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Symphony of Secrets
A gripping page-turner from the celebrated author of book club favorite The Violin Conspiracy: Music professor Bern Hendricks discovers a shocking secret about the most famous American composer of all time—his music may have been stolen from a Black Jazz Age prodigy named Josephine Reed.
Determined to uncover the truth that a powerful organization wants to keep hidden, Bern will stop at nothing to right history's wrongs and give Josephine the recognition she deserves.
Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.
In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?
In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.
Determined to uncover the truth that a powerful organization wants to keep hidden, Bern will stop at nothing to right history's wrongs and give Josephine the recognition she deserves.
Bern Hendricks has just received the call of a lifetime. As one of the world’s preeminent experts on the famed twentieth-century composer Frederick Delaney, Bern knows everything there is to know about the man behind the music. When Mallory Roberts, a board member of the distinguished Delaney Foundation and direct descendant of the man himself, asks for Bern’s help authenticating a newly discovered piece, which may be his famous lost opera, RED, he jumps at the chance. With the help of his tech-savvy acquaintance Eboni, Bern soon discovers that the truth is far more complicated than history would have them believe.
In 1920s Manhattan, Josephine Reed is living on the streets and frequenting jazz clubs when she meets the struggling musician Fred Delaney. But where young Delaney struggles, Josephine soars. She’s a natural prodigy who hears beautiful music in the sounds of the world around her. With Josephine as his silent partner, Delaney’s career takes off—but who is the real genius here?
In the present day, Bern and Eboni begin to uncover more clues that indicate Delaney may have had help in composing his most successful work. Armed with more questions than answers and caught in the crosshairs of a powerful organization who will stop at nothing to keep their secret hidden, Bern and Eboni will move heaven and earth in their dogged quest to right history’s wrongs.
425 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2023
About the author
Brendan Slocumb
3 books1,466 followersBrendan Nicholaus Slocumb was born in Yuba City, California and was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He holds a degree in music education (with concentrations in violin and viola) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. For more than twenty years he has been a public and private school music educator and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
In his spare time, Brendan enjoys writing, exercising, collecting comic books and action figures, and performing with his rock band, Geppetto's Wüd.
In his spare time, Brendan enjoys writing, exercising, collecting comic books and action figures, and performing with his rock band, Geppetto's Wüd.
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March 17, 2023
4.5 stars, rounded down
Symphony of Secrets is Brendan Slocumb’s sophomore effort. While it took me longer to get into this story, it’s equally interesting and before I knew it, I was hooked.
Bern is a music professor at UVA with a background in Frederic Delaney, the most well known American composer of the first half of the 20th Century. A composer who went down in flames when his final opera was a flop. The original had been lost before it was ever performed and despite Delaney’s efforts to re-write it, it was never anywhere as good as his previous work. It’s interesting to see Slocumb create a composer out of his imagination, giving the reader a full sense of the oeuvre. Bern is hired for a huge project when the Delaney Foundation finds the original version of the opera. But Bern’s big find is that Delaney didn’t write it, a black woman, Josephine Reed, did.
The story alternates between the two time periods. So often, dual timeline stories suffer as only one is sufficiently interesting. But not here. I found both engaging - the current search for the truth and the 20th Century tale of the creation of the music.
Josephine Reed was not only black (or colored as she was called back then) but also neurodivergent (synesthetic) and was often labeled crazy. It was a case of multiple strikes against her given the times. “She heard thousands of sounds daily, and when they overwhelmed her she’d record them on her sheets.” She was such a striking character. When she watches as silver Freddy becomes gray Fred, my heart went out to her.
The book focuses on the themes of racism and power, of greed and the ownership of ideas. I really liked how Slocumb was able to draw parallels between the two time periods. The story ramps up faster and faster as it goes on. This is one of those books where I was torn - I wanted to race through it at the same time I didn’t want to reach the end.
My thanks to netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage for an advance copy of this book.
Symphony of Secrets is Brendan Slocumb’s sophomore effort. While it took me longer to get into this story, it’s equally interesting and before I knew it, I was hooked.
