I had a credit to use on Audible a while ago, and was looking to fill either 1980 or 1999 in A Century of Books – but couldn’t find anything that appealed. So, naturally, I took to Twitter. Twitter has been a real help with the tricky years, and Gareth kindly stepped forward with a suggestion…
So Long, See You Tomorrow
or
An Equal Music— Gareth (@Chibiabos83) 16 October 2018
I’d already read William Maxwell’s So Long, See You Tomorrow – and the fact that I really liked it would have made me trust Gareth’s suggestion even if I didn’t already trust his taste (which I did). So I promptly downloaded An Equal Music (1999) by Vikram Seth and listened, without really checking what it was about.
Which is just as well. If I had looked up the plot or theme, I might not have bothered. Because it’s about ardent musicians, and I tend to find that difficult to read about. It’s the sort of novel where people non-ironically say “Oh, I’d love to study that score”, and spend years tracking down the perfect viola. I struggle whenever characters are snobs in any area of the arts, or have the attitude that being brilliant is more important than enjoying yourself. It’s why I really disliked Rebecca West’s The Fountain Overflows earlier this year (because the author seemed to share her characters’ views). And I would have been wary about it in Vikram Seth.
Well, it was certainly there, at least to an extent – and the main character (Michael) isn’t particularly likeable. He is obsessed with reconnecting with Julia, a woman he loved many years ago in Vienna – and has been trying to track her down, unsuccessfully, for some time. At the same time, he and his string quartet are preparing to perform… erm… some arrangement of some piece, I forget which. Or maybe it was something arranged for a quintet that is better known as a piano piece, or something like that. (Again, the problem of listening to an audiobook – I can’t go back and check!) Of course, he does find her – she is married, with a child, and there is a twist in the narrative that I shan’t spoil, but is done very satisfyingly and intelligently.
Lovers of classical music (and, dare I say it, music snobs) will get a lot out of this that I probably didn’t. I do also wonder how much one might miss if you don’t play the piano and violin – I play both, which helped me understand various discussion points and technical moments, though I don’t think any of them were particularly essential and could probably be skated through.
Why did I like it, when it had quite a few ingredients that turn me off? Partly it was the excellent reading by Alan Bates, who never tries to do “voices” (except where accents are needed for, say, the American characters) but manages to convey character entirely through tone. The audiobook also meant they could include sections of music when they were referred to as being played, which was rather lovely. But mostly it was Seth’s quality of writing. He is very good at detailed depictions of changing emotions and relationships, so that one is deeply interested even if not particularly sympathetic.
I don’t know if I’m ready for the doorstopper A Suitable Boy just yet, but I’m very glad Gareth suggested this one. And it’s a useful reminder that good writing can overcome all the prejudices I have in terms of topic and character. I suppose every theme has its variations.
I confess that as someone who loves to listen to music, but knows zero about the technicalities I might well struggle too…. Glad the writing overcame the reservations :D
I remember reading this many years ago and – though I have no ear for music at all – I enjoyed it despite the technical musical stuff. What a great idea to include music in the audio version? I listened to an audio version of a Louise Penny novel set in a monastery famed for its Gregorian chants and thought the producers missed a trick by not including some chants. It bugged me so much I went and bought my own CD to play while reading. Perfect pairing
I read this years ago, liked it but I did find some of technical music stuff a bit hard going. Overall I thought the story quite touching. A Suitable Boy is enormous, I read it when I read much faster and it is a wonderful book, very different to An Equal Music.
I haven’t read An Equal Music yet, but A Suitable Boy was marvellous. Don’t be put off by its size!
I think I’ve got this on the TBR, bought when it was remaindered, I think, because I’d read A Suitable Boy.
I think I’d like it, by the sound of your review, thanks:)
Best wishes for the festive season and thank you for a year of great reading on your blog. I haven’t always commented or ‘liked’ posts because I get them via my email but I always read them!
Yes to the reminder that good writing can overcome our reader prejudices! I haven’t read this book but I can think of two (White Oleander and Bel Canto) where if I had let solely the plot description on the inside flap decide for me, I would not have read them ever. But I did read them based on other recommendations and I loved them.
It’s always good when that happens, isn’t it? Shakes things up!
Glad my recommendation was not wholly unsuccessful – I’ve been wondering how you were getting on. Classical music’s my bread and butter (probably to the point of snobbery; I don’t think being brilliant is more important than enjoying yourself, and I’m not a good enough musician to have this attitude, but I respect the pursuit of perfection that the characters in the novel are invested in), and I hadn’t thought about how people not immersed in it might struggle, but I think that (for instance) the depiction of the delicate relationship dynamic between the members of the string quartet has a universality that ought to appeal to the general reader. There was a double CD released several years ago featuring recordings of the music featured in the book, that was an excellent complement – not sure if it’s still available.
(I love The Fountain Overflows…)
Thanks again for the recommendation! I think it’s that pursuit of perfection that puts me off characters – as I kept reading, I was trying to see how I’d feel if it were about something I cared more about (e.g. writing) and I think it was the same. And don’t get me started on The Fountain Overflows…
I enjoyed this but A Suitable Boy is a lot better, in my opinion. I’ve read it twice!
I loved A Suitable Boy, and honestly was sorry when it ended, wished it was twice as long or had a sequel. Loved this one too: I am not at all knowledgeable about the technicalities of music, though very interested in listening to it (I think there was a CD you could get when it was first out?) – and I thought the music bits were very well done.
However, I have to say I gave the book with great enthusiasm to a friend who studied music in depth and was a professional musician, and she wasn’t impressed with it at all, and said the very technical books didn’t ring true to her… But I haven’t let that spoil my memories of it!