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The Song of Names
Martin Simmonds’ father tells him, “Never trust a musician when he speaks about love.” The advice comes too late. Martin already loves Dovidl Rapoport, an eerily gifted Polish violin prodigy whose parents left him in the Simmonds’s care before they perished in the Holocaust. For a time the two boys are closer than brothers. But on the day he is to make his official debut, Dovidl disappears. Only 40 years later does Martin get his first clue about what happened to him.
In this ravishing novel of music and suspense, Norman Lebrecht unravels the strands of love, envy and exploitation that knot geniuses to their admirers. In doing so he also evokes the fragile bubble of Jewish life in prewar London; the fearful carnival of the Blitz, and the gray new world that emerged from its ashes. Bristling with ideas, lambent with feeling, The Song of Names is a masterful work of the imagination.
In this ravishing novel of music and suspense, Norman Lebrecht unravels the strands of love, envy and exploitation that knot geniuses to their admirers. In doing so he also evokes the fragile bubble of Jewish life in prewar London; the fearful carnival of the Blitz, and the gray new world that emerged from its ashes. Bristling with ideas, lambent with feeling, The Song of Names is a masterful work of the imagination.
311 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
91 people are currently reading
6930 people want to read
About the author
Norman Lebrecht
43 books47 followersNorman Lebrecht (born 11 July 1948 in London) is a British commentator on music and cultural affairs and a novelist. He was a columnist for The Daily Telegraph from 1994 until 2002 and assistant editor of the Evening Standard from 2002 until 2009. On BBC Radio 3, he has presented lebrecht.live from 2000 and The Lebrecht Interview from 2006.
He has written twelve books about music, which have been translated into 17 languages. Coming up in 2010 is Why Mahler?, a new interpretation of the most influential composer of modern times. See Books for more details. Also coming back in print is Mahler Remembered (Faber, 1987).
Norman Lebrecht's first novel The Song of Names won a Whitbread Award in 2003. His second, The Game of Opposites, was published in the US by Pantheon Books. A third is in preparation.
A collection of Lebrecht columns will be published this year in China, the first such anthology by any western cultural writer. A Lebrecht conversation appears monthly in The Strad, magazine of the strings professions.
The Lebrecht Interview will return in July 2010 on BBC Radio 3 and there will be further editions of The Record Doctor in New York on WNYC.
A year-long series of events, titled Why Mahler?, will open on London's South Bank in September 2010, curated by Norman Lebrecht.
Other works in progress include a stage play and various radio and television documentaries.
He has written twelve books about music, which have been translated into 17 languages. Coming up in 2010 is Why Mahler?, a new interpretation of the most influential composer of modern times. See Books for more details. Also coming back in print is Mahler Remembered (Faber, 1987).
Norman Lebrecht's first novel The Song of Names won a Whitbread Award in 2003. His second, The Game of Opposites, was published in the US by Pantheon Books. A third is in preparation.
A collection of Lebrecht columns will be published this year in China, the first such anthology by any western cultural writer. A Lebrecht conversation appears monthly in The Strad, magazine of the strings professions.
The Lebrecht Interview will return in July 2010 on BBC Radio 3 and there will be further editions of The Record Doctor in New York on WNYC.
A year-long series of events, titled Why Mahler?, will open on London's South Bank in September 2010, curated by Norman Lebrecht.
Other works in progress include a stage play and various radio and television documentaries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
February 16, 2025
Norman Lebrecht was already established as a Music commentator, and the author of a dozen books on Classical music when he startled the publishing industry with this first novel, which won the Whitbread award in 2002.
The novel follows a friendship between two Jewish boys, starting before the Second World War and continuing far beyond. Martin was the son of a music publisher, and his friend Dovidl was Polish. They had a typical boys' friendship; competitive and fighting one moment, but fiercely loyal friends the next. Dovidl was a child prodigy on the violin, a fact recognised by Martin's father. As time passed
This is a well-written and engrossing mystery story, incorporating an insider's knowledge about the classical music industry, and detailed information about Jewish culture.
The novel follows a friendship between two Jewish boys, starting before the Second World War and continuing far beyond. Martin was the son of a music publisher, and his friend Dovidl was Polish. They had a typical boys' friendship; competitive and fighting one moment, but fiercely loyal friends the next. Dovidl was a child prodigy on the violin, a fact recognised by Martin's father. As time passed
This is a well-written and engrossing mystery story, incorporating an insider's knowledge about the classical music industry, and detailed information about Jewish culture.
