WOW! WOW! WOW!!!! This was awesome awesome awesome!!!! I read this in 24 hours and I was sucked in from the start. It's amazing and emotional and shows you firsthand what people with depression and bipolar go through. Their lives are so difficult and hard to imagine. I went through the highs and lows that Flynn went through. Me heart broke for him over and over again. I cried and stared wide-eyed at my kindle, my heart raced so fast at certain parts at his thoughts or when he was at his lowest. There were so many struggles he faced and it was hard for others to understand or sympathize. His friends Harry and Jennah were his biggest support, along with his brother Rami who was a doctor. His parents had no clue what to do for him, except give him advice, but he just shrugged and nodded just to appease them. Music played the biggest part, he was an excellent, the top star pianist and he was damn good. I could feel his passion, his love for his music and it broke my heart when he wore himself down to exhaustion and delirium. I've already one book about bipolar, Find You in the Dark, one of my favorite series. And it was amazing. A Note of Madness was no different. It was phenomenal . And the fact that it's written by Tabitha Suzuma, it's no surprise how much I loved this book. I swear, her writing is just so lyrical and unique. Every word, every phrase, every sentence, every thought, just flows perfectly.I loved loved loved loved loved loved loved LOVED this book!!! Please, you all need to read this book! If you loved Forbidden, you'll love this book. Her characters are wonderful. I love Flynn. He's so much like Lochie. He's amazing. I think everyone will love him. He's so introverted and shy and adorable. But his struggles are just heartbreaking. This series needs more recognition, more attention. I neeeeed more people to read Flynn's story. It is in third person which I didn't like at first. I was afraid I wouldn't connect with him but honestly, it totally worked. It still held my attention, I still felt connected and still felt all the emotions. Five fat stars from me! Awesome job Tabitha!! I can't wait to read the sequel.So here's my full review.I read my first book by Tabitha 2 years ago, Forbidden. Everyone that knows me knows how much that book affected me. I was so scared to read it, but I'm so glad I did because it introduced me to an author that is not afraid to write a book that explores the mind, heavy issues, stepping outside the comfort zone, questioning your beliefs, she can do it all. This book was no different. After Forbidden, I knew she'd be an author I'd always look out for. I'd been meaning to read A Note of Madness for quite some time now. I finally bought it 2 days ago, started it last night and finished it tonight. That's pretty fucking speedy. I couldn't put it down, didn't want to. It was all I could think about. Tabitha has a way with words, a way with hooking you so you can't think of anything else. Flynn is a pianist at a university. He's very good and talented, so much so that he's asked to be a part of a big concert, an important one, an opportunity that may come only once in his life. As he gets ready for it, he feels the pressure of being the star and he must do everything he can to be the best he can be. It gets to the point where he makes himself sick. He doesn't sleep, he's constantly practicing and writing music and he's so energetic that eventually it takes its toll on him. He becomes ill and his brother, who's a doctor, has him see a psychiatrist. Upon his diagnosis, he's treated for bi polar. Flynn never believed he could be bi polar, he always just thought he was tired, especially after not sleeping for days, being so full of energy that he went running miles at 3 in the morning around the block. But bi polar? It was a reality that he had to come to accept and it was a really difficult concept to grasp. He would fight with his friends, the slightest things set him off and he'd go screaming and shouting at those that cared the most about him. But in the end, he realized that's not normal. His behavior was questionable and riding on inexcusable. Harry and Jennah were his best friends. He shared a flat with Harry. And Jennah, he'd loved for 7 years but never told her. So when she was dating Charlie, he lost his chance. But eventually, she broke up with Charlie because they had very little in common and he didn't like music. Jennah was a flutist and Harry was a cellist in the orchestra. The 3 of them were a great team. I loved the bond they all shared. But at times when Flynn went off the deep end, Jennah and Harry stood by him. They never turned their backs, they tried to help him. They were the ideal best friends and Flynn was lucky to have them. Thhey had some laughs, and then there were some frustrating moments. I was going crazy because I wanted Flynn to tell Jennah his feelings, because I knew she felt the same way about him. However, I kind of understood his issue. He was oblivious, and not only that, but he was scared. All the emotions and mentality he was dealing with, it was enough for him to go crazy. What kind of boyfriend would he be? He could barely manage to get through the days, half the time he wanted to die and it was just awful to bear witness to. My heart broke for him so much and the struggles he faced. But luckily, his friends were always by his side.Rami was awesome. He was the ultimate support for Flynn, since he's a doctor. But even he couldn't always help him, so he made sure he took him to someone who could. I loved how amazing and protective of Flynn he was, a great big brother. He was rough with him at times, but those were times that it was called for. He did what any big brother would do, and I loved that about him. I enjoyed the advice he gave Flynn, about his feelings, about love, and about life in general. They were really great moments, and it tore through some of Flynn's hardened defenses, forcing him to show his vulnerable side. I liked his wife Sophie too. She's not in it too much, but from what we saw, she was a good support to her brother in law. You could see she cared about him and his well-being as much as Rami did.All the other characters were great too. His parents were great and supportive, though they worried about Flynn and his obsession to work round the clock to practice. They were just like normal parents, concerned but they just didn't know the extent of his illness. And it worried them, when they found out. However, they still loved him and often checked up on him. His music professor was great, even though at first it seemed like he put too much pressure on him to be great and ready for the concert. But he meant well, and once he realized what Flynn had gone through, he backed off.I loved the music. I loved the plot. I loved the writing in all its glory. Seriously, this is a book that will keep you up to find out what happens. When you're not reading it, you'll be wondering what's gonna happen next. It's just how Suzuma writes. You'll go through many emotions, maybe not as bad or intense as Forbidden, THANK GOD! I don't think I could take another one of those so soon. But evenso, I still immensely enjoyed this book. I can't wait to read more of Tabitha's books because I don't doubt for a second that I'll love them just as much. I recommend this book to all emotional junkies out there. A Must Read!!
