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9th out of 76 books
—
35 voters
Marrying Mozart
by
Stephanie Cowell (Goodreads Author)
Amadeus meets Little Women in this irresistibly delightful historical novel by award-winning author Stephanie Cowell. The year is 1777 and the four Weber sisters, daughters of a musical family, share a crowded, artistic life in a ramshackle house. While their father scrapes by as a music copyist and their mother secretly draws up a list of prospective suitors in the kitche...more
Paperback, 350 pages
Published
December 28th 2004
by Penguin Books
(first published 2004)
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The entire time I was reading this, I kind of felt like it was Little Women meets Mozart, but Beth doesn't die She lives to tell the story. Maybe when you throw four sisters together in a novel, you get that. The other thing that was difficult for me was my very sharp memories of the film Amadeus. Regardless, Mosart is one of my favorite composers-- His Ave Verum can move me to tears when we sing it in choir.
This was a worthy telling of his story, and that of his wife and her family. I loved th...more
This was a worthy telling of his story, and that of his wife and her family. I loved th...more
I love Mozart's music and I loved the movie "Amadeus" so I rather enjoyed this book. Mozart was friendly with the Weber family and the four Weber daughters. I knew he married the third daughter, Constanze but I didn't know that he loved Aloysia, the second daughter first. The book starts out with the youngest daughter, Sophie, who is now an old woman, as she receives the visit of an Englishman, Mr. Novello, who wants to write a biography of Mozart. And thus we are taken back through Sophie's rem...more
I came to this book with general notions of Mozart's personality and character. One perception was that he was a victim of parental emotional abuse by what we call today, "stage parents". Cowell seems to agree and fleshes out the portrait of Mother and Father Mozart manipulating their talented son instilling in him an obligation to them for their "suffering" on his behalf. Cowell gives an emotional life to the young Mozart's actions, but not so much as to define what we call today the "neediness...more
Este romance baseia-se em acontecimentos reais da juventude de Mozart.
1842, Salzburgo, Vincent Novello visita Sofia Weber para lhe fazer uma série de entrevista a fim de puder escrever uma biografia sobre Mozart. Sofia era a mais nova das irmãs Weber e a única que estava ainda viva.
“As mulheres de Mozart” é um belíssimo romance histórico que apresenta um conjunto de mulheres que, dada a sua íntima ligação com Mozart, foram peças importantes, servindo mesmo de inspiração para várias composições e...more
1842, Salzburgo, Vincent Novello visita Sofia Weber para lhe fazer uma série de entrevista a fim de puder escrever uma biografia sobre Mozart. Sofia era a mais nova das irmãs Weber e a única que estava ainda viva.
“As mulheres de Mozart” é um belíssimo romance histórico que apresenta um conjunto de mulheres que, dada a sua íntima ligação com Mozart, foram peças importantes, servindo mesmo de inspiração para várias composições e...more
I was looking forward to reading this book as a bit of a relaxation from struggling with the life of Andrew Jackson and was pleasantly surprised to find so much more within its covers. Cowell does a fantastic job of turning four women’s early lives into a novel that keeps the reader’s interest and makes us genuinely care about what happens to them.
The story introduces us to the Weber sisters – Josefa, Aloysia, Constanze, and Sophie (who is telling us this story). Each of them influences the musi...more
The story introduces us to the Weber sisters – Josefa, Aloysia, Constanze, and Sophie (who is telling us this story). Each of them influences the musi...more
There are four Weber sisters- Josefa, plain with a good voice; Aloysia, beautiful with a voice to match; Sophie, bookish and religious; and Constanze, quiet. Their father Fridolin is a music copyist and teacher and full of fun struggling to meet all his family's needs. Their mother Marie Caecilia is socially ambitious especially for her daughters even to the point of keeping a book with all marriage prospects in it.
