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52nd out of 268 books
—
285 voters
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier
by
Thad Carhart
Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop’s imperious owner. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view...more
Paperback, 268 pages
Published
March 12th 2002
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2000)
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A surprising little gem of a book which proves you really can't judge a book by its cover. I read it looking for something different without thinking the subject matter would be very interesting. Within just a few pages I found I was transported back to my time in Paris, exploring it's side streets, neighborhoods, and the wonderful (despite what you may have heard) people living there. I've lent this book to 6 people since I read it and to a person they have all loved it. Read this book!
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I truly loved this book!
The Piano Shop deals more with the technical aspects of repairing, restoring and re-awakening a love of music in Thad Carhart, the author of this memoir. Parts of the book read like a novel, a story about a man finding again his love and pleasure in creating music - and other parts of the book read like a technical manual, detailing the various processes of repairing and restoring pianos. I love how Carhart was slowly allowed to become a friend of Luc after getting refer...more
The Piano Shop deals more with the technical aspects of repairing, restoring and re-awakening a love of music in Thad Carhart, the author of this memoir. Parts of the book read like a novel, a story about a man finding again his love and pleasure in creating music - and other parts of the book read like a technical manual, detailing the various processes of repairing and restoring pianos. I love how Carhart was slowly allowed to become a friend of Luc after getting refer...more
2 likes · like · see review
Although classified as a non-fiction memoir, Carhart's brilliant work reads like a novel in its vivid character descriptions and joyous reverence for music. The author pulls us into his Parisian existence, in the center of which lies Desforges Pianos, a small, but magical atelier which houses passions for history and music. We follow Carhart on a hero's journey, all the while learning immense amounts about the making and history of pianos.
The key figures in the book are characters but not carica...more
The key figures in the book are characters but not carica...more
Sep 13, 2007
Melody
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who love pianos as instruments, objects, and producers of sound.
This lovely little memoir is sometimes tantalizing in its vivid detail (the smell of fresh bread on a Paris Streetcorner), love of the instrument (you'll learn more than you ever dreamed about the perfect piano and those on the search to one-up the Steinway family), and quirky characterization (anyone in the piano shop ... once the doorkeeper actually lets you in).
In its passion for pianos, though, it also sometimes sounds dull and clunky. Moving through some chapters--like the chapter on the ph...more
In its passion for pianos, though, it also sometimes sounds dull and clunky. Moving through some chapters--like the chapter on the ph...more
This book was recommended to me by my wonderful goodreads friend Lisa. It's a delightful and unique memoir of the author's experience with a quaint piano shop in his Paris neighborhood. The story follows Thad Carhart's (he's an American writer) relationship with the shop's local clientele, his own experience in buying a piano and taking lessons, and also touches on his memories of studying piano as a child. But for me, it is the piano lore woven into these stories that is the best part of the bo...more
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I liked this quiet little book. It's one man's rediscovering his love of music after a running across a wonderful old piano shop. The shop brings together reflections on French culture and social mores, the history of the modern piano, and the narrator's varied experiences of music, from the childhood piano lessons that turned him off to music to a new chance to engage with the instrument as an adult. One of those books that surprised me, since I never thought I'd be reading about the constructi...more
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One of the great moments in life is finding an unexpected gem of a book. I picked this book up at a market stall, without quite knowing why, and read it while on a long plane trip. I do not play the piano, cannot read music, and am somewhat tone deaf, probably not the reader for which the book was intended! But I loved it, apart possibly for one very technical chapter about piano construction, for its passion, its honesty and its ability to take one into another world. There is a purity in the a...more
I was looking at the giveaway books at my Jazzercise class for an appropriate book to read while cruising the River Seine. I grabbed "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank" without even reading the cover. It was free and title sounded appropriate. Soon, there I was docked between the left & right banks. Walking around a little and having a bus orientation of Paris. So it was very easy to imagine the author's 1,000 foot flat and an atelier where pianos werew repaired. I hadn't realized it was non-f...more
I picked up this book with never having heard of it before and did not know what to expect. Sometimes books captivate you from the beginning and sometimes they take a while to get into. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank hooked me from the moment I read the synopsis on the back cover.
While you can find a piano in many homes throughout the world, they are most likely used as “furniture” rather than as an instrument. Yet, the piano has a vast history and many connections to the past and throughout th...more
While you can find a piano in many homes throughout the world, they are most likely used as “furniture” rather than as an instrument. Yet, the piano has a vast history and many connections to the past and throughout th...more
"You can never have too many dream pianos." - Luc, Desforges Pianos
A book that was recently recommended to me, and which I loved, spurred me to further investigate more books similar to it. That book was A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano. When I stumbled across The Piano Shop on the Left Bank I felt a little thrill and knew I was in for another treat, and I wasn't disappointed.
