The piano tuner by daniel mason books the guardian. The piano tuner has been translated into 28 languages and adapted for opera and stage. Daniel masons book, far from being a species of chastisement, is an absolute pleasure, in so far as the two things can be separated. Forsters a passage to india, joseph conrads heart of darkness, or george orwells shooting an elephant.
San francisco chronicle this wondrous work of fiction. A far country was shortlisted for the james tait black memorial prize and the northern california book award. The piano tuner is a historical novel by daniel mason, set in british india and burma. Jan 18, 2003 the piano tuner by daniel mason 368pp, picador. It immerses the reader in a distant world with startling immediacy and ardor.
Daniel mason is the author of the piano tuner 2002, and a far country 2007. The piano tuner daniel mason, 2002, the piano jane campion and kate pullinger, 1995, the piano teacher janice y. By the international bestselling author of the piano tuner. The piano tuner is a novel of journeys and the shifting grounds of perception, but at heart it is a story of the human urge to be absorbed fully into life, to cease to be a bystander, to be thrust into the essential dreamscape of human strivings. Piano teacher we are so excited to be a part of this book club my students are already showing more enthusiasm for practice and really enjoying having fun, relevant pieces to play. The piano tuner is the the story of edgar drake, a london piano i have read it at least 3 times, and each time i am completely drawn in to the world of edgar drake, and 19th century colonial burma. Jun 18, 2016 i remembered all the very good novels ive read where piano players and tuners were core themes and the plot and characters almost purely focused on pianos and music. A tragedy in the classic sense, the piano tuner follows bob into his harrowing past, revealing the shocking murder of bobs former wife and his subsequent incarceration. Its amazingly informative to delve into a book a second time with a completely different focus than the first. I was initially intriqued by this book but soon found that i was reading only so i could participate in the discussion. For the piano tuner, hes become engrossed in the complex and bloody. Michiko kakutani, the new york times in 1886 a shy, middleaged piano tuner named edgar drake receives an unusual commission from.
He is a member of the piano technicians guild of america also. The piano forums are an online community of piano lovers including piano industry professionals, concert artists, recording artists, technicians, dealers, manufacturers, and thousands of enthusiastic amateur pianist. When it begins, well, lets let trevors beginning show how it begins. Reading group guidesbook club discussion guides for historical fiction books. His writing has been translated into 28 languages, adapted for opera and stage and shortlisted for the james tait black memorial prize and the northern california book award. Edgar drake lives a quiet life in late 19thcentury london as a tuner of rare pianos. He feels this is a perfect match, as herzog is known for bringing borderline crazy actors to remote locations and pushing them to the limit for excruciatingly long times. You need a book that will bring tears to your eyes and encourage conversation that will carry on long into the night.
About the book when edgar drake is summoned to the british war office and asked to tune an eccentric majors 1840 erard grand piano in the jungles of burma, he is both confused and intrigued. The piano tuner by daniel mason reading club session. When edgar drake is summoned to the british war office and asked to tune an. Love is blind is not his best book, but even at slightly less than full throttle a boyd novel is still a pleasure to read. Visa, mastercard, american express paypal, diners club and discover. The story of the piano tuner is sensitive and moving but i havent finished it yet so i cant comment on the ending.
The piano tuner by daniel mason the piano tuner by. When the piano tuner was here he had a book which said there was such a thing as a studebaker piano. A piano tuners dangerous affair takes on greater resonance in this perfectly pitched performance. The piano tuner by daniel mason in 1886 a shy, middleaged piano tuner named edgar drake. Eccentric surgeonmajor anthony carroll has brokered peace with local warlords primarily through music, a. The piano maker by kurt palka seven circumstances book. His short stories and essays have appeared in harpers, zoetrope.