This book is by the author of Forbidden and the main reason that I fell in love with that book, and Tabitha Suzuma, was the ability to really see in Lochan's head and feel the mental illness from a first hand perspective. I remember saying something in my review of Forbidden about the first half of that book really focusing on Lochan and I could have read an entire book of just that. Well A Note of Madness is that book I was hoping for! So why did I give it 4 stars when I gave Forbidden 5 stars? Well, unfortunately, as much as I did enjoy this novel, I didn't connect to Flynn like I did to Lochan. Maybe because I had felt milder versions of the fears and inner turmoils that Lochan went through at some time in my life whereas I couldn't really relate as well to the type of mental illness that Flynn is going through? or Maybe it was because, this being a debut novel, it just wasn't as well polished as the writing for Lochan was? I don't really know the reason for it, but I didn't connect to the point of holding my breath and wiping away tears like I did for Lochan in Forbidden. But Tabitha Suzuma is a brilliant writer, there is no doubt about that.So this book is about Flynn and how when everything is going good in his life, and he should be happier than ever, he instead is falling apart inside. He's misdiagnosed at first and then there's a struggle with getting better even after really figuring out what's wrong. In the beginning I found this novel to actually be a little pretentious. For the first 50 pages we have a group of friends that are pretty much musical geniuses (since they all go to this prestigious music school) and there is a lot of musical jargon that I can't imagine anyone would want to read if they didn't play an instrument/know how to read music. I happen to be able to read music and can still play so I was able to keep up, but with all the talk of arpeggios, bars, fortissimo piano, etc...I definitely would have still hated it if the book had carried on like that. It felt like a genius club and you had to be on their wave length to even be able to understand what the story was about. Thankfully though, it was just to set up the atmosphere, and after the first 50 pages the focus is more on Flynn's struggle. I think if Tabitha had written this book after Forbidden, this would have been a story that would have blown my mind! But as it was, it's still very good. I'd liken it to It's Kind of a Funny Story in it's ability to explain the struggles of mental illness from a first hand perspective. Why do I like stories like this? I don't know...there's something about reading the vulnerability inside someone's mind when they panic to the point of incoherence, or when they reach a point that they are internally (or externally) begging to just have it all end so they don't have to suffer for a second longer. I guess I like to read the raw feelings that only some authors can articulate so perfectly that it's the most real thing you've experienced in fiction. This book felt wrapped up pretty well, but I'll still be reading A Voice in the Distance (the second and last book in this two part series) to see how Flynn is getting on now.
Do You like book A Note Of Madness (2007)?
Have you ever wondered how madness begin? Is it really just a chemical imbalance that a mere prescribed pill can stave off? Since he was four years old, Flynn had always known music is in his future. Some could consider him as a virtuoso - but that's not how he sees himself. His days are a cycle of crippling depression and brilliant music composition. When he was chosen to play at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, pressure builds to an explosive point as he struggles to keep his insanity away.Reading Flynn's descent to madness was interesting. Tabitha Suzuma seemed to be well acquainted, clinically and emotionally with what happens to a person suffering from having a bipolar disease. She's able to paint a pretty visceral picture of the steady decline of Flynn's mind. The suffocating need to burst into tears, the intermittent mood swings and the constant second-guessing of what's real and what's imagined. No. Flynn did not suffer any delusions brought on by his madness. What I meant was that he constantly questioned the authenticity of his musical brilliance - because some days, he couldn't even decipher a single note and on a good day, he could compose a whole opera. It was heartbreaking to see such a gifted mind go to waste.My only problem, and keep in mind that this is a personal problem, is that there happened to be a disconnection between the character and his actual emotions. I say this is a personal problem simply because I'm not a fan of third person POV. I always find it impersonal and cold. I wanted to feel whatever it was he was feeling but couldn't because being told of what he was going through is entirely different from being "one" with Flynn. The same goes when Flynn's on a high. I can easily picture him on hyper-speed but I didn't feel the heart-pounding adrenaline that goes along with it. Unfortunate, really because a book with this theme requires the reader's fully vested emotions for an even better reading experience.Tabitha Suzuma is an author whose books are something that I've always been intimidated to read. This was sort of a baptism of fire for me. I was hoping it would ease me into reading more of her works because rumour has it that hers are not for the faint of heart. And in a way, I'm glad that I picked this one. Please don't misunderstand; I think this book would still put any reader (other than me) through the wringer. If Forbidden was written in the same fashion, then perhaps it won't be so bad. But somehow, I highly doubt that there's enough heart breaking books that could prepare me for her more well-known work. I've had this book on my shelves since it came out but I'm just too cowardice to dive in.All in all, this book was a great introduction to Suzuma's works. It eased my discomfiture some...but I think I'm going to have to psych myself a bit more to pick up Forbidden next.
