Book
The woman in the moonlight : a novel / Patricia Morrisroe.
"Vienna, 1800. Countess Julie Guicciardi's life is about to change forever. The spirited eighteen-year-old is taking piano lessons with Ludwig van Beethoven, the most talented piano virtuoso in the musical capital of Europe. She is captivated by his volatile genius, while he is drawn to her curiosity and disarming candor. Between them, a unique romance. But Beethoven has a secret he's yet to share, and Julie is harboring a secret of her own, one so scandalous it could destroy their perfect love story. When Beethoven discovers the truth, he sets his emotions to music, composing a mournful opus that will become the Moonlight Sonata. The haunting refrain will follow Julie for the rest of her life. Set against the rich backdrop of nineteenth-century Vienna, The Woman in the Moonlight is an exhilarating ode to eternal passion. An epic tale of love, loss, rivalry, and political intrigue. A stirring portrait of a titan who wrestled with the gods and a woman who defied convention to inspire him."--Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781503903753
- Physical Description: 350 pages ; 22 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Little A, [2020]
- Copyright: ©2020.
Content descriptions
| Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 > Fiction. Piano > Fiction. Man-woman relationships > Fiction. Secrecy > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Love stories. Historical fiction. |
Available copies
- 4 of 5 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Terrace Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 5 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrace Public Library | MOR (Text) | 35151001109164 | Adult Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2020 September #1
In Vienna in 1800, 18-year-old Julie Guicciardi is a piano pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven, a brilliant player and composer already gaining fame for his skill. Julie and Beethoven fall passionately in love, but their love affair is tumultuous from the startâBeethoven is a volatile, difficult man who values his music more than anything else, and he is anguished over the gradual loss of his hearing. They become secretly engaged, but their plans are foiled and they part in anger. She marries Robert von Gallenberg, another composer, and enters into a longstanding love affair with yet another man, but her relationship with Beethoven is far from over. Spanning 50 years and various dazzling European cities, Morrisroe's fiction debut combines historical fact and speculation into this story of the woman who inspired Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Julie is a complex, thoughtfully written protagonist, surrounded by a large but never overwhelming cast of supporting characters, and the historical backdrop, full of court intrigue, is rich and detailed. Historical-fiction fans will find much to enjoy here.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020 Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2020 August #1
Julie Guicciardi, a young, pretty countess in early-19th-century Vienna, meets a magnetic, mercurial genius and begins the relationship that will set the mood music of her life. Twenty-eight and single, short and stocky with no title or money but a piano virtuoso and one of the world's most brilliant composers, Ludwig van Beethoven is not obvious marriage material. But 17-year-old Julie finds his charisma irresistible, and soon his piano lessons lead to a mutual declaration of love. The relationship, however, is unlikely to meet the approval of Julie's society-conscious mother and remains secret, as does Julie's pregnancy, which ends in a miscarriage that Beethoven commemorates in a piano composition to become known as the Moonlight Sonata, which he dedicates to Julie. The couple's plans to marry are thwarted by unscrupulous Prince Lichnowsky (Julie's mother's lover) with threats of financial ruin and scandal, and Julie abandons Beethoven without explaining that she is saving him. Then she makes a disastrous marriage to Count Wenzel Robert von Gallenberg, who may be titled but is also poor, impotent, and, worse, has invited Lichnowsky to be his stand -in on their honeymoon, to provide the couple with a child. Later, Julie has children with another, more appealing substitute, Count Friedrich von der Schulenburg, and later still she becomes the mistress of the king of Naples. Morrisroe's fiction debut, a long, gossipy, frictionless romp through European history during the Napoleonic era, recounts Julie's relationships without conveying much character or emotional depth. Similarly, personal tragedies, historic events, wars, gilded social gatherings, and poetic moments twirl by with minimal impact. Beethoven's and Julie's paths cross periodically through the years. He becomes a success, though deaf, unkempt, and alone. She eventually finds happiness thanks to a Beethoven coda. More Fantasia than Appassionata. Copyright Kirkus 2020 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