October 17, 2016
I found the book was quite special and full of depth. The writer addressed topics like friendship, bonding, love for music, dealing with the loss of family members in a remarkable way.
Despite the bunch of difficult words and sentences, the book was easy to read and kept me longing to the end. I was touched multiple times by the way Lebrecht expresses feelings by using quite remarkable metaphors. The grief the Jews must have faced during the second world war came through right into my veins.
Despite the bunch of difficult words and sentences, the book was easy to read and kept me longing to the end. I was touched multiple times by the way Lebrecht expresses feelings by using quite remarkable metaphors. The grief the Jews must have faced during the second world war came through right into my veins.
November 4, 2021
Filme na Netflix
October 19, 2014
I enjoyed this story and learned a bit about Jewish culture/religion as well as what people endured in the time of the Holocaust. It was an interesting plot also.
August 6, 2009
A very good book with flashes of brilliance in observations about music & musicians & Jewish traditions & faith in the wake of the Holocaust. (Lebrecht is a lifelong music critic who here tries his hand--very successfully--at fiction.) There are two main characters: the son of a musicians' manager who takes over his father's business; and the young vioilin prodigy that the former's family harbors as his family perishes in the concentration camps of WWII Poland. Here, the Holocaust plays a critical role in the story without making this a Holocaust novel. It's a rich, intelligent story of friendship & betrayal, music & tradition.
October 28, 2020
"My life was a pathetic sonata built upon an unresolved chord, infinitely tense and unrewarding. Like an amputee, I never lost sensation in the missing limb, or the ache of deprivation. Not a day passed without a remembrance of wholeness"
'The Song of Names' is full of musical references, and tells the story of a friendship, a betrayal and delivers the promise of a resolution to the mystery. As the book begins, Martin, the narrator, is a sixty-something uninspired classical music promoter in an empty marriage, on a trip to the north of England to judge a municipal violin and piano competition. As the start of a novel, this is not very inspiring, particularly as the author, Norman Lebrecht, takes a condescending and stereotypical view of the northern town and its inhabitants. Fortunately, the action then reverts to the crucial moment of the novel, 1951, when Martin's world came crashing round his ears when his father's prodigy, Martin's childhood friend and blood brother, disappears on the afternoon of his debut concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
The next two chapters explain how the talented violinist David came to live in Martin's house, becoming his inseparable friend and confidant. The friendship between the two boys is beautifully described, against the background of wartime London where the boys are allowed to roam at will. I enjoyed the attention to detail. On their bus rides around London we hopped off to pop into half-empty museums and halfpenny-a-head newsreel cinemas. Together, we watched the digging up of rose gardens in royal parks, the pitching of army tents on Hampstead Heath, and something which surprised me, the fact pillar boxes were painted in camouflage paint with gas-sensitive paint on the top. Investigating further online, I discovered that the camouflage colour was discussed but rejected, but the gas-sensitive paint was a greeny-yellow colour which changed to red if exposed to mustard gas, and was also painted on posts outside air-raid wardens' posts as well as some RAF planes. Some pillar boxes also had white stripes painted on them to make them visible during the blackout. Fascinating background!
As the boys mature, David withdraws from Martin, yet Martin remains emotionally dependent on his friend. So when he disappears, destroying the family, he leaves a void in Martin's life. What could have happened to have precipitated his desertion, or could he have met some terrible accidental death or mental problems triggered by the stress of the upcoming concert? Martin has to wait half a lifetime to find out. At the northern music competition, Martin hears an echo of his friend's trademark rubato timing in a young boy's playing, and following it up, is certain that his childhood friend is still alive. The rest of the book tells the tale of his search for David, the truth of what happened, and how the embittered Martin tries to take his revenge.
The whole book is set with the background of the Jewish faith, and particularly towards the end of the book, there are some fascinating insights into the Jewish community in the UK and their reaction to the Holocaust, both during and after the war. The explanation of the creation story in the Old Testament was fascinating, and I loved the idea of the titular Song of Names. "We remember the dead by giving their names to the newborn", says David; see more here: http://www.aish.com/jl/l/b/48961326.html. I did wonder why Martin's father felt that Eli would be more acceptable as an English name for David; in my opinion, it would have an entirely opposite effect! It made me wonder if the name change had something to do with David's disappearance. Names can be powerful things; a different name could change your personality. Not surprisingly, given the title, names are very important in this book.
