardt was born in New York, traveled Europe as a child and lives in Los Angeles while Kyung-Hee is from a traditional Korean family). Additionally, there is the opportunity to write about classical music and how elusively beautiful it is. That's what I was expecting.
Instead, in addition to working with Kyung-Hee, Salzman has Reinhardt serving on a jury in a murder trial; a Zen student has killed his master. Salzman has memorably written about Far East in "Iron and Silk" and I thought perhaps Reinhardt would be exposed to Zen wisdom during the trial which in turn could help him become a better teacher or resolve the endless search for his talent. But no, Salzman has him serving on this particular trial because... he's serving on a trial.
While serving on the jury, the virgin Reinhardt develops a serious crush on a married fellow juror and like the trial itself, the reader is left wanting for why this particular plot point is meaningful. There are also several flashbacks to Reinhardt's childhood which, unfortunately, have the same effect.
All of this makes for a very frustrating read, not because the book is difficult to follow but because the book does not inspire. Much of this has to do with Salzman's choice to write the book in the first person voice of Reinhardt. The choice works in the opening pages when Reinhardt details his early fame and sudden loss of his gift but the remaining pages are a chore because Reinhardt is not an easy character for the reader to attach or, frankly, to even like. Nothing in his life is completely good or bad and, at least for this reader, there is no satisfying resolution to any of the plot-lines.
I had a lot of fun reading "The Laughing Sutra" and I'm looking forward to reading "Iron and Silk." I'm sorry to say that this is a book I wish I never opened."
"The main character is a cellist --once a child prodigy --who abruptly ends his concert career after burning out. The story revolves around him "finding himself" as an adult. He is called to be a juror for a murder trial and Salzman uses the trial and deliberations as the vehicle to reveal the cellist's own mental turmoil. I gave it two stars (as opposed to one) because I thought the use of the trial in the plot was unique. But -- I found the characters to be predictable, flat, and uninteresting. And the number of cliche metaphors about music and emotion was annoying. You'll really hate the book if you are a) interested or practicing Zen Buddhism (he paints a very negative picture of it) or b) like any classical music other than Bach."
"A novel about a washed-up child prodigy cellist who is struggling to come to terms with his inability to recapture his ability to perform. In agreeing to teach a withdrawn 9-year-old prodigy and in taking a courageous stand as a member of a juty in a bizarre murder trial, he comes to terms with his limitations as a human being as well as with what he has to offer, and ultimately rediscovers a new kind of joy in music. It should have had great appeal for me, but was only a mediocre book that suffers in comparison to Body and Soul."
"I read the wrong book for bookclub. Mark Salzman is NOT Steve Lopez! This book was okay. About a Jewish boy that was a violin prodigy, traveling to concert halls all over the world, living an adult life as a young child. He loses his rythmic hearing (if that's even a phrase) in his late teens. He's rather tragic -- extremely self serving and elitist as he serves as a juror in a murder trial. Not a lovable (even likeable) character -- even feeling sorry for his childhood."
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