Devil's Music, The

Rusbridge, Jane

  0 Reviews

Helen and Michael are under pressure. The birth in 1958 of their third child should be a happy event but instead is an ominous portent: Elaine is severely disabled. No-one is immune from the fallout, particularly Andrew, the eldest child who copes by retreating into a fantasy world. Moving between the past and the present, Andrew narrates this engaging saga of an English family wrestling with all that life has thrown at them.

The inclusion of detailed information about knots which have significance in Andrew's life and that of his rope-maker grandfather, adds charm to an already gripping story. [Larger font]

Comments from Groups

A complex and compelling novel that required focussed attention to follow the different narrators. We enjoyed the significance of knots and knot making skills and crafts. The significance of the different knots and their connection to characters was only apparent on reading the notes after the novel. Doubtless Bay 002

We all enjoyed this thought provoking and well written book. It reminded us of how past memories can be false or muddled by childhood perception.The characters were quirky and the situations confronting. We recommend this book. Auckland 271

About a third of us enjoyed this book. For some it seemed somewhat disjointed, and it was hard to keep up with the changes of time and person. However, the discussion was very lively, and covered - relations within families, father's demands on sons, and how memory can be untrue or the time sequence jumbled. Lower Hutt 004

There were mixed reactions to this book. Some members did not like the changing narrators and became confused, but others enjoyed the diversity of characters and the way the story unfolded. We all agreed that the author portrayed the different members of the family in a believable way, and the events and locations were sensitively described. The subjects of mental disability and post natal depression were very realistically incorporated into the family situation. The discussion was animated as there were many striking events in the story that made an impression. Whitianga 002

We had a animated discussion about bullying. Auckland 277

A couple loved this book, but some got tired of it darting around , and trying to figure out the different people. Some thought the father was mean and evil, others said it was the 50's, and that was what it was like then.We found the book generally ok, but all loved the descriptive writing. Ashburton 016

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