While A Romance was a book more focused around one particular piano and the l...more
A book that was recently recommended to me, and which I loved, spurred me to further investigate more books similar to it. That book was A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano. When I stumbled across The Piano Shop on the Left Bank I felt a little thrill and knew I was in for another treat, and I wasn't disappointed.
While A Romance was a book more focused around one particular piano and the l...more
As an adult beginner discovering (instead of "rediscovering" like the author did) the joy (and frustration) of learning to read music and play the piano, I am particularly fascinated with "piano memoirs -- grownup edition" (instead of chronicles of child prodigies, which only discourage me). I was fairly unimpressed by Piano Lessons by Noah Adams, but The Piano Shop on the Left Bank captivated me from the first page. What a charming little gem!
The book starts almost like an adventure, with the a...more
The book starts almost like an adventure, with the a...more
This book wasn't quite what I expected, but I quite enjoyed reading it. First of all I love the title. Put pianos and Paris together and I'm hooked; the title gave me no choice but to find it and read it. I think I expected a little more Paris and a little less piano, but this works too.
The author lives with his wife, daughter and son in Paris. Walking his children to school every day, he noticed a small piano shop in his neighborhood and became curious. He had played piano as a child and began...more
The author lives with his wife, daughter and son in Paris. Walking his children to school every day, he noticed a small piano shop in his neighborhood and became curious. He had played piano as a child and began...more
Feb 09, 2011
Christy
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Christy by:
Ben Allen
Suppose you lived in Paris, loved pianos, and had plenty of time on your hands. You discover a small piano refurbishing shop, and you want to go in and look around. Who knows, you might even want to buy one of their pianos. But they won’t let you in until you get a referral from one of their approved clients. Yes, it sounds zany, but these Parisians are dead serious about their protocol. Once you get through the inner door, however, you find a marvelous world of vintage pianos and dedicated craf...more
I read this book after I had returned from a year in Europe and all it made me do was want to go back. Desparately. It also made me want to start playing the piano again. Unfortunately, up to this point I have accomplished neither of those goals, but the book itself is absolutely wonderful. I love stories about people discovering communities and becoming passionate about things. They make life seem that much more fascinating.
An American residing in Paris, Carhart imaginatively captures the story of his curious attraction to a small Paris Atelier where he gains access to the “other” side of Paris and rediscovers his love for the piano. He is inspired to resume piano lessons as an adult and the book is his poetic narration of the events that transpire as a result. Carhart gives readers a wonderful look into the world of piano playing and the building of pianos and reminds us of the beauty of music. This was one of my...more
This book provides evidence of the truth in the saying "good things come in small packages." The book is short, to be sure--only 270 pages--but it packs an unbelievable punch. Filled with beautiful details about pianos, people, and Paris, this book provides an inside glimpse into a world that is often hidden from so many people but offers so much satisfaction. As a pianist, I found this book to be the perfect combination of technical details, personal stories, and general background information....more
I’m not a musician. My singing is so egregious that I whisper happy birthday and the national anthem. I play no instruments. The only time I’ve had any contact with a piano was during one summer 50 years ago when I used a neighbor’s beginner’s books to pick out a very few tunes. I never even learned to play chopsticks. So, it’s amazing that Thad Carhart’s book about his love for and intimacy with the piano was one which I read with relish, looking forward during the day to the moments I’d be abl...more
This is a fairly quick read and truly delightful. This non-fiction work portrays a beautiful description of an American living in Paris and his attempts to engage with an "in-crowd", which stems from his passion for pianos and a piano shop just down the street from his apartment. It gets very heavy on the history of pianos and how they physically work, and (I apologize now for sounding elitist) if you aren't interested in pianos and/or play the piano, you might find it a fairly dry read. Having...more
Carhart is an American writer who has lived in Paris with his wife and daughter for several years. As he walks with his daughter to school each day, he passes a small store with a sign that says “Desforges Pianos”. His curiosity is piqued and he enters the shop, only to be rebuffed by the elderly owner. He finally discovers that one needs an introduction to gain entrance, and on his return he meets Luc, a younger man who is about to take the shop over upon the old man’s retirement. Thad spends m...more
This was a fairly interesting book for someone who does not play the piano. We had one in our house because my mother and my older sister played. My instrument was the violin, although I was far more interested in dance than in music. Some of the nuances of the information are lost if a reader is not familiar with composers and specific compositions. However, i liked learning the history of the piano--I am a professional historian. Most interesting was the author's personal journey making friend...more
