Couldn't stop reading this one. I like Peter Goldsworthy's writing having come across his short stories. The development of a relationship around the central theme of music whilst not necessarily a new theme is dealt with in a most refreshingly insightful way in this novel. Then there's the element of 'coming-of-age' that almost tattered reference to a story that documents youthful passage into the next phase of the transition from child through youth to almost adult.Paul Crabbe the young pianist who is the narrator of much of the story, is a young hopeful in the music scene. Parental expectation is balanced with the always mysterious driving force to prove to The Maestro, Eduard Keller, that he, Paul Crabbe, is the stuff of which concert pianists are made, indeed that he is almost above expectation. The Maestro takes it all on board, but also continually drips luke-warm responses that drive this youth all the more forcefully.Alongside this is the mystery of just who Eduard Keller really is. Is he a has-been on the concert circuit for instance, now reduced to alcoholism and solitude? What lies in his past that he refuses to address even when questioned directly? An excellently told story, containing well chosen imagery. I could feel the claustrophobic steamy Darwin Wet and welcome the clear blue-skied, frosty night times of the Dry. The cicadas and frogs and whining hum of the mosquito not far away throughout reading this wonderful book.Likewise as realisation of just what was within grasp hits the mature Paul Crabbe, I too felt the sadness of opportunities missed as choices were made. A reminder that it is important to remember to listen, not just to words, but to body language, to look closely in order to read the soul behind the eyes, the smile, the gesture of a hand. To read the signs that sometimes speak more loudly than any words uttered.This was a Christmas gift and one I shall return to many times in the future.
This short novel, is primarily based in Darwin in the late 1960s, where a boy Paul Crabbe is taught piano by his teacher 'Maestro', Eduard Keller. Paul has a lot of misgivings about his teacher at first, mostly noting that he was a boozer uncontemporary and distant but by the end of the novel he admired him a lot. This tale depicts Pauls growing up in the hot tropical town, his ability at music, his adolescence and his relationship with his parents and his sweetheart, Rosie.I loved this book. Partly becasue i could totally appreciate the environment that he was writing about ... even though it was the 60s in the book and I now live in Darwin with the assistance of air-conditioning ... I can still appreciate the heat, humidity and other unique entities that make darwin what it is in both eras. The book was often a sad depiction of life, in that it frequently illustrated missed opportunities and opportunities to do the right thing, which the main character often missed ... The book follows paul until he is a middle aged adult and shows his growing of wisdom, fro a young selfish egotistical only child - to a responsible and caring adult with a child of his own.This book left me thinking and feeling ater I finished it. There are quite a few interesting phrases and philosophies thrown in throughout the book as well.I can understand why this is a recommended text for Year 12 in places .... good choice!I read somewhere that the author's daughter has transfromed this book into a stage play.
Do You like book Maestro (2002)?
What a depressing, pointless book. If there was a plot I missed it. VCE needs to take a good look at the "classics" that they're choosing. And every single character in this book needed a huge slap in the face. The main character was some sort of Holden Caulfield rip-off who didn't have any of the witty, endearing charm of the The Catcher in the Rye character. And, unlike Holden, he had no epiphany moment--he ended up being a middle aged man who hated his life. Brilliant stuff right there. Real inspirational for graduates, might I add. The only thing I enjoyed, kind of, was the style of writing and even that started to bother me towards the end. Oh how fun this will be to study.
—Triv S.
The Maestro is a book which deals with the themes of beauty and perfection - about how absurd and silly it is, but how it is so vital to us living our lives with passion. It is also about the love between the characters... the nostalic wishfulness of going back to the past, going back to those relationships... Piano lessons are paralleled with Paul's growing up - its a story of growth and being self-aware about how you live. The busyness of city life and forward momentum in contrast to the daily rituals of an old man..
—Suze
I will never again doubt the decisions of the Australian high school English syllabus. Time after time I have riddled it with doubt and skepticism and time after time it has proven e wrong.Maestro, though absurd in its opening pages, certainly fills readers with a longing by the end of the book. Adults, a longing for lost childhoods, children, a longing to not lose what precious time we have, and above all, a longing to have a mentor able to rival the genius of Keller.This book teaches its readers a very important lesson of our own mortality. It draws our attention from the silliness of childhood and youth, and ultimately warning us about our own vulnerability. A human's mortality is not something faced willingly by everyone, but it is a question we will all face, and though we all try to leave with a mark on this earth, the ultimate truth us that most of us won't, Even geniuses like Keller weren't able to, so what makes us qualified?
—Hexa Deville
