The Silver Swan
A Novel
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
A debut novel about a daughter grappling with the legacy of her famous and imposing cellist father, the secrets he has hidden from her, and the fate of his great Stradivarius cello.
Alexander Feldmann is a revered and sought-after performer whose prodigious talent, striking good looks and worldly charm prove irresistible to all who hear and encounter him. After years of searching, he acquires a glorious cello, the Silver Swan, a rare Stradivarius masterpiece long lost to the world of music.
Mariana is Alexander’s only child and the maestro has large ambitions for her. By the age of nineteen she emerges as a star cellist in her own right, and is seen as the inheritor of her father's genius. There are whispers that her career might well outpace his. Mariana believes the Silver Swan will one day be hers, until a stunning secret from her father’s past entwines her fate and that of the Silver Swan in ways she could never have imagined.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Delbanco's whirlwind debut novel immediately immerses readers in the rarefied world of classical music performance. Alexander Feldmann is a world-renowned cellist and the owner of the Silver Swan, a famous centuries-old cello. When he dies, his daughter, Mariana, who had been an up-and-coming cellist herself, assumes that she is going to inherit it. Much to her surprise, her father leaves it to Claude Roselle, a handsome young cellist whom Feldmann dubs his musical heir. Mariana is furious, but she and Claude spend time together to try to understand her father's decision, and in the process they become lovers. Mariana wants to trust Claude and his intentions, but she is wary, having become accustomed to the egotism and selfishness of top-tier musicians. They draw each other into a web of deception in pursuit of the Swan. Delbanco's father was a famed cellist, and her immersion in that world is evident on every page. While some aspects of the plot are predictable, readers with an enthusiasm for classical music will be swept away by this detailed, enthralling tale.