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The Musician's Daughter

by Susanne Dunlap (Goodreads Author)

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,907 ratings · 259 reviews

Murder and love—from the halls of Vienna’s imperial family to a perilous gypsy camp

Amid the glamour of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy’s court in 18th-century Vienna, murder is afoot. Or so fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria is convinced when her musician father turns up dead on Christmas Eve, his valuable violin missing, and the only clue to his death a strange gold pendant around...more

Hardcover, 323 pages

Published December 23rd 2008 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

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Dec 01, 2008 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

Susanne Dunlap has done a marvelous job in describing life in 18th Century Vienna. Court intrigues, jealousies between musicians (the heroine's godfather is Jozsef Haydn), and racial conflicts between the Viennese, Hungarians and the Romany are all brought to the fore in this well-crafted novel.

Sixteen-year-old Theresa Maria is the daughter of a famous violinist; her father's murder sets the stage for the novel's plot. Between helping her family keep food on the table and trying to avoid making...more

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-gold-star-award-winner, trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com

Christmas Eve is supposed to be a happy time, but Theresa will remember it as the night her father was murdered and his violin stolen.

A musician in her own right, Theresa is drawn into her father's world and is determined to discover the truth about his death.

Her search uncovers secrets about her father and the musician's world; secrets that lead her into dangerous circles. She isn't sure who she can trust as her investigation brings her into the co...more

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Mar 13, 2009 Rachel rated it 2 of 5 stars

This could have been a fabulous book. It’s the story of the daughter of a violinist in Prince Esterhazy of Austria’s symphony in the eighteenth century. Like her father, Theresa loves music above all things so when her father dies under odd circumstances she goes on a hunt to find out who killed him and stole his beloved violin. Her search leads her to the greatest musicians of her time, the wickedest political counselors, and the truth behind her father’s connection to a band of gypsies.

Sounds...more

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Feb 18, 2009 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm enjoying this, but it's just not what I'm in the mood to read right now, plus I need to focus on getting through the Book Thief for my book club next week. And that's a pretty big book...I'll let you know what I think when I get back to this one!

2/18/09 I finished last night and it got much better and I really enjoyed it. This 3 is more like 3 3/4s, but it wasn't quite a 4. It was well written and very enjoyable, but there was something lacking to make it spectacular.

There was something cho...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Gwen the Librarian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenbooks, historical-fiction

Fifteen-year-old Theresa is the daughter of a violinist playing in the glamorous royal court of 18th century Vienna. When her father turns up murdered, Theresa is determined to find out more about his death, if not solve the mystery. But the social constraints of both her sex and her social position get in Theresa's way as she tries to move in various circles to get more information. Gypsies, musicians, courtiers, and even Haydn himself are all part of the wider mystery that grows more and more...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Samantha Hastings rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm always a fan of historical fiction books where the woman strives for rights and education. Theresa's struggle for her love of music and her overall strength of character appealed to me. Plus there were gypsies. As a child my mother used to tell me that she would "sell me to the gypsies." I'm not sure if I'd want to be sold after all...

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Apr 17, 2013 Izilen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance, romance-genre, period-piece, protagonist-women

I really liked this book. It's a historical novel that is firmly placed temporally and geographically, taking many liberties both to deal with complicated issues lightly and to give our protagonist the means to act. The main character, Theresa Maria, is charming. The plot is engaging. It's a fun, easy read.

It's not fantastic, though. A huge part of the plot is to do with the oppression of the Roma people in Austria and Hungary, and while I felt that overall this was approached fairly and sensiti...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

February 14, 2013
The Missing Violin
By Sarah Woolley
The Musician’s Daughter
By Susanne Dunlap
317 Bloomsbury $16.99 Young Adult Mystery

The Musician’s Daughter is a fascinating mystery that revolves around a young Vienna girl who struggles against societal norms in order to solve the mystery of her father’s death. Young adult girls will enjoy this tale of friendship, love, and heroism. This book shows that happy endings are possible, even in a realistic world.