It surprises me that this book is not better-known, with only a few brief reviews on Goodreads. It is a wonderful story, with the added attraction of a WWII boyhood, a link to the Holocaust, a musical genius, a mystery to be solved. Not unsurprisingly, a film may be made of it, starring Anthony Hopkins and Dustin Hoffman, no less! It sounds like a winner to me: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Anthon...
Edited on 28 October 2020 to add: Eventually a film was released in December 2019 starring Tim Roth and Clive Owens, to a mixed reception. A new movie tie-in version of the book was also released, so perhaps it will gain some new readers now.
'The Song of Names' is full of musical references, and tells the story of a friendship, a betrayal and delivers the promise of a resolution to the mystery. As the book begins, Martin, the narrator, is a sixty-something uninspired classical music promoter in an empty marriage, on a trip to the north of England to judge a municipal violin and piano competition. As the start of a novel, this is not very inspiring, particularly as the author, Norman Lebrecht, takes a condescending and stereotypical view of the northern town and its inhabitants. Fortunately, the action then reverts to the crucial moment of the novel, 1951, when Martin's world came crashing round his ears when his father's prodigy, Martin's childhood friend and blood brother, disappears on the afternoon of his debut concert at the Royal Albert Hall.
The next two chapters explain how the talented violinist David came to live in Martin's house, becoming his inseparable friend and confidant. The friendship between the two boys is beautifully described, against the background of wartime London where the boys are allowed to roam at will. I enjoyed the attention to detail. On their bus rides around London we hopped off to pop into half-empty museums and halfpenny-a-head newsreel cinemas. Together, we watched the digging up of rose gardens in royal parks, the pitching of army tents on Hampstead Heath, and something which surprised me, the fact pillar boxes were painted in camouflage paint with gas-sensitive paint on the top. Investigating further online, I discovered that the camouflage colour was discussed but rejected, but the gas-sensitive paint was a greeny-yellow colour which changed to red if exposed to mustard gas, and was also painted on posts outside air-raid wardens' posts as well as some RAF planes. Some pillar boxes also had white stripes painted on them to make them visible during the blackout. Fascinating background!
As the boys mature, David withdraws from Martin, yet Martin remains emotionally dependent on his friend. So when he disappears, destroying the family, he leaves a void in Martin's life. What could have happened to have precipitated his desertion, or could he have met some terrible accidental death or mental problems triggered by the stress of the upcoming concert? Martin has to wait half a lifetime to find out. At the northern music competition, Martin hears an echo of his friend's trademark rubato timing in a young boy's playing, and following it up, is certain that his childhood friend is still alive. The rest of the book tells the tale of his search for David, the truth of what happened, and how the embittered Martin tries to take his revenge.
The whole book is set with the background of the Jewish faith, and particularly towards the end of the book, there are some fascinating insights into the Jewish community in the UK and their reaction to the Holocaust, both during and after the war. The explanation of the creation story in the Old Testament was fascinating, and I loved the idea of the titular Song of Names. "We remember the dead by giving their names to the newborn", says David; see more here: http://www.aish.com/jl/l/b/48961326.html. I did wonder why Martin's father felt that Eli would be more acceptable as an English name for David; in my opinion, it would have an entirely opposite effect! It made me wonder if the name change had something to do with David's disappearance. Names can be powerful things; a different name could change your personality. Not surprisingly, given the title, names are very important in this book.
It surprises me that this book is not better-known, with only a few brief reviews on Goodreads. It is a wonderful story, with the added attraction of a WWII boyhood, a link to the Holocaust, a musical genius, a mystery to be solved. Not unsurprisingly, a film may be made of it, starring Anthony Hopkins and Dustin Hoffman, no less! It sounds like a winner to me: http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Anthon...
Edited on 28 October 2020 to add: Eventually a film was released in December 2019 starring Tim Roth and Clive Owens, to a mixed reception. A new movie tie-in version of the book was also released, so perhaps it will gain some new readers now.
August 15, 2015
Low 2. There is a poignant and very moving explanation behind the title of this book but unfortunately the author has not woven this idea into a novel which really captures the attention of the reader. The protagonist, Martin Simmonds, fails to engage the reader’s interest, while the all-too brief appearance and disappearance of the mysterious figure of Dovidl, the Polish violin prodigy who enters the home of the protagonist’s family during World War II, fleetingly elevates the novel’s appeal. Dovidl lost his family to the Holocaust, and his own flight on the eve of his foremost concert leaves a void in the life of Martin to whom he has become as inseparable as a brother. Yet, given his insufferable conceit and convoluted manner of speech, could anyone wonder why anyone would wish to remain in his company. The truth is that Lebrecht has created a character of a musical agent, aghast at the philistine nature of modern society, to enable him to parade his musical knowledge and voice his own personal criticism of what he perceives as a dearth of cultural awareness. Not a novel which focuses on plot.
