I grew up as the son of a man who could not possibly have been my father. Though there was never any doubt that my seed had come from another ma...
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reviews
Dec 28, 2010
JG (The Introverted Reader)
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Moses Froben, an opera singer of world-renown, raised a son who could not possibly have been his own. When his son asked how they had come to be together, Moses would studiously avoid the question. On Moses's death, however, his son found a memoir that told of Moses's humble beginnings and how father and son found each other.
The side of me that loves dark, convoluted, Gothic stories absolutely loved this book! A mother widely believed to be mad, an evil father, life with monks, an More...
The side of me that loves dark, convoluted, Gothic stories absolutely loved this book! A mother widely believed to be mad, an evil father, life with monks, an More...
Oct 18, 2011
Kate
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I really enjoyed this book, start to finish. Part character drama, part love story, part historical fiction, this is the story of Moses Froben, a "castrato" or "musico".
One review on the front cover says that this book is a "story to tickle the senses as much as the mind" and I agree with that. I loved the novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and how the protagonist experienced the world through her sense of taste. This novel was similar in the way More...
One review on the front cover says that this book is a "story to tickle the senses as much as the mind" and I agree with that. I loved the novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake and how the protagonist experienced the world through her sense of taste. This novel was similar in the way More...
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Feb 02, 2011
Marialyce
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Absolutely fantastic! The ending gave me chills. This was a little unknown book to me but one that left me in awe. It was written about an 18th century opera singer and the struggles he went through in his life. From his impoverished beginnings where he learned the love and feel for his mother's bells, to the opera house where he became a great virtuoso, the reader becomes involved with his life, his friends, his love, and his ability to sing like no other.
The writing made the charac More...
The writing made the charac More...
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Dec 07, 2011
Robin
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I almost passed this book by thinking I had no desire to read about opera but decided to give it a try based on the recommendations by Random House's library marketing reps.
This historical novel set in the 1700s about "musicos" (also known as castratos and countertenors) during the birth of opera is definitely on my best of 2011 list. The scope and historical elements were fabulous and the music was sublime, but there are a few heartbreaking moments of brutality and sadness More...
This historical novel set in the 1700s about "musicos" (also known as castratos and countertenors) during the birth of opera is definitely on my best of 2011 list. The scope and historical elements were fabulous and the music was sublime, but there are a few heartbreaking moments of brutality and sadness More...
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Jan 09, 2012
Mrose46
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The Bells is an almost magical story about a boy who, although he is born of a deaf mute mother, is ironically gifted with the ability to hear and distinguish the slightest and infinite variety of sounds heard in everything from the greatest operatic mass sung in Latin, to the sound of a metal key rubbing against the lock of a bedroom door, to the slightest breath from a baby’s lungs. Born into poverty as the bastard child of a woman who lived off of the charity of the local townspeople and the
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Dec 14, 2011
Ben
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The Bells is the story of Moses Froben, born in a remote Swiss village to a deaf-mute. By circumstance and tragedy, Moses ends up in an abbey and is raised by monks. It isn't long until his magnificent singing voice is recognized, and he is given a prized spot in the church choir. He is soon befriended by a young girl, Amalia, whose mother is dying.
Though his life is not ideal, Moses cherishes his friendship with Amalia, and the seeds of romance are established. But tra More...
Though his life is not ideal, Moses cherishes his friendship with Amalia, and the seeds of romance are established. But tra More...
Oct 20, 2011
Diana
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The story follows the life of Moses Froben from boyhood to fame as an opera singer during the 1700's. He is born in a belfry in Sitzerland where his deaf mother is the keeper of the bells. When it is discovered he is not deaf and can proclaim the sins of the local church, he is ousted from the village. Later, he is rescued from drowning in a river and taken to live in an abbey. The choirmaster discovers his singing talent and in order to preserve it, he has Moses forcibly castrated. Accordi
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Sep 28, 2011
Paula
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“O Canto do Anjo, a história de um castrato” decorre em 1727 e tem o seu início na Suíça. Esta é uma história que apela de forma especial a um dos nossos sentidos – a audição. Aqui, os sons fazem nascer, crescer, viver, ansiar, vingar, entorpecer e renascer…
Este é um relato da vida do grande músico Moses Froben. Um homem que não é um homem, mas que é um anjo. Um ser possuidor de uma voz límpida e cristalina. Moses, fora um menino criado num campanário pela sua mãe, acostumado à miséria e à More...
