3 Must-Read Fiction Books for Music Lovers
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Instrument: Ukulele
Genre: Young Adult
This is a wonderful novel for young adults. The major character, a sophomore in high school, is an eccentric non-conformist. She always plays the ukulele during lunch daily. Stargirl is one perfect book for music lovers and nonconformists who are interested in playing the ukulele.
From the Publisher: “Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of “Stargirl, Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.”
Author: Thomas Bernhard
Instrument: Piano
Genre: Literary Fiction
The Loser tells the story of real-life individuals, however, readers should not expect to find historically exact information. Anyway, it is suitable for music lovers who want to know about what musical genius demands of itself, and how it can destroy the less talented who have to struggle in its shadow.
From the Publisher: “Thomas Bernhard was one of the most original writers of the twentieth century. One of Bernhard’s most acclaimed novels, The Loser centers on a fictional relationship between piano virtuoso Glenn Gould and two of his fellow students who feel compelled to renounce their musical ambitions in the face of Gould’s incomparable genius. One commits suicide, while the other– the obsessive, witty, and self-mocking narrator– has retreated into obscurity. Written as a monologue in one remarkable unbroken paragraph, The Loser is a brilliant meditation on success, failure, genius, and fame.”
Author: Günter Grass
Instrument: Drums
Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction
This postwar classic fiction book is perfect for music lovers and offers a profound humorous perspective on German history as well as the human condition in the modern world. It became a bestseller in 1959 and catapulted young writer Günter Grass to the forefront of world literature.
From the Publisher: “After fifty years, The Tin Drum has, if anything, gained in power and relevance. All of Grass’s amazing evocations are still there, and still amazing: Oskar Matzerath, the indomitable drummer; his grandmother, Anna Koljaiczek; his mother, Agnes; Alfred Matzerath and Jan Bronski, his presumptive fathers; Oskar’s midget friends—Bebra, the great circus master and Roswitha Raguna, the famous somnambulist; Sister Scholastica and Sister Agatha, the Right Reverend Father Wiehnke; the Greffs, the Schefflers, Herr Fajngold, all Kashubians, Poles, Germans, and Jews—waiting to be discovered and re-discovered.”