April 11, 2011
I was stoked to read this book-the review I read of it made it sound amazing. However, I was disappointed. I didn’t even read it all the way through-I stopped and scanned. Sometimes I judge a book by how long it takes me to get through it: if I cannot put it down, or if I am savoring every chapter, turning the pages slowly, or if I am starting it over again to make it last are all indicators that it is a great book! None of this happened with this one. In fact, it was the opposite criteria that I experienced defining it as a bad book: falling asleep repeatedly whenever I read it, skimming through the end, reading the last chapter, liking the author’s voice a lot in the beginning, then thinking it’s pompous and arrogant by the end. This book didn’t have a satisfying ending for me. Not a lot happens. A man inherits his father’s music company, he goes searching for prospective talent and winds up being talked into judging a small town’s music competition. One of the boys who performs has a distinctive style that reminds the protagonist of his family’s adopted son from Poland, who escaped the concentration camps, because of his talent, but his own family did not. David then disappeared the night of his much-hyped debut. The man decides to track down his missing brother. I think I was mislead by the review that it would be about London during the Blitz, and although that was part of the setting, it wasn’t focused upon as much as I wished it was.
Some scattering of sexual, adult content and the subject of WWII and the Holocaust is heavy. Minimal language.
Favorite Quote:
And he lived within me like a futuristic artificial lung, filling me with confidence and contentment when natural organs failed. That's how I thought of him: as part of me. And that's how I loved him-not as a brother in all but blood, but heedlessly and functionally as you love your little finger, or the curve of a cheekbone upon your palm as you drift happily off to sleep.
Some scattering of sexual, adult content and the subject of WWII and the Holocaust is heavy. Minimal language.
Favorite Quote:
And he lived within me like a futuristic artificial lung, filling me with confidence and contentment when natural organs failed. That's how I thought of him: as part of me. And that's how I loved him-not as a brother in all but blood, but heedlessly and functionally as you love your little finger, or the curve of a cheekbone upon your palm as you drift happily off to sleep.
May 24, 2021
Two Jewish boys befriend each other; one, Martin, is well off but feels like an outcast - he is very unhappy and lonely, is pudgy, and has a stutter. The other, David, is suave, confident, and is a violin virtuoso but is poor; his family is from Warsaw and sent him to study w/ a illustrious violin instructor in London when WWII interrupts all plans. He moves into a spare room w/ David's family, promoters of classical music. The two boys grow very close, both feeling like outcasts in different ways. They live through war torn days, and both try to make sense of what is happening in Hitler's Europe. David is a violin prodigy and also lives a bit wildly outside the practice rooms; after much promotion, David suddenly disappears the day of his big debut.
(Spoiler alert:)
Many years later, when both both men are in their 60s, they meet again, and Martin, who relied heavily on the confidence and friendship and uniqueness of his relationship w/ David and was thus crushed by his friend's disappearance, demands that David either tell the truth to all about who he is or attempt to pay back what he took from Martin's family, payment in the form of a concert tour to continue where he left off.
Much of the drama of the book was in the relationship between the two boys, and that left this reader a bit cold. I wasn't convinced that David's disappearance would have the the drastic consequences it did: the quiet demise of a family and Martin's life being left in limbo, where he effectively goes to pasture w/ no great passion left. The loss of friendships do devastate, esp when you are young, but in your youth you are especially resilient. Using the same device in David's second disappearance also didn't ring true.
The writing itself was sprightly; it reminded me vaguely of John Lancaster's "The Debt to Pleasure," which is a huge compliment.
(Spoiler alert:)
Many years later, when both both men are in their 60s, they meet again, and Martin, who relied heavily on the confidence and friendship and uniqueness of his relationship w/ David and was thus crushed by his friend's disappearance, demands that David either tell the truth to all about who he is or attempt to pay back what he took from Martin's family, payment in the form of a concert tour to continue where he left off.
Much of the drama of the book was in the relationship between the two boys, and that left this reader a bit cold. I wasn't convinced that David's disappearance would have the the drastic consequences it did: the quiet demise of a family and Martin's life being left in limbo, where he effectively goes to pasture w/ no great passion left. The loss of friendships do devastate, esp when you are young, but in your youth you are especially resilient. Using the same device in David's second disappearance also didn't ring true.