Este é um relato da vida do grande músico Moses Froben. Um homem que não é um homem, mas que é um anjo. Um ser possuidor de uma voz límpida e cristalina. Moses, fora um menino criado num campanário pela sua mãe, acostumado à miséria e à More...
Jun 26, 2011
Bobby
rated it:
It’s Cry to Heaven meets Perfume.
The author writes gorgeous, elegant prose and knows how to keep the reader continuously interested. The title made me think at first of Edgar Allan Poe, and the story indeed includes several events as grotesque and horrifying as anything in Poe, although the style is more sedate and much less baroque, which I suppose is appropriate for a musical tale set during the neoclassical period.
The main character is prodigiously talented and suffers te More...
The author writes gorgeous, elegant prose and knows how to keep the reader continuously interested. The title made me think at first of Edgar Allan Poe, and the story indeed includes several events as grotesque and horrifying as anything in Poe, although the style is more sedate and much less baroque, which I suppose is appropriate for a musical tale set during the neoclassical period.
The main character is prodigiously talented and suffers te More...
Mar 28, 2011
Lori
rated it:
This was another wonderful recommendation from Books on the Nightstand. I'll not go into much detail laying out the general storyline because you can read that elsewhere and it just doesn't adequately prepare you for what an amazing jewel this book is. The description from the Goodreads summary reveals that the main character, "was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps where his mother served as the keeper of the loudest and most beautiful bells in the land. Shaped by the bells’ glorious
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Mar 10, 2011
Keilani
rated it: 
Spoilers -I'm probably going to get chewed out for my moral views for this review but -
Ugh. The underlying story is interesting. The son of a deaf/mute woman from a small hill town has through the course of events, developed or maybe even been born with the ability to hear sound very differently, hear little details, great distance, how bits and pieces of sound go together. His description of what he hears is in great color and detail. It could be beautiful but the surrounding of the st More...
Ugh. The underlying story is interesting. The son of a deaf/mute woman from a small hill town has through the course of events, developed or maybe even been born with the ability to hear sound very differently, hear little details, great distance, how bits and pieces of sound go together. His description of what he hears is in great color and detail. It could be beautiful but the surrounding of the st More...
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Feb 19, 2011
Kay
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In Switzerland in the late 1700's, a child is born to a deaf outcast fathered by the local priest who tries to kill the boy when he learns he is not deaf and can tell his story. Thrown into a raging river, the six year old is rescued by two priests and taken to their abby where he is sheltered because he can sing. The abby still exists and throughout the book are references to real people,real places and real customs. Although castration to preserve a boy's voice was still common in Italy, in Sw
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Jan 24, 2011
Phillip
rated it: 
Had to opine on this one because there is tragedy and there is gratuitous cruelty. Harvell has burdened us with the latter. Please God, don't let me be resurrected in a tragedy so imagined. I could not endure it. To be sure, I get tragedy and I comprehend Orpheus as one of the greatest, but reading this book was a torture to my very soul. I have been irreparably harmed.
Some pain need not be explored in such excruciating detail... some ugliness in the world, while we should be aware of More...
Some pain need not be explored in such excruciating detail... some ugliness in the world, while we should be aware of More...
Dec 27, 2010
Karen
rated it:
I heard about this book on a Goodreads newsletter. It is the author's first novel. The book is historical fiction, which I love, but I thought it was only about the opera in 1750, so I was hesitant to read it (because I have no interest in the opera) but I decided it wouldn't hurt to expand my horizons, so I checked it out of the library. I was so pleasantly surprised.
Actually, it is really about an opera singer, Moses Froben, not the opera per se. The story follows Moses from More...
Actually, it is really about an opera singer, Moses Froben, not the opera per se. The story follows Moses from More...
