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The cellists notebook
The Cellist's Notebook is a charming, life-affirming tale of discovery surrounding an old family mystery. A young girl's curiosity, her love of a little melody and the beauty of a cello evokes memories long forgotten.
Set in the present day, ten-year-old Emily Peters is spending the summer with her Nana Rose, a retired piano teacher, in rural Cumbria whilst Emily’s sister Lizzie travels to Paris for a French exchange. When Emily notices an old photograph of a cellist dating back to the Second World War and discovers cellos and an old music manuscript in the attic, her Nana tells of the touching and compelling story of her brother Leni, a linguist, cellist and music composer, whose disappearance was marked ‘ultimate fate unknown’ following World War II.
Emily’s love of the unfinished cello melody, found in her Great Uncle Leni’s music notebook, evokes memories for her Nana Rose and Emily returns to Norfolk with a passion to play the cello and a determination to learn the long-lost melody. A series of events unfold that change the life of Emily and her family forever.
Set in the present day, ten-year-old Emily Peters is spending the summer with her Nana Rose, a retired piano teacher, in rural Cumbria whilst Emily’s sister Lizzie travels to Paris for a French exchange. When Emily notices an old photograph of a cellist dating back to the Second World War and discovers cellos and an old music manuscript in the attic, her Nana tells of the touching and compelling story of her brother Leni, a linguist, cellist and music composer, whose disappearance was marked ‘ultimate fate unknown’ following World War II.
Emily’s love of the unfinished cello melody, found in her Great Uncle Leni’s music notebook, evokes memories for her Nana Rose and Emily returns to Norfolk with a passion to play the cello and a determination to learn the long-lost melody. A series of events unfold that change the life of Emily and her family forever.
68 pages, Paperback
Published January 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 18, 2019
I loved this story about Emily. Her Nana Rose a piano teacher, had always promised Emily that she would teach her how to play a cello. When Emily was staying with her Nana Rose, she went into the attic and discovered a dusty case with the initials L. T. P. When she opened the case she found the most beautiful instrument she had ever seen, a cello. She also discovered a satchel with the initials L. T. P. She had just found a music manuscript book. The music was unfinished and there was a reason why the music had not been completed. This is a lovely short story of 62 pages suitable for adults and young teenagers.
The Cellist's Notebook is charming, life -affirming tale of discovery surrounding an old family mystery. A young girl's curiosity, her love of a little melody and the beauty of a cello evokes memories long forgotten.
Ten-year-old Emily Peters is spending the summer with her Nana Rose , a retired piano teacher, in rural Cumbria whilst Emily's sister Lizzie travels to Paris for a French exchange. When Emily notice an old photograph of a cellist dating back to the Second World War, and discovers cello and an old music manuscript in the attic, her Nana tells of the touching and compelling story of her brother Leni, a linguist, cellist and music composer, whose disappearance was marked ultimate fate unknown following World War 11.
Emily's love of the unfinished cello melody, found in her Great Uncle Leni's music notebook, evokes memories for her Nana Rose and Emily returns to Norfolk with a passion to play the cello and a determination to learn the melody. A series of events unfold that change the life of Emily and her family forever.
The Cellist's Notebook is charming, life -affirming tale of discovery surrounding an old family mystery. A young girl's curiosity, her love of a little melody and the beauty of a cello evokes memories long forgotten.
Ten-year-old Emily Peters is spending the summer with her Nana Rose , a retired piano teacher, in rural Cumbria whilst Emily's sister Lizzie travels to Paris for a French exchange. When Emily notice an old photograph of a cellist dating back to the Second World War, and discovers cello and an old music manuscript in the attic, her Nana tells of the touching and compelling story of her brother Leni, a linguist, cellist and music composer, whose disappearance was marked ultimate fate unknown following World War 11.
Emily's love of the unfinished cello melody, found in her Great Uncle Leni's music notebook, evokes memories for her Nana Rose and Emily returns to Norfolk with a passion to play the cello and a determination to learn the melody. A series of events unfold that change the life of Emily and her family forever.
February 5, 2020
The Cellist's Notebook is a beautiful shory story that delivers an emotional happy ending within sixty pages! When I saw how thin the book was I wondered how invested I would become in the characters within such a short amount of story but I will admit I am impressed with how touching the plot was.
I loved the aspect of dual timelines, we first learnt about Emily and the promise her Nana made her to teach her to play the cello over the summer. The interactions between Emily and her Nana were so sweet and heartwarming and reminded me of visits to my own grandparents during the summer holidays.
Through Emily's Nana we learnt about Leni, the brother who vanished during World War Two. It was Leni who was a skilled cello player whilst his sister played the piano, they created a song together which was never finished due to Leni never returning.
Already I was hooked on this story of a historical disappearance, but like the Emily's family I assumed that Leni was just another missing in action recruit. I was not expecting the story to suddenly jump to Leni's POV during the height of the war! I was very pleasantly surprised to learn more about Leni's work from his own perspective and to also find out exactly what happened to him.
