2007 Book Log #51: The Glass Harmonica, by Louise Marley

[annathepiper]

The first time I ever heard any version of the old folksong Barbara Allen was in the Daffy Duck cartoon "Robin Hood Daffy", when it was sung by Porky Pig. Who was, I might add, possessed of a surprisingly true voice for a stammering pig--and therefore, it is in no way, shape, or form a statement on the quality of Ms. Marley's writing that her book totally songvirused me with Porky's voice. ;) It is simply a reflection of how the first verse of this ditty, the one that Porky sings, is quoted more than once throughout this book. I kept trying to envision the characters drawn in Warner Brothers style, too.

All that aside, I did quite enjoy this novel. The central plot is about a glass harmonica player in 2018 having visions of a young girl in 1762--the very child Benjamin Franklin has brought into his home to test-play his newly invented armonica--and how the unfolding of young Eilish Eam's life in turn affects Erin Rushton's. It's a gentle, subtle story, neither big nor flashy, and read for me like a well-written musical piece plays. There are two separate but intertwined storylines, balanced against and reflecting each other, and ultimately coming together in the end with a chord of resolution. Moreover, since Marley is a local author, it was quite satisfying as well as thought-inducing to see certain details that exist in the Seattle of today employed in her plot.

I have a vague memory of hearing a glass harmonica performance at a Worldcon; it had to have been either the 1998 Baltimore one or 2002 in Philly, I can't remember which. But because of this book, I'm very much wanting to find a decent recording of appropriate music. And any book that makes me want to go find music is a win! Four stars.

Comments

[ariaflame.livejournal.com]

Actually the part of the brain used for singing is different to that used for talking. So people who stammer a lot when talking can apparently sing perfectly well. Or so I hear.

[annathepiper]

That would not surprise me in the slightest. :) I think I remember noticing when I first saw that cartoon that Porky did not in fact stammer those lyrics!

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there was a country singer (Mel Tillis?) who had a fierce stammer when speaking but could sing just fine.

[casirafics.livejournal.com]

My one glitch with that book is that my suspension of disbelief keeps getting punctured by a very simple thing: the monorail. Heh. Not her fault, really.

[annathepiper]

Yeah really--a functioning, city-wide monorail by 2018 is apparently still science fiction around here. Bah.

[callibr8]

If you'd like to hear recordings of Glass Armonica music there's a fine local artist by the name of William Zeitler, who has put out at least three CDs. He did a demo at Norwescon a few years back, around the time that the Marley book came out.

[annathepiper]

Huh, maybe that was where I heard the demo then. ^_^ It had to have been a Worldcon or a Norwescon; I'm vexed that I can't remember! But it was before I was regularly posting to LJ, so.

I found that gentleman's name Googling around last night, yes. I'll have to check him out. Thanks!