Edgar sets off on the long journey and encounters many different cultures on the way. The piano tuner by daniel mason in 1886, a shy, middleaged piano tuner named edgar drake travels to the remote jungles of northeast burma to repair the rare piano of an eccentric army surgeon. The piano tuner is a most compelling book and difficult to put down when you get into the story. Piano tuning book and cd for beginners by dennis e. We have an active piano discussion forum where you can seek answers to questions on pianos, their history, and piano music. The piano tuner daniel mason, 2002 knopf doubleday 336 pp. The piano tuner participates in a tradition of literary works that try to fathom colonized cultures vastly different from the authors own. Forty years previously, he had chosen violet over belle. Reading group guidesbook club discussion guides for.
May 22, 2017 the piano tuner by daniel mason reading club session. A novel by daniel mason when edgar drake is summoned to the british war office and asked to tune an eccentric majors 1840 erard grand piano in the jungles of burma, he is both confused and intrigued. Dec 04, 2015 daniel mason received his bachelors degree in biology from harvard in 1998 and spent a year studying malaria on the thaimyanmar border, where much of the piano tuner was written. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. It is set in one of the worlds most beautiful countries and is i believe based on a true event read more. Bel canto world youre ready for something thats deeper than the mariana trench. Last stories by william trevor reading guidebook club. Forsters a passage to india, joseph conrads heart of darkness. The piano tuner by daniel mason the piano tuner by daniel.
He is the author of the piano tuner 2002, a far country 2007, and the. The piano tuner topics for discussion daniel mason this study guide consists of approximately 73 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the piano tuner. Tait black memorial prize and the northern california book award. Mysteries music, time, movement reduced to complex, elaborate mechanisms. Violet married the piano tuner when he was a young man. Daniel masons debut novel, the piano tuner, is the mesmerizing story of edgar drake, commissioned by the british war office in 1886 to travel to hostile burma to repair a rare erard grand piano vital to the crowns strategic interests.
The introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your groups reading of daniel masons enigmatic and compelling first novel about the angloburmese war, a rogue major, and the fate of an ordinary piano tuner drawn into an extraordinary entanglement. Korg, casio, yamaha, nord, roland, alesis, kawai, kurzweil, bosendorfer. It was first published in 2002 when mason was 26 and was his first novel. If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us here. The piano tuner struggles with something, trying to find a string or something that is blocked inside then he pulls out old photographs. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book. Waltham librarys book club blog the piano tuner by daniel. The book has a setting of the year eighteen hundred, when colonialism was still widespread, and all powerful countries were struggling to expand their colonial territories everywhere in the world, and especially in the african countries. Now this time for seeing how the story enhances the. Sep 14, 2018 a piano tuners dangerous affair takes on greater resonance in this perfectly pitched performance. If i were forced to choose a favorite book, this would be one of the contenders.
Sep 04, 2018 critic, book world september 4, 2018 at 12. If the piano will be used between your practice sessions, you may need to hire a piano tuner to undo your work. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion on the piano tuner by daniel mason. The book club william boyds elegantly written tale of a pianotuner in paris is too enslaved to its plot william boyds love is blind has a beautiful sense of the power and charm of. A few strongly coloured, curious images hang in the mind from this intriguing and alluring first novel. Daniel mason is the author of the piano tuner 2002, a far country 2007, and the winter soldier 2018. Daniel mason is the author of the piano tuner 2002, and a far country. What features does daniel masons novel share with such predecessors as e.
Dennis kurk has many years of experience tuning pianos and restoring them. Eventually he reaches mae lwin in burma and fixes the piano. Study guides and book club discussion questions book club discussion questions from nz vintage books readers guide from the publisher of the paperback. The piano tuner is a classic novel, professionally written by daniel mason, when he was still a student at harvard university. To practice tuning, you will need a piano in a reasonably good condition.