Dec 11, 2010
Carolyn
rated it:
Harvell's debut novel is a well-researched piece of historical fiction about a castrated opera singer named Moses, who upon his death leaves a surprising autobiographical account for his adopted son Nicolai, which reveals Moses' humble origins and the tragic romance that brought Nicolai into Moses' care. Too much attention is paid to other characters and events for The Bells to be primarily considered a love story, although the forbidden love between a eunuch and a well-born lady will attract it
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Dec 08, 2010
Jeannie
rated it:
An Operatic Masterpiece
In a village hidden high atop a mountain in the Swiss Alps, a baby boy is born to the world of music by a mute mother who rings the town church bells. Born in the belfry to the ringing of these bells, this young boy learns his mother was raped by the parish priest; the very man who will throw this innocent boy, his bastard son, off a bridge above a raging river to wipe his crime from existence.
Rescued and pulled from the waters below, the young b More...
Oct 27, 2010
Dee
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 01, 2010
Holly
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"Resounds with Operatic Melodrama"
How ironic that Nicolai, the protector of our musical hero says, "“Such music! Opera! How could I waste a moment with a book!” Although the writing is at times contrived, the power of visceral sound that reverberates from the pages of The Bells is astounding. If you are a lover of theatrics and sumptuous opera, this book is for you. Overwrought with all of the excesses we revel in on the opera stage, this opera lover read the book mor More...
How ironic that Nicolai, the protector of our musical hero says, "“Such music! Opera! How could I waste a moment with a book!” Although the writing is at times contrived, the power of visceral sound that reverberates from the pages of The Bells is astounding. If you are a lover of theatrics and sumptuous opera, this book is for you. Overwrought with all of the excesses we revel in on the opera stage, this opera lover read the book mor More...
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Sep 12, 2010
Deanna
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I received this book from NetGalley.com, a fabulous resource for e-ARCs.
The Bells is set in the latter half of the 18th century. It starts out in The Swiss Confederation and moves to Vienna. The book is written in the first person, in the form of a letter from the protaganist to his son.
Moses Froben was born in a belfrey, the son of a deaf woman charged with ringing the 'loudest bells in the land' and a vicious priest, who later attempts to kill Moses when he realizes he' More...
The Bells is set in the latter half of the 18th century. It starts out in The Swiss Confederation and moves to Vienna. The book is written in the first person, in the form of a letter from the protaganist to his son.
Moses Froben was born in a belfrey, the son of a deaf woman charged with ringing the 'loudest bells in the land' and a vicious priest, who later attempts to kill Moses when he realizes he' More...
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Aug 31, 2010
Mirella
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This is a mesmerizing debut novel by Richard Harvell about a young boy named Moses. The waif is born to a deaf mute woman and they live in utter poverty, completely dependent upon scraps to survive. His mother’s only role in life is to toll the massive church bells in the church tower that provides them with a place to live.
From his earliest memories, Moses is attuned to the sound, able to discern even the minutest of changes or nuances, and he is entranced by the melodius sounds More...
From his earliest memories, Moses is attuned to the sound, able to discern even the minutest of changes or nuances, and he is entranced by the melodius sounds More...
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Jul 08, 2010
This book is unlike any piece of historical fiction I’ve read before. Gone are the queens and other royal figures, the courtiers and painters. Moses, the son of a deaf-mute, grew up in a belfry before being cast out, found by two monks and taken to live in the Abbey of St. Gall where he sings in the choir. He is the one that no one wants with a operetic voice so in demand it becomes his curse. Gothic in tone with gorgeous language that has an ear for sound this book will pull you into the lands
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Aug 28, 2010
Lydia
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I wanted to start my review of this book off with quotes from its magnificent contents - but unfortunately I was reading an advanced copy of it so this is not an option.
As a music student there are times I pick up a book with a musical theme and, more often than not, I end up disappointed. This can be for a few reasons: the authors naivety when it comes to the skill and discipline, the lack of research placed in musical history (relying instead on a few famous names and works).
