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The Piano Tuner (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 5,433 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
An extraordinary first novel that tells the story of a British piano tuner sent deep into Burma in the nineteenth century. In October 1886, Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the British War Office: he must leave his wife and his quiet life in London to travel to the jungles of Burma, where a rare Erard grand piano is in need of repair. The piano belongs to an army surgeon-major whose unorthodox peacemaking methods—poetry, medicine, and now music—have brought a tentative quiet to the southern Shan States but have elicited questions from his superiors. On his journey through Europe, the Red Sea, India, and into Burma, Edgar meets soldiers, mystics, bandits, and tale-spinners, as well as an enchanting woman as elusive as the surgeon-major. And at the doctor’s fort on a remote Burmese river, Edgar encounters a world more mysterious and dangerous than he ever could have imagined. Sensuous, lyrical, rich with passion and adventure, this is a hypnotic tale of myth, romance, and self-discovery: an unforgettable novel.
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"I loved this book! It draws you in with a sweet seduction. Keep aware of the beggining quote re The Lotus Eaters. Complicated and layered you will keep thinking of this book for awhile. Writing is supberb and it was written by a medical student while he was studying or interning. How is that possible?? I ask myself. The guy is brilliant and he wrote this when he was 22,23? I'm looking forward to A Far Country, another of his novels written about 4-5 years later."
— Phyllis (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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One of the 2002 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
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Nominated for the Barnes & Noble Discover Award
The Piano Tuner Listener Reviews
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" An interesting journey to another time and place. Was it hubris, love, or blind trust that led the protagonist to this place? "
— Christine, 2/20/2014 -
" I enjoyed the historical component and reading about the beauty of Myramar. The ending didn't seem to fit with the rest of the novel. "
— Cally, 2/18/2014 -
" Slow read, was pretty dissapointed with the ending. "
— Alyssa, 1/23/2014 -
" Really enjoyed this book! It was mysterious, interesting, historical, passionate and had a very unusual premise. I thought the book may only appeal to men when I first picked it up but was wrong. Definitely recommend it. "
— Candice, 1/23/2014 -
" Beautifully written book in Colonial Birma. The end was a bit of a deflation. Otherwise a wonderful descriptive book! "
— Mireille, 1/14/2014 -
" I found this book quite heavy going. I wasn't particularly sure where the plot was going as it was slow moving. I finished it 12 hours ago and I'm still trying to work out exactly what it was about - colonialism, Darwinism, betrayal, misunderstanding, naievety? All of those, I suspect but written in such a way that I wasn't gripped. The historical aspect was interesting, especially the history of the piano itself, for me, but too slow to really hold my attention. "
— Sue, 1/12/2014 -
" I read this book for both the Monterey Library Literary Circle and for another group. I loved it until the end, then was disappointed. "
— Dee, 1/12/2014 -
" loved the setting in colonial Burma. plot reminded me of "heart of Darkness", but otherwise interesting read "
— Lauren.gavin, 1/8/2014 -
" Oh. Well. I wanted this book to be better than it was. Mostly, I was confused and underwhelmed. It had the potential of being really good, but it wasn't. Lots of flowery descriptions but without substance or a real ending. Sigh. I seem to be going through a period of disappointing books right now. "
— Just, 12/27/2013 -
" I'd probably rate this three and a half. I did enjoy it but sometimes felt it got a bit bogged down with detailed military manoeuvers within Burma in the 1800s. Loved the descriptions of his trip out to Burma and his impressions and reaction to the places he visited. "
— Jane, 12/19/2013 -
" Almost didn't get through it. "
— Carol, 12/5/2013 -
" I couldn't stand this book. I read a few dozen pages, then skipped to the end to see what happened. I shouldn't have bothered. I almost never stop reading a book. "
— AnnMarie, 6/23/2013 -
" This was a very engaging story, and one I can highly recommend! I cared what happened to the main character from the first page to the last. It was definitely a page turner. "
— Michele, 3/11/2013 -
" Quite interesting - I learned about Burma, piano tuning and British Colonialism. "
— Amy, 2/1/2013 -
" It had such a promising beginning, so vibrant and exotic... it is such a shame about the end. It wasn't a fully realized book in my opinion. "
— Rebecca, 10/14/2012 -
" Interesting story, good background on the country of Burma (Myanmar) and also the history of pianos. "
— Monica, 9/27/2012 -
" I found this book fascinating, but I hated the ending. I ruined the book for me. "
— Jennifer, 8/29/2012 -
" Nice imagery, interesting to contemplate after reading, but not uplifting in the end. "
— Kathy, 11/12/2011 -
" the ending spoiled an otherwise good book "
— Gordon, 11/7/2011 -
" Beautiful and descriptive prose, but the story was slow and the ending predictable. I struggled to find any character development beyond that which was shoved in your face. "
— Danielle, 10/31/2011 -
" This was a book I found on a nightstand of a room I was staying in when I was visiting my grandparents. It was an interesting story that was well-written.<br/><br/>I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but it was a good read. "
— Henary, 7/1/2011 -
" The story was engaging if not overly entertaining but when I got to the end I was left utterly disappointed. I guess I just couldn't understand why he made the choice he did. "
— V_madridista, 6/27/2011 -
" A highly praised book but I didn't care for it - except for the information I learned about Burma. "
— Snickerdoodlemom, 6/27/2011 -
" Ooooh this was a pleasure to read. I had been reading Madame Bovary, and Mason's Burma was just where I wanted to be. "
— Sarah, 6/1/2011 -
" Set in the late 19 century, a British piano tuner receives a commission from the British War Office to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and repair a rare piano who belongs to a army surgeon. "
— Jean, 5/26/2011 -
" A bit too much description. I skipped whole pages, especially offical military reports, but I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happened to them. "
— Donna, 5/15/2011 -
" I really didn't like the ending of this story. I liked the historical aspect of the book, but it just couldn't get into it much at all. "
— Lori, 4/29/2011 -
" Heart of Darkness with a Piano, and without the heads chopped off "
— Dan, 4/27/2011 -
" Taking a piano deep into Victorian India. "
— Lily, 4/7/2011 -
" Lyrical, haunting, evocative. Reminds me of Conrad's Heart of Darkness in many ways. Five years after first reading the book, I still remember phrases, scenes. Truly one of the best books I have ever read. "
— Wog, 3/29/2011 -
" Listening to the audio version during my commute. "
— Lisa, 3/25/2011
About Daniel Mason
Daniel Mason is a physician and the author of several novel, which have been translated into twenty-eight languages and adapted for opera and theater. He was named the 2020 winner of the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. He is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, where he teaches courses in the humanities and medicine.
About Graeme Malcolm
Graeme Malcolm was an actor and winning audiobook narrator who earned twelve AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has performed on Broadway as Pharaoh in Aida and as Sir Edward Ramsay in The King and I. His television appearances include Law & Order, Follow the River, and Mr. Halpern and Mr. Johnson (with Laurence Olivier). His film credits include A Further Gesture, The Adventures of Sebastian Cole, and Reunion.