In The Musician’s Daughter the main char...more February 14, 2013
The Missing Violin
By Sarah Woolley
The Musician’s Daughter
By Susanne Dunlap
317 Bloomsbury $16.99 Young Adult Mystery

The Musician’s Daughter is a fascinating mystery that revolves around a young Vienna girl who struggles against societal norms in order to solve the mystery of her father’s death. Young adult girls will enjoy this tale of friendship, love, and heroism. This book shows that happy endings are possible, even in a realistic world.

In The Musician’s Daughter the main character Theresa is informed of her father's murder and is desperate to discover the truth. While she searches for the answer she also has to provide for her mother and brother by playing the viola, but her mother sells her instrument. Her mother wants her to give up her quest so she can become a lady and get married. Theresa wants to play the violin but society dictates that it is an unfit job for a woman. Her mother dictates that, “No mother would allow her son to be taught by a girl” (72).

As she delves deeper into her father’s death, she discovers he may have had enemies. The gypsy leader tells her, “Perhaps you don’t know your father so well as you thought” (96). Her father is part of a secret organization that strives to help all oppressed. One night at a ball everything changes. Her brother goes missing and while trying to rescue him the leader of the group is captured. Theresa and her friends have to rush against time to find the proof needed to save him. She is aided by her friend Mirela, her crush Zoltan, and his sister Alida. When she discovers the truth, it is closer to her then she thought.

When her father dies his violin goes missing, and Theresa thinks it is gone forever. However, when she resolves the mystery she recovers her father’s violin. It is the only piece of him she has left. Throughout the story, Theresa wears a gold medallion that is a symbol of hope for freedom for those who were oppressed like the Gypsies.

The author uses places from Vienna as well as customs and events to make this story more realistic. In Vienna, Austria at the time the story takes place the girl lives in the average Vienna home on a crowded city street. She often travels to the palace of Prince Nicholas Esterhazy. The detail in which Dunlap uses real scenery from the time period makes the reader forget that the book is fiction.

She also uses similes, metaphors, and alliteration to describe the upper-class. “They looked like dolls” (13). “…were powdered and patched” (14). Dunlap characterizes her characters through flashbacks and interactions with the other characters. She focuses mainly on Theresa, her father, Mirela, and Zoltan, going in detail on their past and what connects them all together. This helps the reader connect on a deeper level with these characters.

In Dunlap’s thrilling novel real world history is combined with a fictional tale of mystery, first love, and doing what is right even if it’s scary. It has been one of my favorite reads this year. It really connects with young adults who have lost someone or are scared of doing what’s right.
(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Megan (The Book Babe) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-on-my-site

This review also at The Book Babe

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

For the first few chapters of this book, I was a tad bit worried. The characters weren't very inspiring, the story was just meh, and of course, I was just bored. Meanwhile, I'm reading, and I'm thinking to myself, "What did I expect from a historical book that started off with a murder?". I expected a lot. And for the first few chapters, I just wasn't getting it. It started out too slowly, and I just didn't feel the...more This review also at The Book Babe

Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.

For the first few chapters of this book, I was a tad bit worried. The characters weren't very inspiring, the story was just meh, and of course, I was just bored. Meanwhile, I'm reading, and I'm thinking to myself, "What did I expect from a historical book that started off with a murder?". I expected a lot. And for the first few chapters, I just wasn't getting it. It started out too slowly, and I just didn't feel the need to continue reading, because I felt like I was just skimming the words.

But I continued. And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. All of the sudden, it was like the author finally fell into her 'happy writing place', and the story just got better. The character's suddenly seemed more identifiable, the plot sky-rocketed, and, overall, the story-line definitely improved. It was actually kind of weird, but in a good way.

Theresa was a terrific character! She was headstrong and brave, but she somehow also managed to be extremely naive. I guess that's what makes her interesting. She was always shocked at the turn of events, but she managed to come at them all with a new twist of her own! Oh, I like her. She was freaking awesome!

A few things about the plot were a bit unoriginal, but I found that I enjoyed those bits just as much as the original bits. The amazing thing about this book was the character relationships. There was a tad of romance, but it was mostly just friendships that were extremely satisfying. I was worried for a bit, because I thought that there might be a love triangle coming up, but I was wrong. You can't imagine how happy I was to read a book without a love triangle.

