"This is another well-crafted piece of writing and a fitting final instalment to an engaging and insightful tribute to one of the greatest guitarist-composers."
The final instalment of the life, successes and legacy of Fernando Sor. Following on from ‘Book One: Youth, Celebrity & War’ and ‘Book Two: Exile, Favour & Triumph’, ‘Fernando: Beethoven of the Guitar. Book III: Glory, Finale & Legacy’ by Lou Marinoff sees the Sor family head to Moscow on his Grand Tour. Continuing to hear the dreadful news out of Spain of the threatening and persecution of liberals and making it still impossible to return home Fernando and Félicité’s careers go from strength to strength as their musical and balletic performances continue to receive the highest of accolades. As fortunes start to wane in Russia, we see Fernando and Félicité forced to separate for their respective careers, with Fernando and his talented daughter Carolina returning to Paris. Unfortunately the loss doesn’t end there and I had a lump in my throat as I read of Carolina’s fate. This final piece of Fernando Sor’s story struck me as being structured slightly differently than Books One and Two. I found that this book, fitting of a final instalment, was more reflective than its predecessors. Within these pages we not only hear the end of Sor’s story but also more about his legacy, and how his work has lived on. I found that there are more moments throughout the main narrative that made reference to later events, knitting in a wider cultural context and slowly bringing the reader out of the past and back to the present. This is another well-crafted piece of writing and a fitting final instalment to an engaging and insightful tribute to one of the greatest guitarist-composers.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
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