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As a music student there are times I pick up a book with a musical theme and, more often than not, I end up disappointed. This can be for a few reasons: the authors naivety when it comes to the skill and discipline, the lack of research placed in musical history (relying instead on a few famous names and works).
More...
Jan 14, 2012
Kay
rated it:
This book was full of sounds - the sounds of the opera, the sounds of cathedral bells, the sounds of the cobble-stone streets, and the sounds of friendship,betrayal, and pain. The pace of the story was dictated by the sounds enveloping the main character. I particularly enjoyed how the main story was wrapped by the image of the character's mother and her love for him - despite all odds. An enjoyable read - especially since I have visited the settings of Vienna and Venice.
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Sep 16, 2011
Stephanie
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I have always been fascinated with the castrati, ever since learning about them in music school. The idea that someone would identify a small boy as having such an incredible voice that they would mutilate him to preserve the voice leaves me shaking my head, especially when one considers that the child had no say in the matter. Someone's life and future was dramatically and irrevocably changed for the sake of music. Of course the subject is what made me pick up this book in the first place, a
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Sep 19, 2010
Diane
rated it:
From the minute I first heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. The Bells, tells the story of Moses Froben, who was born in a belfry to a deaf-mute, in a small and extremely poor village of the Swiss Alps in the 1700's. The villagers thought his mother was crazy, because she was skittish, dirty, and hid from the village people in caves or the belfry. She cared about nothing except her son, and her ringing of the bells every day. Moses as a young child, was allowed to live in the belfry w
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Dec 01, 2010
Cydnie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 20, 2010
Christine
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In a time when the church was the centre of every town and the bells called the faithful to worship, Moses Froben was born in a bellfry to a deaf/mute mother. The circumstances of Moses’ birth are as mysterious as the story he is telling his son about his own conception. The narration takes us from the point of Moses’ expulsion from his village, to his rescue and life in a monastary, through to Vienna and his success as a singer. Unfortunately, everything comes at a cost and Moses unwillingly
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Aug 03, 2011
Suzanne
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The Bells brought to mind a favorite Bob Dylan song of mine, Ring Them Bells. Here I will attempt to make a few comparisons without spoiling the book for those who wish to read it themselves. The synopsis on goodreads gives a good overall picture of the story and Moses its main character. Here is a chorus from Dylan's song with my connections written between the lines
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
relates to Nicolai and Moses's mother
Ring them bells for all More...
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
relates to Nicolai and Moses's mother
Ring them bells for all More...
Aug 03, 2011
Mark
rated it:
“First there were the bells…”
Life didn’t look very promising, for young Moses Froben. The bastard son, of a strange deaf-mute woman, who’s sole occupation is to ring the “Loudest and Most Beautiful Bells” in the country. Moses was born in this belfry, high in the Swiss Alps and has lived here in quiet solitude with his mother. The boy does possess an acute, almost unworldly sense of hearing and later on it’s discovered he also has a wonderful singing voice.
These gifts, set Moses o More...
Life didn’t look very promising, for young Moses Froben. The bastard son, of a strange deaf-mute woman, who’s sole occupation is to ring the “Loudest and Most Beautiful Bells” in the country. Moses was born in this belfry, high in the Swiss Alps and has lived here in quiet solitude with his mother. The boy does possess an acute, almost unworldly sense of hearing and later on it’s discovered he also has a wonderful singing voice.
These gifts, set Moses o More...
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Jul 10, 2011
Bailey
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I received this book through a goodreads giveaway.
This must be the noisiest book I have ever read. Everything, from the way that an opera house amplifies a note to the breath and heartbeat of each individual character, is described in terms of sound. And not just how sounds sound, but how they feel, the emotions they portray, and what they mean to the characters, even those less musically gifted than Moses. This book couldn't be more full of music if it came with a sound track! I More...
This must be the noisiest book I have ever read. Everything, from the way that an opera house amplifies a note to the breath and heartbeat of each individual character, is described in terms of sound. And not just how sounds sound, but how they feel, the emotions they portray, and what they mean to the characters, even those less musically gifted than Moses. This book couldn't be more full of music if it came with a sound track! I More...
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