All in all, this book surprised me. I didn't expect plot, amazing characters, and, overall, superb writing style. It had a slow start, but it was well worth the wait.

Favorite Quote:
"It is a curious thing," she murmured at last, "to touch history. Looking into the past is very much like seeing the ages to come."(less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Sherlyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

A most exciting read, with a plucky, likeable heroine and adventure, mystery plus romance spun into this tale.

Dunlap brings us into the world of Vienna (my most favourite musical place in the world!!) in the 1770s, during the Habsburg empire. Theresa Maria's father, a principal violinist in the royal orchestra, has been murdered and it is up to Theresa to uncover the truth. Along the way, she finds out that there is much more to her loving, gentle father, with the help of Gypsies, her godfather...more

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May 09, 2012 Jo Oehrlein rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is historical fiction with a bit of mystery, action, and romance thrown in.

It's set in 18th century Vienna. The main character is a teenaged girl who is the goddaughter of Haydn. Her father is a violinist in Haydn's orchestra. When he is killed, Theresa makes it her business to discover why. In doing so, she learns of a political intrigue she was never aware of before.

She becomes friends with a group of gypsies AND with a maid of honor in the Holy Roman Emperor's court.

For a while, The...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Selin Mandani rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Musician's Daughter was a book that had both romance, and an adventure. It starts on Christmas Eve, when Theresa's father is brought home.....dead.Theresa is convinced to find her father's missing, prized possesion, his violin, but the only way to do that is to enter his music world, and reveal the missing pieces to the puzzle. My favorite quote would be: "Mirela took the medallion in her hand and gazed at it as if she were trying to read the future in her palm. It is a curious thing,she mur...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 14, 2011 Jules rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, youngadult

There was a lot of interesting stuff going on here, but it never quite gelled for me, and it all felt very flat. I never felt any particular investment in any of the characters or their relationships, and there was an awful lot of exposition-dumping. Dunlap also never seemed quite sure how to deal with the fact that history was different, and that people had different values -- Theresa worries about her brother and how he'll be treated during his apprenticeship, but merrily sends him off to it a...more There was a lot of interesting stuff going on here, but it never quite gelled for me, and it all felt very flat. I never felt any particular investment in any of the characters or their relationships, and there was an awful lot of exposition-dumping. Dunlap also never seemed quite sure how to deal with the fact that history was different, and that people had different values -- Theresa worries about her brother and how he'll be treated during his apprenticeship, but merrily sends him off to it anyway; she's appalled by the details of public torture and execution, but once the friend/ally she's trying to save is granted clemency, she leaves without a second thought to the people who weren't so lucky. Calling attention to the horrors of public torture and execution only makes it all the more jarring when the protagonist doesn't give a second thought to them once the plot moves on to some other place.

There were a lot of places where things just seemed to happen because something had to move the plot forward, and the romance felt completely dry and tacked-on -- Theresa and Zoltan had no chemistry whatsoever, and we never had any indication of when they might've developed feelings for one another, or what they might be attracted to in one another. It seemed like something Dunlap simply put in because someone told her she needed a romantic subplot. We get no motivation for Theresa's villainous uncle -- there are implications that her mother's family aren't pleased that she married below her station, that he's a reactionary who's resistant to the social philosophies of the Enlightenment, but we don't get any reason for his leap from that to pimping out his niece for the cause. To say nothing of his even younger nephew, although Dunlap seems to back away from that implication, changing it merely to the selling of child labor...which, actually, is another problem; once Toby's rescued, Theresa gives only the most cursory thought to the other boys who were imprisoned in her uncle's cellar -- if she was so upset by their presence, why was she so disinterested in their safety once the whole adventure was over?

The use of the gypsies was at best pretty eyeroll-worthy as well -- Mirela seems to exist merely to fulfill the "sassy ethnic friend" role for Theresa, and she mostly does this by being inappropriately ~emotional~ and not being all that bright.

