Review of Keys to Harmony
-
Bri Klassen
- Minimum Wage Millionaire Reader
- Posts: 23
- Joined: 14 Jan 2025, 15:16
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 15
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bri-klassen.html
- Latest Review: It'll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs by Karen Thiel
- 2025 Reading Goal: 40
- 2025 Goal Completion: 37%
Review of Keys to Harmony
[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Harmony" by Margalit Jakob.]
Keys to Harmony, written by Margalit Jakob, did feel like any other memoir book I have read so far, which aren't many, to be honest. I give this book 2 out of 5 stars, mostly because it didn't resonate with me; it felt quite boring, and the pacing felt off. I believe this last point was my biggest issue, as in one paragraph you get transported two or three years without any notice, you just have the context of events that could not have happened on the same day. The editing work was good overall, as I found minor typos.
I have to mention that this book should have a trigger warning for suicidal thoughts.
In this book, Jakob tells us about their experience with a kind of trauma and depression that we don't usually encounter, and in Margalit's case, it was how the piano shaped these experiences and their whole life. Going from a prodigy player level to a couch potato to various mentions of suicide was quite a rollercoaster. I cannot even imagine how Margalit felt more than what the words can describe.
The author had family members who were killed during the Holocaust and migrated from the United States to Israel to start a master's program in music, specifically in piano, and things just went south from there. I felt that this particular event —trying to own their family's history and moving to Israel— was the turning point in their life and sometimes it felt forced upon the story. I understand that going through your family's history is painful, and if moving to a different country helps you understand yourself and the rest of your family, then do it. Margalit does it, but it still feels forced upon the reader.
This book honestly bored me. The pace, as I mentioned before, was not adequate in my opinion: the events happened too fast, but the pages did not turn equally quickly. Having played the piano myself for many years, I know how frustrating it can be, but I could not connect with the story even though I tried very hard to do so. If the passages were told a little bit slower, I would have enjoyed the book more, but this was the wall that I kept running into.
If you are a more avid reader than myself and enjoy reading about a little bit of history, how mental health is important, how the people around us can help or affect us, paired with fast pacing, this book is for you. It wasn't for me, but I'm quite sure that I was not the target audience for it; I don't blame the book on my lack of interest in it.
******
Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Keys to Harmony, written by Margalit Jakob, did feel like any other memoir book I have read so far, which aren't many, to be honest. I give this book 2 out of 5 stars, mostly because it didn't resonate with me; it felt quite boring, and the pacing felt off. I believe this last point was my biggest issue, as in one paragraph you get transported two or three years without any notice, you just have the context of events that could not have happened on the same day. The editing work was good overall, as I found minor typos.
I have to mention that this book should have a trigger warning for suicidal thoughts.
In this book, Jakob tells us about their experience with a kind of trauma and depression that we don't usually encounter, and in Margalit's case, it was how the piano shaped these experiences and their whole life. Going from a prodigy player level to a couch potato to various mentions of suicide was quite a rollercoaster. I cannot even imagine how Margalit felt more than what the words can describe.
The author had family members who were killed during the Holocaust and migrated from the United States to Israel to start a master's program in music, specifically in piano, and things just went south from there. I felt that this particular event —trying to own their family's history and moving to Israel— was the turning point in their life and sometimes it felt forced upon the story. I understand that going through your family's history is painful, and if moving to a different country helps you understand yourself and the rest of your family, then do it. Margalit does it, but it still feels forced upon the reader.
This book honestly bored me. The pace, as I mentioned before, was not adequate in my opinion: the events happened too fast, but the pages did not turn equally quickly. Having played the piano myself for many years, I know how frustrating it can be, but I could not connect with the story even though I tried very hard to do so. If the passages were told a little bit slower, I would have enjoyed the book more, but this was the wall that I kept running into.
If you are a more avid reader than myself and enjoy reading about a little bit of history, how mental health is important, how the people around us can help or affect us, paired with fast pacing, this book is for you. It wasn't for me, but I'm quite sure that I was not the target audience for it; I don't blame the book on my lack of interest in it.
******
Keys to Harmony
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: It'll Be Alright, Maggie Jiggs by Karen Thiel