Mozart enters into the Weber's life on one of their Thursday music nights. Caecil...more
Mozart enters into the Weber's life on one of their Thursday music nights. Caecil...more
Cowell's novel portrays Mozart as a passionate, determined young man and focuses on his relationships with the four Weber sisters. Mozart first meets Fridolin Weber, a music copyist, and his four daughters when he and his mother arrive in Mannheim. The second eldest girl, Aloysia, captivates Mozart, who finds her singing talent is matched by her beauty. Against the wishes of his mother, Mozart proposes to Aloysia, but he can't marry her until he makes his fortune. His dream is to be able to comp...more
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While the book is based upon some underlying historical facts, undoubtedly most of this book is fiction. What I enjoyed in the book was Mozart’s point of view sections, which unfortunately was not enough of the book. The book is about the Weber family, four young girls quickly growing up and their prospects for marriage. Their mother is a bit off her nut and sadly the stabilizing father who teaches them music dies in the middle of the story. Mozart is young and still finding his way in the music...more
Marrying Mozart, by Stephanie Cowell, is 368 pages, and was published in 2004. I bought the book for my Kindle after reading and loving Cowell’s recently released novel, Claude and Camille. I was not disappointed.
Set against the musical world of eighteenth century Europe, Marrying Mozart traces the composer’s relationships with the four daughters of music copyist Fridolin Weber and his temperamental wife. Cowell weaves the musical rise of Mozart through his dealings with the beautiful, capriciou...more
Set against the musical world of eighteenth century Europe, Marrying Mozart traces the composer’s relationships with the four daughters of music copyist Fridolin Weber and his temperamental wife. Cowell weaves the musical rise of Mozart through his dealings with the beautiful, capriciou...more
A review on Amazon calls this “Amadeus meets Little Women” which is an imaginative and apt description of this book. Mozart, 21 years old and searching for wider fortune and acclaim, attends an evening of music at the Weber family home, and meets the four sisters Josefa, Aloysia, Constanza, and Sophie. Their father, Fridolin, ekes out a living copying music and giving music lessons, and hosts regular Thursday musical evenings. For the next five years, Mozart’s life is interwoven with the Weber...more
The book jacket starts: Mannheim, 1777. The four Weber sisters,
daughters of a musical family, share a crowded, artistic life in a
ramshackle house. Their father scrapes by as a music copyist; their
mother keeps a book of prospective suitors hidden in the kitchen. The
sisters struggle with these marriage prospects as well as their musical
futures -- until one evening when 21 year old Wolfgang Mozart walks
into their home and their lives...
I am not always a fan of historical novels, but the best ones h...more
daughters of a musical family, share a crowded, artistic life in a
ramshackle house. Their father scrapes by as a music copyist; their
mother keeps a book of prospective suitors hidden in the kitchen. The
sisters struggle with these marriage prospects as well as their musical
futures -- until one evening when 21 year old Wolfgang Mozart walks
into their home and their lives...
I am not always a fan of historical novels, but the best ones h...more
Jul 22, 2010
Rusty
added it
Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell is a most delightful and easy-to-read story. When I first glanced at the book cover I thought it would be about Mozart and while he is a key character the main characters are the four Weber sisters from a poor musical family. Mozart falls in love with the second oldest daughter and her lovely soprano voice. Alyosia, beautiful and self-centered, seeks fame and wealth. Mozart knows that at 17 he cannot support a wife and asks Aloysia to wait until he can. She ag...more
Nov 22, 2011
Kristine
added it
Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell, a Kindle book I began reading on November 22nd. With my Kindle now restored to me after a short hiatus, I thought I'd return a moment to historical biographical musical fiction.