I think ultimately what bothered me the most was Theresa's complete lack of any agency -- the entire plot just happens to her, and she's along for the ride. Everyone around her does the more interesting things; her job mostly seems to be reporting it. Which is fine, but there's no awareness of this fact, and it makes it difficult to take seriously the afterword, wherein Dunlap smugly mentions how terrible history was for women who had dreams of doing anything besides getting married and having children. Theresa hasn't done anything -- everyone else does everything, and she's just along for the ride! She doesn't even seem to have many dreams, for that matter -- there are things she likes (playing music, Zoltan) but they're not given the weight of being dreams, so that she doesn't achieve them doesn't feel like any particular injustice. Even the motivation following her father's murder doesn't seem particularly clear: is she just trying to find out how she can best support her family, or does she want to investigate and avenge his death?

Basically, this was technically a very competently-written book, but it was, disappointingly, dull as heck.(less)

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Jul 19, 2010 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this s book because my 11 year old daughter asked me to preview it for her. I really enjoyed the book but feel that my daughter probably isn't ready to read it.

I think another reviewer, Shanon Carthcart, summed it up quite well. She said "While the publisher positions this book as being appropriate for those 12 and older, I think it would very much depend upon the young teen in question. Dunlap deals frankly with prostitution, crime and punishment (descriptions of torture devices and so o...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Mrs. Foley rated it 3 of 5 stars

In eighteenth-century Vienna, Austria, fifteen-year-old Theresa seeks a way to help her mother and brother financially while investigating the murder of her father, a renowned violinist in Haydn's orchestra at the court of Prince Esterhazy, after his body is found near a gypsy camp. - From library catalog record

I read this book because it is being considered for the Gateway list for next year. It took awhile for me to get into the book and begin to care about the characters, but I did get there....more

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Nov 27, 2009 Barbara rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Gr 7-10

Shelves: juvenile, mystery, historical-fiction, washyarg

Probably a 3.5.
Set in the 18th century music world of Haydn in Vienna, this historical fiction/mystery opens as the body of 15 year old Theresa’s murdered musician father is brought home on Christmas Eve. A budding musician herself, Theresa feels compelled to use her wits and talent to uncover what really happened to her father, thereby pushing the boundaries of accepted roles and behaviors for girls and women of the times (1779). She discovers secret activities of her father’s as her search p...more

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Nov 08, 2009 Dee rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who loves music or mysteries!

When Theresa Maria recieves the shocking news that her father was found dead on Christmas Eve, she can't help but wonder why he had died. He was supposed to be playing in the orchestra at the prince's Chistmas Eve ball, but reportedly never showed. What's worse news to Theresa is that her father's beautiful violin is missing. The fact that it was supposedly with him the night he died leads Theresa to believe that her father was murdered.

As she searches deeper for answers, Theresa becomes envolve...more

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Jun 16, 2009 Books and Literature for Teens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, young-adult, 1700s

Courtesy of BLT Reviews: booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com

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 my...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Forever rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: september

The Musician’s Daughter was full of unexpected twist and dangerous discoveries. The events that occurred throughout the novel seemed predictable at first but they were the complete opposite of predictable. Theresa is a brilliant violinist who lives and breaths music. Her world comes crashing down when her father is found dead for unknown reasons. His mysterious death is something that Theresa can’t let go of, even if her actions may seem improper to everyone else.
Theresa is left in an unfortuna...more

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Jan 01, 2012 Kate Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book was very disappointing. First of all, much of the events that happen are far-fetched and almost completely improbable. That important men involved in serious political plots would trust a 15-year-old daughter of a musician with important missions that risked the lives of others and the success of the political schemes is totally unrealistic. Furthermore, it seemed that Dunlap wanted to make the world of her book as "real" as possible, and tried to do this by inserting unnecessary racin...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Kerrie-ann rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2011, crime-murder-and-war, romance, reviews-done-on-blog

This book definitely gets 5 stars from me as I was just wanted to carry on reading everytime I opened the book. It was filled with intrigue, corruption, murder and danger. You were always hoping that nothing bad would happen to Rezia (the main character). The intrigue came when you just had to know what happened to Rezia's father and how high members of society were involved in this and other horrible crimes.