At times overwrought, but that could more be a product of a clash between my Western United States proclivity for efficiency, understatement, and utility and the French attitude toward expressiveness, elaboration, and the elevated praise of ideas. I did feel that Carhart did himself a bit of a disservice in his own portrayal. He comes across as something of a poacher. He listens a great deal, but he doesn't seem to say much in his French interactions. Is he a participant or a just a voyeur? And...more
This is a great read, especially if you are intrigued by pianos or the French. And even better read if you are intrigued by both. While walking his children to school, Carhart passes a curious storefront. It is a piano repair/sales shop, but the grouchy owner refuses to give Carhart the time of day. Subsequently, Carhart meets the younger partner, who ushers him into the world of pianos, their intricacies, the unique details of various time periods and materials of manufacture. all while he trie...more
Thad Carhart lived in Paris as a child and during that time took piano lessons. He continued the lessons through his teens in America and then got away from it when he went to college. At the time of this memoir he is again living in Paris with his wife and 2 children. He has left his corporate job and is writing freelance. He walks his children to school in his neighborhood and becomes intrigued by a small piano repair shop that he passes each day. Through his friendship with the shop owner he...more
Confession time: non-fiction is usually not my favorite. There are a few exceptions ("My Life in France" by Julia Child being one), but as a general rule, I much prefer fiction. I can now add "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank" to my list!
Thad Carhart moves to Paris with his family. While walking his children to school, he passes a piano shop every morning that intrigues him. His interest is piqued even more when he discovers how impossible it is to get into the back room as an outsider. His tale...more
Thad Carhart moves to Paris with his family. While walking his children to school, he passes a piano shop every morning that intrigues him. His interest is piqued even more when he discovers how impossible it is to get into the back room as an outsider. His tale...more
This book basically recounts a year or so in the life of an American man living in Paris in the late 20th century; he stumbles upon a piano shop, gradually befriends its owner, and becomes reintroduced to the beauty of music theory. The reader is taken on a short history of piano-making along the way, though it's not the centerpiece of the story. Really, the book is a melange of reminiscence of the author's childhood music training, the story of his budding friendship with the piano shop's owner...more
This book exemplifies everything I love about reading non-fiction. The author starts with a very simple event in his life that opens up a particular interest to him, and in his experiences, it is opened up to us as well. The background/history sections are fascinating in and of themselves, but because they come out of his overall story, they are more than just lessons or facts to be passed on. Also, not to be passed over is the author's wonderful ability to capture the essences of his charming n...more
One of the reviews for this book on the back cover said, " One of the top 10 books of 2001." I just can't believe it took me this long to open up this book, since I enjoyed it so much. There were times in the book that I had to just stop reading just to go play the piano for a little while, which is how much some parts of the book moved me. It's gotten me interested again in my playing, which I haven't done seriously in years. It even gave me a favorable impression of the French, which is not th...more
Thad Carhart comes back to the piano as an adult in Paris. Carhart, an American, started life and the piano in Paris. He returns there as an adult with his wife and children and decides to take up the piano again. He finds a used piano dealer on the left bank and enters into a friendship with the dealer, others who visit the store, and with random musicians around Paris.
Carhart takes the reader into his backstory of limited piano teachers and pedagogical techniques in the US and in France. He f...more
Carhart takes the reader into his backstory of limited piano teachers and pedagogical techniques in the US and in France. He f...more
Recently in Paris, I found the book at a well know English book shop called Shakespeare and Company. As I was checking out, the woman behind me in the queue told me that the book was really good. She was right. The book is really good. It is about pianos and the author rediscovering his passion for playing piano, but it very much about life in Paris. It is about living in Paris. I think that Paris is a wonderful city and I dream of living there one day for a period of time, but really living the...more
Sometimes I think that the measure of a good book is the change that it brings to your life: a change in perspective or a truth grasped, a new vigor for life, a new desire kindled or rekindled, or a fresh challenge to take. This is one of those books to me. I have always loved music and pianos but this book rekindled something in my life that had dwindled to a small flame and turned it into a blazing, cheerful fire.
I would rather not get into the details of what this book is about...many review...more
I would rather not get into the details of what this book is about...many review...more
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Thad Carhart, author of Across the Endless River, is a dual citizen of the United States and Ireland. He lives in Paris with his wife, the photographer Simo Neri, and their two children.
More about Thad Carhart...
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