Janet Nichols Lynch Libri

The collection explores the profound impact of music on various characters' lives, each grappling with their aspirations and disappointments. Bernadine seeks passion through piano after two divorces, while Amelia reflects on her past as a prodigy amidst chaos. Chloe yearns to revive her music career after prioritizing motherhood, and young Michael's extraordinary talent is misunderstood by his working-class parents. Phyllis, after years away from the stage, embarks on a quest for the perfect sound. Through their journeys, they encounter both frustration and joy in their musical pursuits.

The narrative explores Elizabeth Warren's journey from her humble beginnings in Oklahoma to her rise as a prominent political figure. It highlights her childhood aspirations of becoming a teacher, setting the stage for her later achievements as a Senator and presidential candidate. The story delves into the experiences that shaped her values and ambitions, showcasing her determination and the formative influences on her path to leadership.

Fascinated by a local doomsday cult, seventeen-year-old Kori Lawton embarks on a mission to rescue Flicker, a fellow teen, from its grasp. However, she becomes entranced by the cult's charismatic leader, Promus, who harbors sinister intentions. As Kori navigates the dangers of the cult, she realizes that her quest may extend beyond saving Flicker to protecting all its members from a deadly fate. The story weaves themes of manipulation, courage, and the struggle against dark influences.

Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and McCarthyism, the story follows fourteen-year-old Donna, who is thrust into turmoil when her father is investigated by the FBI. As her rebellious sister Alice disappears into the beatnik scene and their mother suffers a breakdown, Donna must navigate her family's crisis. The narrative culminates at a pivotal House Un-American Activities Committee hearing in 1960, where Donna confronts the chaos of protest and police conflict, ultimately shaping her understanding of loyalty and resistance.

One spring day in 1824, four-year-old Clara Wieck sat in the nursery with her three younger brothers, Alwin, Gustav, and baby Victor. Alwin and Gustav babbled in baby-talk, Victor wailed, but Clara was perfectly silent. Clara was always quiet-mute. She had not yet spoken a word. Nearly five years old and not a single word out of her! The child must be simple. Maybe she was deaf. How tragic for Music Master Wieck to have such a daughter! But Clara was not deaf. The piano music of her father's students rang out. Clara heard the glorious strains of music wafting through the house all day long. From the moment four-year-old Clara Wieck Schumann heard music coming from her father's piano store, she wanted to play the piano. She became a child prodigy and made her debut at nine and went on to have the longest concert career of any woman in the nineteenth century. At the age of eighteen, she was named Royal and Imperial Virtuosa-the highest musical honor in Austria. Clara wanted to do more than entertain. She wanted the audience to feel love, sorrow, joy, and beauty. She achieved this with a new style of playing the piano. She managed to have a sixty-year concert career, marry Robert Schumann and oversee his estate, plus raise their eight children. As a celebrated composer, she wrote a piano concerto, chamber music, songs, pieces for piano, and her most well-known work, the Piano Trio in G Minor .