Echo

by: Pam Muñoz Ryan
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo
Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, Echo pushes the boundaries of genre and form and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result in an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck. {cover copy}
Every few months, my husband decides he doesn't need his audible credits, and gives them to me. This month was one of those. When that happens, I try to pick books from my TBR mountain that I'd either really like to get to, but keep putting off, or that have been sitting far too long. I was not going to pick this book. I wanted to read it myself. But then I clicked on it anyway, and the reviews said it was brilliant to listen to. So I said, screw it. These aren't my credits. And I really would like to read this one. Anyway...
This book was awesome. I loved it. There are like five individual stories in it and I was dying to figure out how they would all come together. The storytelling was beautiful and smart. These characters all face difficult circumstances happening in very hard times and just when you are fully invested in the story of each character, their story reaches the big important turning point and it switches to a new character! Such good cliffhanging. Every time it happened I was like, "Nooooo!! What happens next?!" It's great. And I loved the fact that the issues these characters face are real and important and not fluffy because its a "kids' book." We see harsh realities in our history, and tough situations, but they are all handled so well. There's Nazi Germany, orphanages, Japanese-American internment camps, race inequality in the school system... It was definitely diving into some deep subjects. But the story maintained a sense of hope throughout. And the best part: the music. I think this book is one of those I would say actually improves as a story because of Audible. The narrators are all fabulous. But the music. It played with nearly every reference of it in the book and it was magical. This is the first audiobook I've ever rated. 5 stars all around. That's saying something.
Sadly, I got so caught up in the story, I didn't stop to take note of very many quotes. 

Fifty years before the war to end all wars, a boy played hide-and-seek with his friends in a pear orchard bordered by a dark forest. {first line}
"Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed."

"Music does not have a race or a disposition! ... Every instrument has a voice that contributes. Music is a universal language. A universal religion of sorts. Certainly it's my religion. Music surpasses all distinctions between people."


• revealed • {last word}
{view on Goodreads}