The writing itself was sprightly; it reminded me vaguely of John Lancaster's "The Debt to Pleasure," which is a huge compliment.
May 14, 2016
Zaujimavy pohlad na hudbu, zvlastne priatelstvo dvoch chlapcov, zivot v Londyne druhej svetovej vojny, zidovske zvyky, spolocenske normy... prelinanie casu. A rubato!
Prvych 30 stran som mala chut rozpravaca pribehu (a hlavnu postavu) vyslat niekam na Mesiac. Nesympaticky, sebestredny, arogantny saso. A potom to prislo... zastavenie casu. Odrazu to cele dalo zmysel a Piesen mien sa pustila na krasnu cestu. Piesen mien, meno, ktore tato kniha musela dostat. Ja len dufam, ze uz nikdy nebude treba ziadnu druhu Piesen mien...
Je pravda, ze keby som nemala pre hudbu slabost asi by som si to tak neuzila (ale zas nie som ani ziadny extra vzdelanec). Viem si predstavit, ze inemu citatelovi by to mohlo vadit. Mne to nevadilo a napriek tomu, ze mi v podstate nebola sympaticka jedina postava v knihe, tak som si citanie celkom uzila :-)
Prvych 30 stran som mala chut rozpravaca pribehu (a hlavnu postavu) vyslat niekam na Mesiac. Nesympaticky, sebestredny, arogantny saso. A potom to prislo... zastavenie casu. Odrazu to cele dalo zmysel a Piesen mien sa pustila na krasnu cestu. Piesen mien, meno, ktore tato kniha musela dostat. Ja len dufam, ze uz nikdy nebude treba ziadnu druhu Piesen mien...
Je pravda, ze keby som nemala pre hudbu slabost asi by som si to tak neuzila (ale zas nie som ani ziadny extra vzdelanec). Viem si predstavit, ze inemu citatelovi by to mohlo vadit. Mne to nevadilo a napriek tomu, ze mi v podstate nebola sympaticka jedina postava v knihe, tak som si citanie celkom uzila :-)
January 11, 2020
Norman Lebrecht is a British social critic and the author of several novels and works of non-fiction. One of his novels, "The Song of Names", has been made into a movie, some 20 years after its publication. I haven't seen the movie yet; it hasn't opened but I did see a preview, which prompted me to read the book.
"The Song of Names" is a book about the Holocaust, with a personal twist. It's the story of a young Polish Jewish genius violinist who is brought to London in the summer of 1939 by his father. The boy, Davidl, is adopted for the duration of the war by the Simmonds family, who have a talent company in London. The plan, as approved by both David's father and Mr Simmonds, is to nurture Davidl's talent and then give him the chance to make a career in music. David's father goes back to Poland to be with his wife and other children. They are deported to Triblinka and killed there. Davidl and Martin Simmonds grow up together from the age of 9 and become best friends. Davidl develops his talent and is scheduled for a musical debut by the Simmonds in 1951. The night of his debut arrives...and Davidl Rapoport disappears. Completely disappears, leaving the Simmonds's to pick up the financial and emotional wreckage. Years go by and Martin Simmonds, who has taken over his father's firm, looks for Davidl.
The book is about Martin's search for the man who was his closest friend as a child and teenager. Norman Lebrecht is a clever writer and the plot is a bit convoluted but comes together at the end. I'm anxious to see the movie now.
"The Song of Names" is a book about the Holocaust, with a personal twist. It's the story of a young Polish Jewish genius violinist who is brought to London in the summer of 1939 by his father. The boy, Davidl, is adopted for the duration of the war by the Simmonds family, who have a talent company in London. The plan, as approved by both David's father and Mr Simmonds, is to nurture Davidl's talent and then give him the chance to make a career in music. David's father goes back to Poland to be with his wife and other children. They are deported to Triblinka and killed there. Davidl and Martin Simmonds grow up together from the age of 9 and become best friends. Davidl develops his talent and is scheduled for a musical debut by the Simmonds in 1951. The night of his debut arrives...and Davidl Rapoport disappears. Completely disappears, leaving the Simmonds's to pick up the financial and emotional wreckage. Years go by and Martin Simmonds, who has taken over his father's firm, looks for Davidl.
The book is about Martin's search for the man who was his closest friend as a child and teenager. Norman Lebrecht is a clever writer and the plot is a bit convoluted but comes together at the end. I'm anxious to see the movie now.