With the first chapter ringing eerily true to Alice I Have Been, I was worried it would completely be a story of bittersweet second-person recall, but it quickly switched to third-person flashback in as little as one chapter later, yet still keeping a similar multiple-sister-household...more
With the first chapter ringing eerily true to Alice I Have Been, I was worried it would completely be a story of bittersweet second-person recall, but it quickly switched to third-person flashback in as little as one chapter later, yet still keeping a similar multiple-sister-household...more
there's something here for novel-lovers with some musical fluency. there's plenty here for those who love the lovingly detailed minutia of daily living that is the bread and butter of the novel genre. yet i found that these potentially fabulous characters felt somewhat flat, partly because of their flimsy dialogue, partly because of the threadlike connection to the narrator, and perhaps also from sheer repetition of and over-reliance on character trops. i didn't care for the drawn out timeline n...more
I picked this book up at a garage sale. I've enjoyed other historical fiction I've read and the title and cover caught my eye. I enjoyed learning about the Weber sisters, as much as you can learn through a piece of fiction based on fact, and a different view of Mozart than the one in the movie "Amadeus". I especially found the description of the clothes fascinating and glad we don't dress like that! I almost wished I'd read it with a highlighter handy because there were some great quotes but sli...more
Takes a few historical facts and makes up a whole fictional book around them. The four Weber sisters—Josefa, Alosysia, Constanze and Sophie meet Mozart during one of their father's Thursday night musical meetings. Mozart falls for the small beautiful Aloysia and they are engaged for several years while he is trying to establish himself. Always struggling for employment, parents expecting support, the womeny trying to marry-up without dowrys. A very tired senario. Eventuallythey all move to Vienn...more
I love the music by Mozart, so I'm always interested in reading about him even if it is fiction.
The Webb sisters, Josefa, Aloysia, Sophie, Constanze, meet Mozart at the family musical Thursday evenings. Mother has a "suitor" book which lists the names of men who she would like her daughters to marry. It is a nice book to read about how the family had no money, etc. and how Mozart became friends with the family and all the daughters. How the daughters met their husbands. He did eventually marry,...more
The Webb sisters, Josefa, Aloysia, Sophie, Constanze, meet Mozart at the family musical Thursday evenings. Mother has a "suitor" book which lists the names of men who she would like her daughters to marry. It is a nice book to read about how the family had no money, etc. and how Mozart became friends with the family and all the daughters. How the daughters met their husbands. He did eventually marry,...more
This was very enjoyable - it was an interesting period and fascinating to learn about the non-musical side of Mozart. I liked following the girls as they grew up and how their family situation changes when their father dies. The character of the mother was well-done - a person you really love to despise. From a sociological standpoint, there were some interesting customs and mores - the game where a woman's calf was measured was unusual - and often when I read historical fiction, I am struck by...more
I should start with saying that I love historical fiction.
And I really like it when the author says what is known and then one can see where the 'story' begins.
The storytelling technique of first person looking back at a time in their life, is not uncommon. It is used very effectively (and historically accurately) in this book.
This book personalized the times, locations and celebrity of a remarkable composer. I am not knowledgeable or a particular fan of Mozart's music, but I truly enjoyed this...more
And I really like it when the author says what is known and then one can see where the 'story' begins.
The storytelling technique of first person looking back at a time in their life, is not uncommon. It is used very effectively (and historically accurately) in this book.
This book personalized the times, locations and celebrity of a remarkable composer. I am not knowledgeable or a particular fan of Mozart's music, but I truly enjoyed this...more
Poor Mozart has had a hard time living down the bizarre reputation he acquired after the movie "Amadeus." Cowell examines him from a very different perspective, which is both refreshing and enlightening. The Weber girls were so entwined with Mozart's life that a story about him from their perspective is a welcome addition to the literature on this most celebrated of composers.
Most intriguing is the story of Constanze's relationship with and marriage to Mozart, which is touchingly depicted in thi...more
Most intriguing is the story of Constanze's relationship with and marriage to Mozart, which is touchingly depicted in thi...more
Very good historical fiction about Mozart and his interest in the Weber sisters. I found the story's backdrop of music society in Austria very fascinating. The Weber sisters were from a strong muscial background and is how they met Mozart, so there is a lot of detail about the life of musicians in Austria. I didn't realize that musicians were treated no better than an important servant in the household. Joseph Hadyn makes an appearance and despite his fame today, he is nothing more than a well-r...more
This is a really fun historical novel about the four Weber sisters and their relationship to Mozart; one of the four eventually married him. I was a little surprized to find that there was so little about this particular sister throughout much of the novel; I almost felt that the author was less interested in her as a character, than the other sisters. The time period is very well presented as is the setting in Salzburg and Vienna. I like historical novels if they're well written, which this one...more
The desire to read this was born of an intense obsession with W.A. Mozart and a fit of boredom. And I have to say, I was not disappointed.
