Crescendo
An addictive summer read about sibling rivalry and obsession
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- 12,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
How far are you willing to go to get what you truly desire?
It’s the summer of 1957 and Max, a piano prodigy, is on a sold-out concert tour.
'An enthralling literary symphony of ambition, desire and obsession' LAYNE FARGO
'I couldn’t tear myself away' ERIN KELLY
His beautiful twin sister, Natasha, serves as his manager and minder. But despite Natasha’s careful planning, he begins, for the first time in his career, to make mistakes on stage. Upending his schedule to seek a cure in Paris, Max sets up the pair in the sprawling mansion of a handsome and wealthy count. But Henri is more than just a patron of the arts; he has also been – unknown to Max – Natasha’s lover.
Freed from the familiar dynamic of manager and talent, Natasha’s simmering resentment and Max’s deep insecurity turn into a rivalry, as the two vie for Henri’s attention. While Henri woos Natasha in galleries and cafés during the day, it is Max’s playing that draws him from bed each night.
As the twins compete, the fractures in their already vulnerable relationship start to show, with devastating consequences for both.
'Thrilling, claustrophobic, passionate' BRIDGET COLLINS
'A riveting study in pressure - artistic, romantic and familial' LARA PRESCOTT
'I devoured it' ANNA BAILEY
'Sumptuous and intoxicating. . . a perfect summer read' RACHEL BLACKMORE
‘Heady and intoxicating' KAT DUNN
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Healey (The Ophelia Girls) offers a bittersweet tale of a love triangle in 1950s Paris. Maxim Kitson, a 20-year-old London piano prodigy managed by his twin sister, Natasha, is on tour in Brazil, where the pair meet Henri, le Comte de Montaigu, a French banker who is a fan of Max's. Natasha becomes enamored with the charming Henri. Meanwhile, Max feels he needs a break from performing, so when Henri offers to host Max and Natasha at his Paris mansion while Max trains with a piano master, the pair leap at the offer. In Paris, Max and Henri flirt with each other, even as Max falls for a ballet dancer almost twice his age. Eventually, Henri and Natasha's relationship becomes more serious, even as the sexual tension between Henri and Max continues to build. Healey effectively paints the self-absorbed characters' longings with striking clarity, such as Max's wish that Natasha fulfill her desire "to be known, to be seen for herself and not just as a shadow of her brother." Those who enjoy a romance with a caustic edge will take to this searing work.