Bern is a music professor at UVA with a background in Frederic Delaney, the most well known American composer of the first half of the 20th Century. A composer who went down in flames when his final opera was a flop. The original had been lost before it was ever performed and despite Delaney’s efforts to re-write it, it was never anywhere as good as his previous work. It’s interesting to see Slocumb create a composer out of his imagination, giving the reader a full sense of the oeuvre. Bern is hired for a huge project when the Delaney Foundation finds the original version of the opera. But Bern’s big find is that Delaney didn’t write it, a black woman, Josephine Reed, did.
The story alternates between the two time periods. So often, dual timeline stories suffer as only one is sufficiently interesting. But not here. I found both engaging - the current search for the truth and the 20th Century tale of the creation of the music.
Josephine Reed was not only black (or colored as she was called back then) but also neurodivergent (synesthetic) and was often labeled crazy. It was a case of multiple strikes against her given the times. “She heard thousands of sounds daily, and when they overwhelmed her she’d record them on her sheets.” She was such a striking character. When she watches as silver Freddy becomes gray Fred, my heart went out to her.
The book focuses on the themes of racism and power, of greed and the ownership of ideas. I really liked how Slocumb was able to draw parallels between the two time periods. The story ramps up faster and faster as it goes on. This is one of those books where I was torn - I wanted to race through it at the same time I didn’t want to reach the end.
My thanks to netgalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage for an advance copy of this book.
June 8, 2023
Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb was the kind of novel that I could not put down! I gave this brilliantly written, masterpiece of a book, five very strong stars and in my opinion, it deserved every single one of them and more! Symphony of Secrets was the second book that Brendan Slocumb has written. I wasn’t sure how he was going to top his first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, but he surely did.
Brendan Slocumb chose the time period of the early 1900’s in New York City for one of the settings in Symphony of Secrets. It was a time when songwriters were taken advantage of by their music publishers. It was a time in our history when music flourished. Jazz and the Blues were being introduced and played. It was common for bands to perform at clubs and bars for the entertainment of the public. Blacks or the “Colored” as they were known during that time, were limited to the kinds of jobs they were allowed to hold, the places that they were allowed to frequent so they could listen to music and the kind of shops they were allowed to shop in to purchase clothes to wear or other items they wanted to buy. The chapters of Symphony of Secrets alternated between the early twentieth century and present day. Symphony of Secrets told the story of a music professor commissioned by a large Foundation to restore a famous symphony that had been lost and then recovered in present day time and the story of one of the most accomplished composers of the early 1900’s and his acquaintance with a homeless, neurodivergent, music prodigy, black woman.
Dr. Bern Hendricks was presently a black professor of music at the University of Virginia. He had grown up in the Midwest. Bern had been a recipient of the work and generosity of the Delaney Foundation as a kid. They had provided Bern with his very own musical instrument and opened doors for him that had not presented themselves to him before their intervention. Bern became a DF kid. Ever since then, Bern became obsessed with the music of composer Fredrick Delaney. Bern knew everything about Fredrick Delaney and his music, or at least he thought he had. One day out of the clear blue sky, Bern Hendricks received an urgent message from Mallory Delaney Roberts, the director of The Delaney Foundation in New York City. Mallory wanted Bern to come to New York City immediately to work on Delaney’s “Rings of Olympia”. The last symphony, entitled RED, had been lost and never recovered until now. It was recently discovered during a renovation. What an incredible honor and privilege for Bern to be asked to work on restoring this masterpiece! Bern was in awe of Fredrick Delaney and all he had accomplished over a very short period of time.
When Bern began to work on transposing the symphony, he was only allowed to have a copy of it. He was told that the original was being preserved and that he would have access to it as soon as the preservation was completed. As Bern began to examine the pages of the symphony, he noticed strange doodles and the letters JoR on each page. Bern had never seen these symbols on any of Delaney’s other work. He was baffled but curious. Bern called his friend Eboni to help him. Eboni was a computer genius. If anyone could help him decipher these doodles and initials Eboni could. It wasn’t long before Bern suspected that perhaps Delaney had had help writing and composing his music. Bern and Eboni soon discovered that the initials JoR stood for Josephine Reed. Both Bern and Eboni were determined to discover who Josephine Reed was and what her connection was to Fredrick Delaney. They pledged to not stop digging until they figured out who she was and what she had to do with Fredrick Delaney.