December 14, 2008
I have to say that I didn't really enjoy this book. The story itself is a good one, but it just wasn't told well. I was bored most of the time and I didn't feel sympathy for or even like any of the characters, except perhaps the wife who was only a very minor character anyway. The story wasn't told chronologically which made especially the beginning quite boring. When I found out what the "Song of Names" actually was, it was a bit heart-stopping, but that was one of the few touching moments in the book, and it was short-lived. I did enjoy that large vocabulary in this book--I came across a word I didn't know every twenty pages or so--that's something that doesn't happen often. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this. Too boring. I'm sure you can find similar stories told much better elsewhere.
November 6, 2012
A very good read indeed. Lebrecht has taken back and forth in time to good effect, keeping us constantly engaged with an excellent narrative. His knowledge of the world of classical music and the Jewish faith is well-used without any obvious parading of research and knowledge for its own sake. Highly recommended.
December 8, 2013
Couldn't get into it.
November 8, 2024
Martin und Dovidl sind beste Freunde, seit Martins Vater den Jungen in sein Haus aufgenommen hat. Dovidl gilt als Wunderkind an der Violine. Sein Vater brachte ihn nach London, damit er von den besten Meistern unterrichtet werden und eine Weltkarriere beginnen konnte. Martins Vater versprach eben diese Karriere und als Dovidls Vater wieder nach Polen ging, um seine Familie zu suchen, die im Ghetto von Warschau festsaß, gab er dem Jungen ein Zuhause. Martin und Dovidl waren unzertrennlich- bis zu dem Tag vor seinem ersten großen Auftritt, an dem Dovidl von einer Probe nicht mehr wiederkommt. Er bleibt verschwunden, bis Martin vierzig Jahre später auf einen jungen Geiger trifft, der ihn an den alten Freund erinnert.
Ein Wunderkind muss kein guter Mensch sein, das war mir früh in der Lektüre klar. Was Martin von seinem Freund erzählt, weckte in mir die Vorstellung von einem arroganten jungen Mann, der sich über Regeln hinwegsetzte und hauptsächlich auf seinen Vorteil bedacht war. Sicher, er war begabt, aber gerade deswegen erwartete er eine Sonderbehandlung und hat mir den Eindruck vermittelt, als ob er die in seinen Augen nicht bekommen hat. Er wollte immer mehr und das hat er sich genommen.
Martin steht ihm in nichts nach. Der Junge mag mir noch ein wenig sympathisch gewesen sein, aber der Erwachsene Erzähler nicht mehr. Er ist ein Mann, dessen Leben nicht den erwarteten Weg genommen hat. Auch wenn er jetzt erfolgreich ist, kann er diesen Umweg nicht vergessen. Als er die Möglichkeit bekommt, Dovidl dafür zur Verantwortung zu ziehen, vergisst er die alte Freundschaft und will seine Rache.
Der Grund für Dovidls Verschwinden ist deutlich mehr Worte wert, als der Autor darüber verliert. Darüber hätte ich gerne mehr erfahren, aber wie bei so vielen in seinem Roman bleibt, Norman Lebrecht bei Oberflächlichkeiten. Zwei nur wenig sympathische Protagonisten und eine Geschichte, aus der man viel mehr hätte machen können, hinterlassen bei mir nur einen durchschnittlichen Eindruck.
Ein Wunderkind muss kein guter Mensch sein, das war mir früh in der Lektüre klar. Was Martin von seinem Freund erzählt, weckte in mir die Vorstellung von einem arroganten jungen Mann, der sich über Regeln hinwegsetzte und hauptsächlich auf seinen Vorteil bedacht war. Sicher, er war begabt, aber gerade deswegen erwartete er eine Sonderbehandlung und hat mir den Eindruck vermittelt, als ob er die in seinen Augen nicht bekommen hat. Er wollte immer mehr und das hat er sich genommen.
Martin steht ihm in nichts nach. Der Junge mag mir noch ein wenig sympathisch gewesen sein, aber der Erwachsene Erzähler nicht mehr. Er ist ein Mann, dessen Leben nicht den erwarteten Weg genommen hat. Auch wenn er jetzt erfolgreich ist, kann er diesen Umweg nicht vergessen. Als er die Möglichkeit bekommt, Dovidl dafür zur Verantwortung zu ziehen, vergisst er die alte Freundschaft und will seine Rache.
