Review of The Band Leader Francis Casella
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Barry Jones 2
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- Latest Review: The Band Leader Francis Casella by John Michael Zov
Review of The Band Leader Francis Casella
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Band Leader Francis Casella" by John Michael Zov.]
The Band Leader is a story of the life of a gifted big band leader, Francis Casella, told when aged piano player Johnny Angelina was about to give up playing, using his narration.
Through dialogues in the form of musical exchanges between the two men who set up their deep connections in a frozen retreat in upstate New York, the story unfolds. Their meeting at an assisted living facility provokes a deep exploration of trust, which prompts them to share earlier memories in an attempt to prove or discover something about the other before a real discovery is reached. Music adds themes of hidden operations, affection, and loss as the narrator, Francis, travels from Juilliard School of Music to illegal criminal connections. As a scribe and confidant, Johnny drinks in Francis’s story profoundly so that he becomes responsible for patrolling both the story of a single man and the full historical heritage. The story comprises two intertwined threads: historical facts, which are paired with introspection, and personal experiences through musical expression.
This book turned out to be an under-wrought masterpiece, with deep characters hiding under a profound setting. The music sat both physically and symbolically as a means to bond with Johnny and Francis and as the center of a genuine musical dialogue between them that Johnny and Francis continued to have in their hearts. Combining historical fiction and the use of a memoir-like format, the book formed a friendly bond with the characters that made the story intensely personal, which is very rare in a historical fiction book. His change was what amused me most deeply in the remarkable story of Francis' life. More than being a tale of rediscovered secrets, the book conveys how meaningful value can be brought out from a lived life through storytelling and how storytelling can bring healing and transformation to the teller of the tale and to those who listen. After the reading, I felt more like speaking with a musical genius turned into a life mentor.
John Micheal Zōv's literary style features lyrical elements without the overly ornate, but the movement takes place at the same deliberate pace as the jazz standards told in the narrative. When reading The Band Leader I discovered no grammatical errors and disliked nothing about the book. The book receives a rating of 5 out of 5 stars from me.
If you enjoy reading about historical fiction with heart-wrenching character development, The Band Leader provides the best reading experience that you can have. It is sure to be closest to those who love music and very much value jaz and big bands, especially American standards of the golden era! Writers seeking a literary story focused on personal heritage development through transformative artistic impact will find this in the contents. It is likely to appeal to the readers who like stories with nostalgia and mystique delivered by slow stories.
******
The Band Leader Francis Casella
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Band Leader is a story of the life of a gifted big band leader, Francis Casella, told when aged piano player Johnny Angelina was about to give up playing, using his narration.
Through dialogues in the form of musical exchanges between the two men who set up their deep connections in a frozen retreat in upstate New York, the story unfolds. Their meeting at an assisted living facility provokes a deep exploration of trust, which prompts them to share earlier memories in an attempt to prove or discover something about the other before a real discovery is reached. Music adds themes of hidden operations, affection, and loss as the narrator, Francis, travels from Juilliard School of Music to illegal criminal connections. As a scribe and confidant, Johnny drinks in Francis’s story profoundly so that he becomes responsible for patrolling both the story of a single man and the full historical heritage. The story comprises two intertwined threads: historical facts, which are paired with introspection, and personal experiences through musical expression.
This book turned out to be an under-wrought masterpiece, with deep characters hiding under a profound setting. The music sat both physically and symbolically as a means to bond with Johnny and Francis and as the center of a genuine musical dialogue between them that Johnny and Francis continued to have in their hearts. Combining historical fiction and the use of a memoir-like format, the book formed a friendly bond with the characters that made the story intensely personal, which is very rare in a historical fiction book. His change was what amused me most deeply in the remarkable story of Francis' life. More than being a tale of rediscovered secrets, the book conveys how meaningful value can be brought out from a lived life through storytelling and how storytelling can bring healing and transformation to the teller of the tale and to those who listen. After the reading, I felt more like speaking with a musical genius turned into a life mentor.
John Micheal Zōv's literary style features lyrical elements without the overly ornate, but the movement takes place at the same deliberate pace as the jazz standards told in the narrative. When reading The Band Leader I discovered no grammatical errors and disliked nothing about the book. The book receives a rating of 5 out of 5 stars from me.
If you enjoy reading about historical fiction with heart-wrenching character development, The Band Leader provides the best reading experience that you can have. It is sure to be closest to those who love music and very much value jaz and big bands, especially American standards of the golden era! Writers seeking a literary story focused on personal heritage development through transformative artistic impact will find this in the contents. It is likely to appeal to the readers who like stories with nostalgia and mystique delivered by slow stories.
******
The Band Leader Francis Casella
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Band Leader Francis Casella by John Michael Zov
