Review of Finnian’s Fiddle by Chandler Groover
Finnian’s Fiddle takes us back to our childhoods, rediscovering the simple joys that came from following an unlikely hero on his journey to accomplish a magical quest. This book is a charmer, and no mistake.
From the moment Finnian, a young daydreamer and lover of epic quests, takes on the task of saving his village from the terrors faced by a marauding — yet curiously erudite — fire-breathing dragon, we’re emotionally invested in Finnian and whether or not he can (a) find a fiddle worthy of being played, and (b) learn to play it well enough to escape being eaten by the dragon.
His travels in search of the perfect fiddle take him into the City, where he narrowly escapes having his hand chopped off — the common consequence of being a pickpocket — and becomes the apprentice to a quirky gentlemen with a monkey on his shoulder. For Finnian, the moment is one of grave importance:
“He felt something inside himself, like a fuse sizzling, as nervous energy accumulated, ready for a lit match to ignite it. He only had to light the match.”
He acquires a few interesting allies and patrons along the way, from his violin taskmaster, Signor Sarro, to the diplomat Lord Mandrake, and even the bemused star-gazer Sir Isaac, who leads him up a winding staircase one evening to espie Sagittarius. The lesson is lost on poor Finnian, but he does appreciate the fine view:
“It was a strange and beautiful evening without a moon, and the only thing that broke the atmosphere was a sudden bluish comet. It left a sparkling trail across the sky.”
Poetical writing abounds in this fine tale of adventure and whimsy, often putting the reader in mind of The Hobbit, or the epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. Finnian’s quest to become a virtuoso violinist leads him still further, moving from the City to the Forest, where he falls in with Robin and his band of bandits, who studiously ignore the newcomer.
“The silence of Robin’s companions was a silence reserved for background players in a dream.”
Finally, Finnian’s journey leads him to the Mountain, and a harrowing conversation with a winged creature called the Sphinx, who will eat him unless he gives satisfactory answers to a series of questions.
Does Finnian wind up as dinner for one on a lonely mountainside? Does he ever master a melody on the fiddle — one with enough musicality to please the waiting dragon and spare his beloved friends in the village the ignominy of being roasted alive?
You’ll just have to read this marvelous book for yourself, and go back in time to stories told by your parents — or grandparents — sitting patiently by your warm cozy bed and spinning a tale of magical delight.