This is certainly a very engaging read, and one of the few where one almost suffers of impatience at not being able to read it all at once. The book's only fault and reasoning behind only four stars is simple; it is fluffy. One finds themselves going "aww" far too often than they should.
But do not hold that against this novel; it is highly recommended, and f...more
This is certainly a very engaging read, and one of the few where one almost suffers of impatience at not being able to read it all at once. The book's only fault and reasoning behind only four stars is simple; it is fluffy. One finds themselves going "aww" far too often than they should.
But do not hold that against this novel; it is highly recommended, and f...more
Jun 06, 2008
Marika Gillis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Sarah
Shelves:
historical-fiction
"He thinks he loves people, but it's music he loves. I formed him for music and he belongs to music, but it won't give him a life. He can't make his way in the world, and for any woman to marry a man like that would be a disaster."
A cross between Little Women and a Jane Austen book, Marrying Mozart is an absolutely delightful historical novel! Set in 1777, it tells the story of the four Weber sister who befriend a struggling twenty-one year old composer by the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Th...more
A cross between Little Women and a Jane Austen book, Marrying Mozart is an absolutely delightful historical novel! Set in 1777, it tells the story of the four Weber sister who befriend a struggling twenty-one year old composer by the name of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Th...more
This book centers around Mozart and the Weber sisters (who inspired many of Mozart's female characters and one of whom he ultimately married).
It is a light-read, especially for historical fiction, and is fast-paced. Some of the emotional transitions seem abrupt, but this is quickly forgotten as the reader is swept up in the progressing story.
This book would have been enjoyable had all of the characters been fictitious, but it is even more so with its nod to history.
It is a light-read, especially for historical fiction, and is fast-paced. Some of the emotional transitions seem abrupt, but this is quickly forgotten as the reader is swept up in the progressing story.
This book would have been enjoyable had all of the characters been fictitious, but it is even more so with its nod to history.
I kept seeing this book compared to "Little Women", and as that is one of my favorite books I was very interested in it initially. That hope quickly fell away as there are only surface-level similarities. The depth and richness of character that makes me love Little Women is just not here. Not anywhere close. There were at least five main characters (the four sisters and then Mozart), but the author never gave any one person enough time as narrator for the reader to really get to know them. May...more
About the relationship of Mozart with the 4 Weber sisters...worth reading, unusually realistic depiction of the love and rivalry between sisters, and the damaged relationship between them and their verbally abusive mother. Interesting, but lacking something- maybe because the book strove to follow all four girls? A big undertaking, so while you got to know all the girls pretty well, I think it would have been more successful with one main character.
It was a good read. I thought the cover note was very well put. Eighteenth century Europe comes alive with unforgiving winters and yawning princes, scheming parents and the enduring passions of young talent, so much young talent. It takes a while to throw yourself into the 1777's and to accept what is the normal behavior for young people. The family first was very evident and strict loyalty to what is best for the whole is adhered to.
This was a fun book - historical fiction with a capital FICTION - the story is a "Little Women" like tale of the family of four sisters, one of whom married Mozart. You get a feel for the time and place and the social strata. It is told from the girls point of view so it is not like a history of Mozart or of his works. But it was definitely an enjoyable summer read. Recommended especially to those with some musical history background.
I just finished this book minutes ago and really, really enjoyed reading it. Loved the historical nature of the fiction writing and how Cowell intertwined it with lyrics from Mozart's operas. It was a real page-turner as I was dying to know what would happen!
I did not like the writing during the "interview" sections with Sophie Weber. I was really turned off initially by them and feel the novel would be better off without them completely.
I did not like the writing during the "interview" sections with Sophie Weber. I was really turned off initially by them and feel the novel would be better off without them completely.
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I was born in NYC where I still live and fell in love with history and fiction when very young. For years I was a classical singer. I am the author of NICHOLAS COOKE, THE PHYSICIAN OF LONDON, THE PLAYERS, MARRYING MOZART, and CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF MONET. I love Shakespeare, early and classical music and many things! I am married and have two sons....and I have many books in progress!"
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