Der Grund für Dovidls Verschwinden ist deutlich mehr Worte wert, als der Autor darüber verliert. Darüber hätte ich gerne mehr erfahren, aber wie bei so vielen in seinem Roman bleibt, Norman Lebrecht bei Oberflächlichkeiten. Zwei nur wenig sympathische Protagonisten und eine Geschichte, aus der man viel mehr hätte machen können, hinterlassen bei mir nur einen durchschnittlichen Eindruck.
September 18, 2020
This book turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The author is a well-known critic, columnist, and analyst in the world of classical music, with several non-fiction works in that realm to his credit. This foray into fiction was a new path for him (it dates back to 2002) and was awarded the Whitbread First Novel Award. It's partly a mystery in that a character disappears and is not discovered for forty years. The holocaust is involved, as is the blitz in London during WWII, the complex world of Jewish life (at several levels), and not surprisingly the world of classical music is woven into the story. The author writes sensitively and pithily at times, and offers lots of food for thought about music and the human condition and relationships. One blurb of praise described it as an unexpected page turner, and that's an accurate assessment. The book has been filmed so I hope to see the motion picture version now. I can see this book serving well as a reading group discussion selection. It was a positive, enjoyable reading experience.
May 24, 2021
Just before the outbreak of WWII, a young Jewish boy comes to live with a British family while his father returns to Poland to fetch the rest of the family. The father never returns. 10 year old Dovidl is a violin prodigy who becomes a sort of foster brother to Martin Simmonds, whose father is a London music and talent agent. Martin is both in the shadow of Dovidl's genius and chutzpah and a sort of symbiotic relationship with him until after the war, on the day of Dovidl’s planned debut concert when Dovidl disappears.
This was a compelling story since the reader wants to know what happened to Dovidl (and we do find out, never fear). But I never quite bought the motivations of either protagonist – neither Martin’s bitter later life and sterile marriage nor Dovidl’s dramatic conversion.
This was a compelling story since the reader wants to know what happened to Dovidl (and we do find out, never fear). But I never quite bought the motivations of either protagonist – neither Martin’s bitter later life and sterile marriage nor Dovidl’s dramatic conversion.
September 18, 2023
I found this book difficult to follow as an audiobook but the parts I understood were good
November 11, 2024
Ratings:
Writing 4
Story line 4
Characters 4
Impact/enjoyment 4
Overall rating 4
Writing 4
Story line 4
Characters 4
Impact/enjoyment 4
Overall rating 4
October 7, 2021
4.5 stars. The style might be a bit formal, and the subject somewhat esoteric for some readers, but I thought it was terrific.
December 7, 2024
Super książka z bardzo dobrze rozwiniętym motywem muzyki- naprawdę warto przeczytać. Mimo wszystko, wymagała ode mnie dużego skupienia, zaangażowania oraz czasu.
„W życiu ludzie dzielą się na dwie grupy: ci, którzy kształtują rzeczywistość, i ci, którzy się jej biernie poddają.”🖤
„W życiu ludzie dzielą się na dwie grupy: ci, którzy kształtują rzeczywistość, i ci, którzy się jej biernie poddają.”🖤
May 6, 2024
This book just didn't hook me the way I wanted it to. Overall the plot was interesting but I don't think the writing style was for me.
November 20, 2022
One of the most moving, fascinating, and funny books I’ve read in a long while.
August 30, 2024
I found the start a bit boring, but the rest was very intriguing.
October 17, 2014
This is not a book that I would have chosen to read based on the book's summary. However, a good friend recommended it to me and loaned me a copy. The writing is crisp, and I found myself chuckling a lot while reading because the writing is so clever. The narrator has a distinctive voice and critical view. The very final part of the ending, the last two pages of the book, was extremely clever, and flipped the story around in my mind.
I am not the least bit musically inclined. But don't let the topic of musicianship turn you away from this book. It is worth reading for the style of writing alone, even though the storyline was slightly disappointing.
I am not the least bit musically inclined. But don't let the topic of musicianship turn you away from this book. It is worth reading for the style of writing alone, even though the storyline was slightly disappointing.
October 22, 2007
I thought this was excellent. I really enjoyed the writing, which had that dry, subtle, British wit. I also found the story interesting. The Jewish angle was refreshingly neither unduly negative nor ignorant. I'm looking forward to a good book club discussion, and I actually recommended it to the YIOP book club as well.
January 21, 2013
As a classically trained musician I absolutely loved the musical descriptions in this book--the story itself was fascinating --loved this book!!
