The Weight of a Piano
A novel
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4.1 • 54 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
In 1962, in the Soviet Union, eight-year-old Katya is bequeathed what will become the love of her life: a Blüthner piano, on which she discovers an enrichening passion for music. Yet after she marries, her husband insists the family emigrate to America—and loses her piano in the process.
In 2012, in Bakersfield, California, twenty-six-year-old Clara Lundy is burdened by the last gift her father gave her before he and her mother died in a terrible house fire: a Blüthner upright she has never learned to play. Now a talented and independent auto mechanic, Clara’s career is put on hold when she breaks her hand trying to move the piano, and in sudden frustration she decides to sell it. Only in discovering the identity of the buyer—and the secret history of her piano—will Clara be set free to live the life of her choosing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In her elegiac and evocative novel, Cander (Whisper Hollow) explores the legacy of loss, the intersections of art and music, and what happens when physical objects assume outsized symbolism. As a young girl in the Soviet Union in 1962, Katya admires her neighbor's Bl thner piano; when he leaves it to her after his death, Katya pursues her musical passions and becomes obsessed with maintaining possession of the piano, even when given the opportunity to flee as a dissident. In California in 2012, Clara is a 26-year-old auto mechanic. Her boyfriend has just ended their relationship and demanded that she move out along with the Bl thner that is her only remaining link to her dead parents. When a piano-moving accident leaves Clara with a broken hand and unable to work, she impulsively puts the piano for sale on Craigslist and the response she receives sends her deep into the barren beauty of Death Valley and into a new relationship that may shed light on her family history, and on the cursed history of that piano. Reminiscent of Annie Proulx's Accordion Crimes, Cander's novel delves into the often unexplainable genesis of artistic inspiration and examines how family legacy the physical objects people inherit, the genetic traits people carry on, and the generational lore people internalize can both ignite imagination and limit its scope. Cander brilliantly and convincingly expresses music and visual art in her writing, capturing both within a near-alien but surprisingly stunning landscape.
Customer Reviews
Tried and True Formula
This was a thoughtful and engaging read. I appreciated the perspective of the book which revolved around several generations of people and their interaction with the Bluthner piano. Several of the male characters were confusing bundles of attributes but thank goodness for one with redeeming values. Being a musical individual, I appreciated the connection between artists and instruments. This novel was easy to read and nicely paced. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Will leave you deep in thought!
Loved this book… so many things to challenge my thinking, interesting characters to whom I was drawn, a story with twists and turns and a satisfying, if not predictable, resolution. Would make a good book club read!