The writing was constant throughout the whole novel and it flowed at a really good pace...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, own, ya-and-children

I liked this one. I really wish there was more YA historical fiction (maybe when the trend of dystopia calms down?) and I am always on the lookout for more. This one combined many things I like; the historical part of course, but also the mystery. Romance can be good, but a great mystery will always have my preference.

I had two problems with The Musician’s Daughter that kept me from completely loving it; the predictability of the story, and the disconnect I had with Theresa. Through her tragedy...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Brianna Dufour rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Musicians Daughter is a intruiging action, love, mystery novel that you wont want to take your eyes off of. This enchanting story takes place in the 18th century in Vienna, when a young 15 year old girl named Thereasa's, life is changed. On christmas Eve she finds out her father had been murdered, her mother strucken with shock became ill and bedridden. As this story intruigingly starts to unfold, Thereasa starts finding more things about what happened to her father but the same questions st...more

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May 04, 2011 Shomeret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, mystery-thriller, my-reviews

When Theresa, the 15 year old daughter of a musician who has been murdered decides to investigate her father's death, she finds herself deeply involved with radical politics in 18th century Austria. This is the sort of political machinations that I enjoy.

I loved the musical aspect. Theresa is herself a musician, and the composer Haydn is a major character. There is also the music of the gypsies and gypsy musicians in Haydn's orchestra. I finished the novel wanting to read more about Haydn.

The b...more

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Dec 29, 2010 Tiffany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

I wish I could give this book 3.5 stars. I liked it a lot mostly because I am so very interested in musical history and the women who were overlooked as musicians because of their gender.

The writing was okay; however, at the end I felt like it fell a little flat. The story had a very satisfying conclusion but because the court protocol was lost it gave me a sense of improbability. Up to that point, though, I had been right in the story.

I read this book as a preview for my 12 year old daughter....more

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Jan 05, 2013 Hermione rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, i-will-do-things-to-that-cover, my-friends-are-reading-it, mystery, disappointments, warning-warning, wtf-did-i-just-read

2 stars — it was okay. I admit, the reason this book was even ever in my hands is because the synopsis made it out to be a really good mystery: When Theresa Maria finds out that her father has been murdered, and that his precious violin has been stolen, she's determined to find out the culprit — except she realizes the further she delves into the gruesome murder of her father, the more secrets and dirty, dark mysteries unravel.

Okay, I lie. The other reason was because there was a violin on the c...more

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May 23, 2012 Morgan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 19, 2010 Tibbi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Synopsys- Being a violinist has always been Theresa Maria’s dream but when her father turns up dead one night after supposedly playing for the prince Theresa puts her dreams on hold to bring her fathers unfortunate death a sense of closure.

Classification-
Audience: Female teens
Purpose: Entertainment
Medium: Novel
Genre-setting: Realistic Fiction
Genre-style: Tragicomedy
Genre-plot: Romance/thriller

Criticism- The novel The Musician’s Daughter by Susanne Dunlap is a wonderfully intoxicating story of a...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had much more depth, plot, and intrigue than I had thought it would when I picked it up at random off the shelf. I don't usually do that with books anymore, having had a few bad experiences that way as a youngster. But I flipped through this one pretty carefully and thought it looked alright, and one of the main characters was Haydn, the famous composer, and I thought that must be alright.

It was alright, there were some moments of harsh, violent treatment of other people, but it was ne...more

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Oct 14, 2010 R.williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed 99% of this amazing book. The Musician's Daughter is a none stopping book of mystery and suspension. The story takes back in the 15th century. It has a twist to a murder of a talented musician, as his daughter finds more and more about the untold story of her father's life. The one thing fifteen-year old Theresa always wanted to be was her father, a musician. But did she really think she was going to take her father's place in being a spy? She finds out her high honored uncle is agains...more

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About Susanne Dunlap

Susanne Dunlap is the author of six works of historical fiction. Two are for the adult market (Emilie's Voice and Liszt's Kiss, both published by Touchstone books of Simon & Schuster). Three are for the young adult market (The Musician's Daughter, Anastasia's Secret, In the Shadow of the Lamp, and the forthcoming The Academie, published by Bloomsbury). A graduate of Smith College with a PhD in...more

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