This was a wonderful story, it was perfect in length to keep the reader on the edge of their seat whilst reassuring them that it would soon all be resolved. An uplifting and refreshing historical read that I would definitely recommend!
I loved the aspect of dual timelines, we first learnt about Emily and the promise her Nana made her to teach her to play the cello over the summer. The interactions between Emily and her Nana were so sweet and heartwarming and reminded me of visits to my own grandparents during the summer holidays.
Through Emily's Nana we learnt about Leni, the brother who vanished during World War Two. It was Leni who was a skilled cello player whilst his sister played the piano, they created a song together which was never finished due to Leni never returning.
Already I was hooked on this story of a historical disappearance, but like the Emily's family I assumed that Leni was just another missing in action recruit. I was not expecting the story to suddenly jump to Leni's POV during the height of the war! I was very pleasantly surprised to learn more about Leni's work from his own perspective and to also find out exactly what happened to him.
This was a wonderful story, it was perfect in length to keep the reader on the edge of their seat whilst reassuring them that it would soon all be resolved. An uplifting and refreshing historical read that I would definitely recommend!
February 6, 2020
Can’t get this story out of my head! Beautifully written and gripped to the last word. Emotional ending with a twist. Nice mixture of both past and present and lovely descriptions of the English summer countryside. A heart warming story all should read.
February 7, 2020
At less than 70 pages, this tale hits upon a heart-warming tale of a family, music, and reunion.
Emily is ten years old and is taking her Nana up on a promise—to learn to play the cello. Nana, however, isn't exactly sure why she promised Emily such a thing, since she herself has played since her brother disappeared during WWII. Still, a promise is a promise. And this one results in much more than the beginning of Emily's love for music.
I was surprised at how emotional and satisfying this tale became in such a short number of pages. Emily comes across with tons of personality right away. Her determination is inspiring, and she still remains loving and sweet. But then, her Nana is just as wonderful. The relationship between the two is warming and slides right in with their shared love for music.
But this story is about so much more than a young girl's growing love for the cello. There's a touch of mystery as Emily learns about Nana's brother, who disappeared during WWII. While the author switches scenes using flashbacks, it's never confusing and weaves nicely into the tale. But then, only important scenes are focused on, and that's why this story stays short. The entire thing could have used a little more editing, but that hardly hurt the tale. I did find myself smiling and even sighing once or twice.
This is a lovely, short, and meaningful read. The author doesn't sink into the tale with the usual novel style, but rather lets the characters develop just enough to make one care about them, feeds in only necessary backstory, and glides through Emily's summer quickly, making sure only important highlights are given more attention. I especially see homeschoolers enjoying this one.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading it even more than I thought I might. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
Emily is ten years old and is taking her Nana up on a promise—to learn to play the cello. Nana, however, isn't exactly sure why she promised Emily such a thing, since she herself has played since her brother disappeared during WWII. Still, a promise is a promise. And this one results in much more than the beginning of Emily's love for music.
I was surprised at how emotional and satisfying this tale became in such a short number of pages. Emily comes across with tons of personality right away. Her determination is inspiring, and she still remains loving and sweet. But then, her Nana is just as wonderful. The relationship between the two is warming and slides right in with their shared love for music.
But this story is about so much more than a young girl's growing love for the cello. There's a touch of mystery as Emily learns about Nana's brother, who disappeared during WWII. While the author switches scenes using flashbacks, it's never confusing and weaves nicely into the tale. But then, only important scenes are focused on, and that's why this story stays short. The entire thing could have used a little more editing, but that hardly hurt the tale. I did find myself smiling and even sighing once or twice.
This is a lovely, short, and meaningful read. The author doesn't sink into the tale with the usual novel style, but rather lets the characters develop just enough to make one care about them, feeds in only necessary backstory, and glides through Emily's summer quickly, making sure only important highlights are given more attention. I especially see homeschoolers enjoying this one.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed reading it even more than I thought I might. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.
April 6, 2020
I loved this story and didn’t put it down from start to finish!!! It tweaked my emotions and I found myself wandering back to my childhood and thinking about my own gran, apple tarts, afternoon teas and time spent with my her. I found the book extremely evocative and enjoyed the writers ability to conjure up a vivid sensorial experience. Excellent book with a great ending to warm the cockles of one’s heart. <3
March 24, 2020
Interesting tale - a young girl finds a cello and some music at her grandmother's home. The grandmother begins to teach her to play the cello and one of the tunes they work on is from the music that was found. That music leads to a special discovery.
May 9, 2020
A perfect little Novella
If you want a sentimental feel good story then look no further you'll find it here.
A perfect afternoon read on a very important anniversary .
If you want a sentimental feel good story then look no further you'll find it here.
A perfect afternoon read on a very important anniversary .
March 29, 2020
4 stars.
Very sweet story! Read it in two evenings, and is perfect for young readers and adults. Very nice visual images of the countryside, the snow in the last chapters, and love that it is about the cello. Overall a lovely short read!
Very sweet story! Read it in two evenings, and is perfect for young readers and adults. Very nice visual images of the countryside, the snow in the last chapters, and love that it is about the cello. Overall a lovely short read!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews