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The Song of Names Audiobook
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(3.09) - 279 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Martin Simmond’s father tells him, “Never trust a musician when he speaks about love.” The advice comes too late. Martin already loves Dovidl Rapoport, an eerily gifted Polish violin prodigy whose parents left him in the Simmonds’s care before they perished in the Holocaust. For a time the two boys are closer than brothers. But on the day he is to make his official debut, Dovidl disappears. Only 40 years later does Martin get his first clue about what happened to him.
In this ravishing novel of music and suspense, Norman Lebrecht unravels the strands of love, envy and exploitation that knot geniuses to their admirers. In doing so he also evokes the fragile bubble of Jewish life in prewar London; the fearful carnival of the Blitz, and the gray new world that emerged from its ashes. Bristling with ideas, lambent with feeling, The Song of Names is a masterful work of the imagination.
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"It started slow but the tension is building as you try to figure out where the author is going with it. Set in the time of the Gulp War with flashes back to England during WWII. Very intriguing and haunting but not very plausible. I enjoyed reading it anyway. "
— Susan (4 out of 5 stars)
The Song of Names Listener Reviews
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" I thought this book was garbage. Very disappointing. "
— Cami, 2/10/2014 -
" I think this book tries to be too many things. Some of them (a story of Jewish life and inter-communal pressures, an interesting discussion of class in Britain, a look at xenophobia during the war in Britain) it does well. Others (a story about likable people who do bad things or blame others for their problems) it doesn't do in such a winning manner. Overall, enjoyable. Would I read it again or recommend it? Not unless I knew a Yiddish speaking prodigy who'd relate. "
— Shiri, 1/22/2014 -
" Sparkling and captivating story about a musical prodigy and the family who cares for and is devastated by him. "
— Marla, 12/24/2013 -
" 3.5: I liked this one for the period detail of London during WWII, and for the examination of the business side of classical music. I found the pacing a little uneven, though, and the narration pedantic. "
— Erin, 12/19/2013 -
" I really liked this book...very thought-provoking. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but by the middle I was very into it. "
— Sue, 12/8/2013 -
" "Song of Names" tells the story of the Holocaust through the lives of two men. It's a captivating mystery with well constructed characters. "
— Katy, 11/26/2013 -
" This book surprised me by it's manner of changing directions each time I thought I knew where it was headed. The tone is rather wistful, which suits the topic. The setting is well laid and the characters quite interesting. "
— Linda, 11/4/2013 -
" A mystery with a wonderful twist, cultural insight and a sombre reminder made for a great read. The relationships were quire interesting to folliow and relate to. "
— Seymour, 10/8/2013 -
" As a classically trained musician I absolutely loved the musical descriptions in this book--the story itself was fascinating --loved this book!! "
— Eva, 9/12/2013 -
" a book you must read! "
— Michal, 7/8/2013 -
" It started slow but the tension is building as you try to figure out where the author is going with it. Set in the time of the Gulp War with flashes back to England during WWII. Very intriguing and haunting but not very plausible. I enjoyed reading it anyway. "
— Susan, 7/4/2013 -
" Engaging story for both mystery and history lovers. "
— Debbie, 3/10/2013 -
" The book started out very slow, but the end was great. "
— Trisha, 1/10/2013 -
" Loved the glimpse into the jewish community, the lives of classical music big wigs. Very memorable. "
— Kit, 10/15/2012 -
" Confusing book, had both good parts and boring parts. "
— Christy, 10/7/2012 -
" Beautiful. A real page-turner. Recommended. "
— Ro_runner, 5/20/2012 -
" outstanding.keeps up the tension to the end.how two different worlds find a common theme "
— Cyril, 3/23/2012 -
" Extremely interesting WW11 novel of music and suspense! "
— Elisa, 2/6/2012 -
" This book started out so slowly that I almost gave up a few times. I'm glad that I didn't. The more the book becomes about the transcendence of music and real and imagined betrayals, the better. By the time the book revealed the meaning of its title, I was glad that I stuck it out. "
— Jeanne, 12/16/2011 -
" Extremely interesting WW11 novel of music and suspense! "
— Elisa, 8/8/2011 -
" This book surprised me by it's manner of changing directions each time I thought I knew where it was headed. The tone is rather wistful, which suits the topic. The setting is well laid and the characters quite interesting. "
— Linda, 7/29/2011 -
" I really liked this book...very thought-provoking. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but by the middle I was very into it. "
— Sue, 6/18/2009 -
" A mystery with a wonderful twist, cultural insight and a sombre reminder made for a great read. The relationships were quire interesting to folliow and relate to. "
— Seymour, 8/4/2008 -
" 3.5: I liked this one for the period detail of London during WWII, and for the examination of the business side of classical music. I found the pacing a little uneven, though, and the narration pedantic. "
— Erin, 1/28/2008 -
" outstanding.keeps up the tension to the end.how two different worlds find a common theme "
— Cyril, 12/31/2007 -
" Loved the glimpse into the jewish community, the lives of classical music big wigs. Very memorable. "
— Kit, 6/30/2007
About Norman Lebrecht
Norman Lebrecht is the world’s bestselling author on classical music. His Whitbread Award-winning novel, The Song of Names, is the basis of an acclaimed feature film. Aside from the history of Western music, he has a lifelong passion for the culture and chronicles of the Jewish people and is the author of Genius & Anxiety.