Not only a treasure hunt for pianos and their long-dead owners, but a treasure of another kind with music, exile and landscape the most important elements. The glowing descriptions of people, the talent she has to bring that past to life, the many and informed allusions to literature, painting and music, the light but all the more chilling mention of war-torn cities and clinical glimpses of present-day existence, all combine seamlessly to help unlock the enigma which has always been, and still is, Russia.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 108 Spring 2023 ) |