—Joy (joyous reads)
As with the first book of hers that I've read, Tabitha Suzuma has made me all jealous of her writing ability. That way she has to enable her readers to *feel* everything her main character feels is downright amazing. I envy that skill. I want it.A Note of Madness is Ms. Suzuma's debut novel, and I was lucky enough to receive a personalized signed one from the fanfiction contest! I'd been wanting to read this book for some time but just hadn't gotten around to ordering it. Truth be told, I was kind of scared. Forbidden struck me so hard, in such a visceral way, I knew I had to be in the mood to possibly die all over again, being as I know how much Ms. Suzuma enjoys tragedies. ;) So, once I decided I could handle it, I started to read.A Note of Madness tells the story Of Flynn, a very promising and talented pianist who is studying music at a top music school in London. Flynn seems to be a bright, yet shy person, who lives with his best friend Harry and is in love with his other best friend Jennah. We notice right away when things start going wrong for Flynn. There will be days when he is just a bundle of energy, and during that time, this radiates off the page, literally making the reader jumpy and anxious. He could not sit still, he talked without taking a breath, moving from one subject to another, repeating words and basically laughing/speaking in a loud voice the entire time. He did not sleep, staying up all night for days and days, composing and practicing. Honestly, as I read the times where Flynn was mildly manic, I could feel my own heart racing and my mind becoming exhausted and frustrated. It was like he was put on full speed and the break did not work. So exhausting.And then he would crash. The crashes were like being encased in concrete and being thrown to the bottom of the ocean. Flynn couldn't get out of bed, he couldn't think, couldn't interact, could barely stay awake. Every thought was black and heavy and wrong. He cared about nothing and no one, not even music. Not even the girl he was in love with. He would seclude himself, be cruel and uncaring to those he loved, would contemplate suicide, would become completely paranoid. He thought he could not really play the piano, that he sucked and everyone was lying to him to spare his feelings. These passages were just as painful to read as the highs, but in a totally different way. There was a weight on my chest, and sorrow so thick you could cut it with a knife. All you wanted was for Flynn to TELL someone what he was going through. To get help. To do something. You almost wished for the high again, even though that was just as bad.But just as it goes with many cases of mental illness (in this case, bi-polar disorder), even when Flynn does get help, the cure seems almost as bad as the disease. His medication makes him feel as if he doesn't really exist, as if he lives in between real life and the horribly depressed portions of his disorder. He feels nauseous and so tired he can barely keep his eyes open. While he is a bit more able to function than he was in his highly depressed state (he is able to attend lectures and practice), he still is far from normal and far from happy. He pushes his friends away, his family, he loses passion for his music and studies. And when he decides he can take no more, he stops his medication and relapses.This story is exhausting to read. It's heartbreaking, yet also contains that same element of hope, of perseverance, that Forbidden had. Ms. Suzuma is a master at breaking your heart, with no promises of mending it, but then giving you--even when everything seems as if it could never get any better--a sliver of hope that maybe, someday, things will be okay.In reading two of Ms. Suzuma's books, I have come to the realization that she is a character writer, not a plot writer--which I happen to love, because I am the same. Her stories focus on characters and their struggles to overcome, well, themselves, mostly, not plot. A Note of Madness is the same. There is no big outside conflict in which Flynn must overcome, there is only the internal/illness conflict. And it is riveting and so true to life. Most of us don't have these huge things outside of ourselves that we must fight against and conquer. The most true and dire conflicts are the ones inside ourselves. If you enjoy this type of storytelling as I do, then I can tell you without hesitation to pick up any of Ms. Suzuma's books and you will get it. But if you are the type that needs a action oriented plot to drive you, it's best you stay away.This is not a light read. It is not a happy read. But it is hopeful. And it is worth it.
—Ddpjclaf
A gripping story about one teenager's possible decent into madness.I loved the way Suzuma managed to portray and delve deep into a disturbed individual's mind, affected by the pressures of society and its mere existence in this world. The scene where the main character and his friends physically struggled with each other in their room is very powerful and unforgettable.The only downside is that Flynn can sometimes get a little repetitive in terms of his actions, bogging down the novel during sel
—Will