June 4, 2018
Good plot, well-written but I was handicapped by not finding any of the characters the least bit likeable - hence 3 stars.
April 18, 2021
Not sure who but a classical music enthusiast would enjoy this dry and dull book
September 5, 2025
The Song of Names, written by Jeffrey Caine, based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht
8.6 out of 10
This is a short note on the film based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht…
The Song of Names is a very compelling drama that has met though with mostly justified criticism, having a rather poor average score that signals the fact that though the themes could not be more powerful, there is a certain sense of quite a few elements missing in the unfolding of the drama…perhaps the length of the motion picture could be one aspect, maybe it would have helped is the feature were shorter, the dramatic effect may be lacking, or to the extent that the story of Jewish boy that simply disappears, just as his first solo concert is about to be performed and thus the conductor has to announce the public that the performance is canceled…perhaps to be rescheduled for…thirty five years later would have suggested.
Tim Roth has the leading role of Martin and he has a solid appearance, though it might lack the sparkle, effervescence vitality of previous roles – Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs belong to the Olympus of Cinema and as such, the parts there belong to another world – but we can think of Lucky Numbers http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/n... -perhaps Hoodlum - http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/n... or the more recent Luce http://realini.blogspot.com/2019/10/l... or the radiant Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, based on a florid, marvelous play by Tom Stoppard - http://realini.blogspot.com/2015/01/r...
Clive Owen is also one of the greatest actors of our time and one of the titans already, but his quite late appearance does not transform this interesting, at times inspirational movie into a candidate for the Academy Awards, though given the crisis we all face, who knows if there would be a ceremony next year and a population to celebrate it with…this is just trying to downplay the meager news – my business partner has just called to say that with our activity stopped, there is some money for next month, but after that maybe “Le Deluge” as the Sun King would say it…”après moi, le deluge” which we could relate to the calamity that has wiped out people and foreseeable income…but, we will get through it
Insha’Allah!
Which is quite the message of this film that deals with the much more calamitous- if we can say that – tragedy of World War II, when millions have been sent to the death camps by the Nazis, other millions had already been exterminated in famines by one of the other mass killers of the last century, Stalin – a recent extraordinary motion picture, Mr. Jones, tells that story - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/03/m... - and he would be at it again, surpassing Hitler, just like the other mad man, Mao, would do in his communist China, the land of the ‘free’…
8.6 out of 10
This is a short note on the film based on the novel by Norman Lebrecht…
The Song of Names is a very compelling drama that has met though with mostly justified criticism, having a rather poor average score that signals the fact that though the themes could not be more powerful, there is a certain sense of quite a few elements missing in the unfolding of the drama…perhaps the length of the motion picture could be one aspect, maybe it would have helped is the feature were shorter, the dramatic effect may be lacking, or to the extent that the story of Jewish boy that simply disappears, just as his first solo concert is about to be performed and thus the conductor has to announce the public that the performance is canceled…perhaps to be rescheduled for…thirty five years later would have suggested.
Tim Roth has the leading role of Martin and he has a solid appearance, though it might lack the sparkle, effervescence vitality of previous roles – Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs belong to the Olympus of Cinema and as such, the parts there belong to another world – but we can think of Lucky Numbers http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/n... -perhaps Hoodlum - http://realini.blogspot.com/2017/08/n... or the more recent Luce http://realini.blogspot.com/2019/10/l... or the radiant Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, based on a florid, marvelous play by Tom Stoppard - http://realini.blogspot.com/2015/01/r...
Clive Owen is also one of the greatest actors of our time and one of the titans already, but his quite late appearance does not transform this interesting, at times inspirational movie into a candidate for the Academy Awards, though given the crisis we all face, who knows if there would be a ceremony next year and a population to celebrate it with…this is just trying to downplay the meager news – my business partner has just called to say that with our activity stopped, there is some money for next month, but after that maybe “Le Deluge” as the Sun King would say it…”après moi, le deluge” which we could relate to the calamity that has wiped out people and foreseeable income…but, we will get through it
Insha’Allah!
Which is quite the message of this film that deals with the much more calamitous- if we can say that – tragedy of World War II, when millions have been sent to the death camps by the Nazis, other millions had already been exterminated in famines by one of the other mass killers of the last century, Stalin – a recent extraordinary motion picture, Mr. Jones, tells that story - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/03/m... - and he would be at it again, surpassing Hitler, just like the other mad man, Mao, would do in his communist China, the land of the ‘free’…
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