As bob struggles to bring the piano into tune, he rediscovers his longlost son, baby boy. March 2020 february 2020 january 2020 november 2019 october 2019 september 2019 august 2019 july 2019 june 2019 may 2019 april 2019 march 2019 february 2019 january 2019 december 2018 november 2018. With only the rhythm remaining, piano students get to experiment in 5finger positions to find pleasing melodies that make the music their own. Although the book is set during the british raj in the late 1880s, much of the area and the people have hardly changed at all over the years. Jesus, ill find out what is jamming up this damned third octave god, what a mess. Packard piano, studebaker also studebaker drivers club forum. From this irresistible beginning, the novel launches drake into a world of nightmarish intrigue rendered through the unbreakable spell of daniel mason.
Owen, a piano tuner and blind, married violet forty years ago. Cd has read that werner herzog is developing a movie based on this book. He is currently a medical student at the university of california, san francisco. Pianobookclub piano book club free listening on soundcloud.
The piano tuner is a book that is rich in details about burma, piano tuning, and british colonialism, as well as other devices to entice a reader. The introduction, discussion questions, suggested reading list, and author biography that follow are designed to enhance your groups reading of daniel masons enigmatic and compelling first novel about the angloburmese war, a rogue major, and the fate of an. The tipsy mamas book club is cohosted by corinne foster and myself, though the spirit of our discussions is flavored by many readers. The piano tuner by daniel mason 2003, paperback for sale.
The aims of the association of blind piano tuners the association of blind piano tuners exists to serve the professional and particular needs of its members and other blind and partially sighted piano tuners throughout the. In briefing edgar drake about anthony carroll, colonel killian tells him, there are men who get lost in the rhetoric of our imperial destiny, that we conquer not to gain land and wealth but to spread culture and civilization p. Happy with his wife of eighteen years and his reputation as one of the finest piano tuners in latenineteenthcentury london, he is a man whose life is defined by creating order so that others may make beauty. The piano tuner is perfect for book club discussion. To ask other readers questions about the piano tuner, please sign up. A piano forum for discussing digital pianos, electronic pianos, keyboards, synths, work stations and midi controllers. Twentysixyearold mason has penned a satisfying, if at times rather slow, debut historical novel. Edgar drake, a piano tuner living in victorian london, is commissioned by the army to travel to burma to fix the piano of surgeonmajor carroll. Nov 21, 20 william trevors short stories have a mood that blends the happy and the sad blends them into something beautiful and real.
Owen francis dromgould, the elderly blind piano tuner, was caught between two wivesone living and one dead. If you wish to reply to a post or submit a new post you must register first, its free. Tuners teachers entertainers history music british. A parable about the dangers of enchantment, the strangers story parallels drakes own experience, even as it flaunts the mesmerizing power of masons novel. This one starts at the end of the 19th century when virtuoso piano tuner brodie moncur is offered a transfer from edinburgh to his employers store in paris. The piano tuners wives was one of my early entrance points. If this sounds like fun, click on the button below to get your students exploring. His book, piano tuning for beginners, is 18 pages long, 812 by 11 inches. Now this time for seeing how the story enhances the setting. I thought that the author, who has written five novels before this one, would have been experienced enough to have realized the benefits of a simple structure focused on a primary theme.
Q q q q q q q q william trevors short stories have a mood that blends the happy and the sad blends them into something beautiful and real. Piano forums at uk piano page, feel free to read the posts on our piano forums. A registry of my passage upon the earth, will be published in 2020. Stream tracks and playlists from pianobookclub on your desktop or mobile device. Visit our online store for digital piano accessories including digital piano dollies and covers. I liked its setting, its attention to historic detail, its characters, its natural and cultural history descriptions and its ability to be interpreted in many ways. Rp started the discussion by exclaiming, what a dirty trick. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. In each piece in the book, the melody line of the b section and of the ending has been removed from the treble staff. The piano tuner was the basis for a 2004 opera of the same name composed by nigel osborne to a libretto by amanda holden and is also due to be released as a film in 2018, directed by charlie stratton. It is a relatively short story that showcases trevors ability to layer time.