Cellist of Sarajevo, The
Galloway, StevenSarajevo 1992, a bomb goes off in the street, interrupting a cellist who is practising Albinoni's Adagio. To honour the 22 people who die, he returns to the street each day for the next 22 days to play the Adagio. This event is the backdrop to the experience of the three narrators struggling to survive daily life in the besieged city. A sombre and powerful novel depicting the horror and futility of war tempered by the unquenchable human spirit.
Comments from Groups
One of our members brought along the 'Adagio' music and we listened to it as we discussed the book. Fabulous. New Plymouth 012Very thought provoking. A realisation of the cruelty in the world ... Everybody felt the characters were well defined as was their struggle to survive. Napier 020
It was good to be reminded of the reality of living in a war zone. The characters were very real, yet the ideas they conveyed transcended the individual and became huge concepts we all have to grapple with. An excellent read. Masterton 003
A long and insightful discussion. Highly recommended. Christchurch 324
Everyone in the group thought this an excellent book, with its scarce language vividly portraying the various individuals' suffering. The reality of the conflict and the hopelessness of the situation for the residents of Sarajevo is apparent. Dunedin 007
This was a highly rated story amongst our readers. Google helped in finding the piece of music that the cellist played...Tauranga 015
Interesting and a challenge. Great insight into the daily life in a war torn city...Lots of discussion generated on how we would deal with a similiar situation. Auckland 280
Everyone got a lot from this book. Lively discussion, and research by some to learn more about this time in Sarajevo. The writing was so good-very spare, poetic almost, and conveyed so much in a few words...Nelson 007
An absolutely wonderful book. This would be our best `pick` of the year. It was written in a way that we could feel the experience of the characters. Wellington 029
Although everyone liked the book, most felt uncomfortable using the word `enjoyed`. Reading about war can be uncomfortable but this was easier as it did not glorify it and told the human story. It was interesting to see how each character kept their humanity. Dunedin 039
We all loved the book - it forced us all to do some research on the conflict. There were interesting observations made on the three main players, and their survival under the terrible conditions of everyday life. Auckland 265
We found it a beautiful and profound read, providing a picture of the futility of war and its impact on individuals, families and communities. The character of Arrow was more fully drawn, and we found it interesting the way she depersonalised the killing, by means of changing her name and various other strategies. Christchurch 319
Overall the book was well regarded by the group. Some people found the middle part a bit disjointed and would have preferred that the three main characters be linked to make a more cohesive story. Evocative and moving as regards the devastation and ruination of the war. Wellington 202
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2009