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A review by brooke_review
The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Violinist-turned-author Brendan Slocumb’s The Violin Conspiracy is a difficult book for me to review because despite generally being engaged with this story about a black violinist who has his Stradivarius stolen from him before the most significant international music competition in the world, this novel was not without glaring problems that soured my overall enjoyment of the book.
Ray McMillian, a black violinist without formal training, is very good at what he does. He is so good, in fact, that he has been able to pursue a career as a professional musician, traveling the country doing what he loves - playing music on his violin, which just happens to be a priceless Stradivarius, gifted to him by his grandmother after being passed down through the family line. But as Ray prepares for the Tchaikovsky Competition, the most elite music competition in the world and a life-changing opportunity for Ray, his 10 million dollar Strad is stolen, sending Ray on a manhunt to uncover who took his most precious possession from him.
The Violin Conspiracy is one part mystery, one part social commentary on the struggles of a Black musician in a predominantly white classical music world. Conversations surrounding race are heavy in this book, and a significant portion of the storyline focuses on how Ray overcomes prejudices to rise to the top.
As a lover of classical music but not a musician myself, I quite enjoyed learning about the daily life of a violinist and the work that goes into training to perform at the caliber that professional musicians do. I also found the mystery surrounding the stolen Stradivarius to be quite fascinating. The fact that an instrument could be worth so much money and have so much history behind it … and then be stolen was indeed captivating.
But then there is the bad. Slocumb unfortunately made the deliberate choice to write every white person in his novel as being a raging racist who not only has prejudices toward black people, but also outwardly and violently voices their hate and anger toward Ray at any given opportunity. There is not one redeeming white person in this book - all written as bigots or cowards - and unfortunately, this is not true to real life. The fact that Slocumb chose to paint an entire race of people with one ugly broad stroke is unfortunate on his part because it ruined his book for me. One-note, stereotypical characters who behave more like cartoons than actual people is just bad writing in my book.
Ray McMillian, a black violinist without formal training, is very good at what he does. He is so good, in fact, that he has been able to pursue a career as a professional musician, traveling the country doing what he loves - playing music on his violin, which just happens to be a priceless Stradivarius, gifted to him by his grandmother after being passed down through the family line. But as Ray prepares for the Tchaikovsky Competition, the most elite music competition in the world and a life-changing opportunity for Ray, his 10 million dollar Strad is stolen, sending Ray on a manhunt to uncover who took his most precious possession from him.
The Violin Conspiracy is one part mystery, one part social commentary on the struggles of a Black musician in a predominantly white classical music world. Conversations surrounding race are heavy in this book, and a significant portion of the storyline focuses on how Ray overcomes prejudices to rise to the top.
As a lover of classical music but not a musician myself, I quite enjoyed learning about the daily life of a violinist and the work that goes into training to perform at the caliber that professional musicians do. I also found the mystery surrounding the stolen Stradivarius to be quite fascinating. The fact that an instrument could be worth so much money and have so much history behind it … and then be stolen was indeed captivating.
But then there is the bad. Slocumb unfortunately made the deliberate choice to write every white person in his novel as being a raging racist who not only has prejudices toward black people, but also outwardly and violently voices their hate and anger toward Ray at any given opportunity. There is not one redeeming white person in this book - all written as bigots or cowards - and unfortunately, this is not true to real life. The fact that Slocumb chose to paint an entire race of people with one ugly broad stroke is unfortunate on his part because it ruined his book for me. One-note, stereotypical characters who behave more like cartoons than actual people is just bad writing in my book.