Books and Literature for Teens: The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap

Friday, April 3, 2009

The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap

History, a mystery, and a little music.

The Musician’s Daughter is a mysterious and musical story of a girl’s desperate search for truth and justice. The characters were very true to their era (even if they’re were a little too vague sometimes)-it was the fad back then to be extremely polite and obedient, even if it meant life or death; being vague and secretive, and no emo showing whatsoever. The book had a sense of adventure and mystery and Theresa was a very good heroine.

Around the first couple chapters of the book, I became confused and annoyed because of the simple details, that’s when I realized I had to use my imagination. After that, it was a breeze. The glamorous city of Vienna came to life, and the hardships of the 18th century became more realistic. My brain buzzed with excitement when Theresa dodged scheming politicians, visited the Gypsy (Romanian) camps for clues, and unveiled the nasty little secrets of her uncle.The Musician’s Daughter is written in first person (which I tend to like more) and is a wonderful example of justice and the love of music. Books are so much better when they have a meaning. The plot was wonderfully crafted-which kept those pages turning- and the ending was perfect.

I think The Musician's Daughter will appease to both historical fiction lovers, and non-history lovers alike. (My sister is not a history fan and she enjoyed it)

Might I also add that the cover is just curious?

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Upon learning that this book took place in Vienna (the music capitol of the world) I immediately thought of the violin or on a more detailed note, the Stradivarius. The Stradivarius is a type of violin made by Antonio Stradivarius in Italy during the 1680s-1700. They are very valuable, rare (only about 700 hundred were supposedly made and very few are actually known to this day), and cannot be re-created. Be sure to check the attic for any old violin, who knowns, your grandpa may have owned a Stradivarius and never even known it.