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Title details for The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb - Wait list

The Violin Conspiracy

A Novel (Good Morning America Book Club)

by Brendan Slocumb
JD Jackson
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GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK! • Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise—undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world—when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather’s heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world.
“I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen’s Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about—in this case, classical music.” —Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch
Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian’s life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream—he’s determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can’t afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. 
 
When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition—the Olympics of classical music—the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself—and the world—that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    February 1, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593554975
      • File size: 347791 KB
      • Duration: 12:04:33

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      December 20, 2021
      Black violinist Ray McMillian, the hero of Slocumb’s gripping debut, receives a $5 million ransom demand for his Stradivarius violin after the instrument is stolen from his New York City hotel room a few weeks before he’s due to perform in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition. When the police, the FBI, and the insurance company’s investigator hit dead ends, the case comes to a standstill. Flashback to Ray’s high school years in Charlotte, N.C., where he must deal with pervasive racism—and his mother nagging him to drop out and get a job. Meanwhile, his grandmother, who supports his musical aspirations, gives him her grandfather’s violin. At college, where he receives a full scholarship, Ray endures prejudice from fellow students, and a luthier repairing the heirloom discovers it’s a Stradivarius. This revelation leads members of the Marks clan, whose ancestors enslaved Ray’s ancestors, to claim the violin belongs to them. Legal battles over the violin’s ownership ensue. The tension builds as the competition looms, and Ray struggles to shake off doubts, not get caught in false leads, and focus on finding the missing violin. Slocumb sensitively portrays Ray’s resilience in the face of extreme racism. The author is off to a promising start. Agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      JD Jackson richly narrates the story of Ray McMillian, a young, Black man from a poor Southern family who is an unlikely classical violinist. Ray played a pitiful school-owned violin until his grandmother gave him her great-grandfather's old fiddle, which turned out to be a precious Stradivarius. Jackson describes Ray's persistent and humbling journey through the cutthroat world of classical music, in which non-whites are often unwelcome. Jackson also shines in depicting Ray's loving grandmother and his no-nonsense, gracious musical mentor. When Ray's violin is stolen before the world's most important competition, he begins a desperate search to recover it. The production is enhanced by brief musical bridges and an insightful epilogue narrated by the author, whose violin career is not unlike Ray's. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      Starred review from June 1, 2022

      From the riveting opening words, JD Jackson delivers a pitch-perfect performance of this sparkling debut novel by Slocumb, a classical musician and music educator. In this story, Ray's beloved Grandma Nora helps him cope with the systemic, vicious racism he faces as a young Black boy interested in classical music by giving him PopPop's fiddle, the violin given to her grandfather by the plantation owner who enslaved him. His family is unaware of its staggering value, even as Ray becomes a virtuoso violinist. Weeks before he is due to perform in the prestigious Tchaikovsky Competition, his instrument disappears. Jackson's sonorous, well-modulated delivery smooths the narrative's back-and-forth flow from the present-day search for the violin to Ray's past. The measured pacing also builds incredible suspense. Lovely classical music and Slocumb's narration of the author's note add value to the audio production. VERDICT A highly recommended purchase; this twisty heist thriller is also a poignant coming-of-age story, making it an excellent choice for many young adults, especially those interested in music.--Beth Farrell

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

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Languages

  • English

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