Josephine Reed grew up in Oxford, North Carolina. She was one of several black siblings that grew up playing the piano. Josephine Reed traveled to New York City as a young woman in the early 1900’s with one of her brothers. Upon reaching New York City, Josephine was left to fend for herself. She found herself homeless and living wherever she could hunker down outside. Freddy Delaney was a mediocre musician at best living in New York City also during the early 1900’s. Freddy was in a band but the members of the band were getting more and more exasperated with his timing and ability to play music. One night he was introduced to “Crazy Jo”. Crazy Jo had been at the Alibi Club when Freddy and the band were practicing. She was a pretty black woman but something was off with her. The members of Freddy’s band encouraged her to show Freddy, the only white musician in their band, how his part on the piano was supposed to be played. Freddy could not believe how great she played his part on the piano. He noticed that she didn’t even use the sheets of music to play it. Later that night, when it was just the two of them left in the club, Freddy asked Josephine if she would teach him how to play the piano like she did. That was how Freddy, who later became Fredrick, and Josephine Reed began their relationship.
I really enjoyed the Jazz Age time period that Brendan Slocumb chose for the setting of Symphony of Secrets. I’ve read other books about this time period but none focusing so much on the musicians and the music of that time. As an educator, I have taught many children over the years who were on the spectrum. I even did my practicum for my masters with adolescent autistic children where I developed an after school respite program. The talents and unique qualities that the children I taught with autism possessed ran the gamut. I developed such personal and gratifying relationships with so many of these children. I guess that was part of the reason why I connected so deeply with Josephine’s character. Brendan Slocumb explored racism, controlling behavior, greed, secrets, women’s roles in a man’s dominated society, neurodivergent behavior and deception in his book, Symphony of Secrets. He is a master storyteller and has impressed me with both books he has written so far. I can’t wait to see what he writes next. I highly recommend this book. Publication is set for April 18, 2023.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Books for allowing me to read this ARC of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Brendan Slocumb chose the time period of the early 1900’s in New York City for one of the settings in Symphony of Secrets. It was a time when songwriters were taken advantage of by their music publishers. It was a time in our history when music flourished. Jazz and the Blues were being introduced and played. It was common for bands to perform at clubs and bars for the entertainment of the public. Blacks or the “Colored” as they were known during that time, were limited to the kinds of jobs they were allowed to hold, the places that they were allowed to frequent so they could listen to music and the kind of shops they were allowed to shop in to purchase clothes to wear or other items they wanted to buy. The chapters of Symphony of Secrets alternated between the early twentieth century and present day. Symphony of Secrets told the story of a music professor commissioned by a large Foundation to restore a famous symphony that had been lost and then recovered in present day time and the story of one of the most accomplished composers of the early 1900’s and his acquaintance with a homeless, neurodivergent, music prodigy, black woman.
Dr. Bern Hendricks was presently a black professor of music at the University of Virginia. He had grown up in the Midwest. Bern had been a recipient of the work and generosity of the Delaney Foundation as a kid. They had provided Bern with his very own musical instrument and opened doors for him that had not presented themselves to him before their intervention. Bern became a DF kid. Ever since then, Bern became obsessed with the music of composer Fredrick Delaney. Bern knew everything about Fredrick Delaney and his music, or at least he thought he had. One day out of the clear blue sky, Bern Hendricks received an urgent message from Mallory Delaney Roberts, the director of The Delaney Foundation in New York City. Mallory wanted Bern to come to New York City immediately to work on Delaney’s “Rings of Olympia”. The last symphony, entitled RED, had been lost and never recovered until now. It was recently discovered during a renovation. What an incredible honor and privilege for Bern to be asked to work on restoring this masterpiece! Bern was in awe of Fredrick Delaney and all he had accomplished over a very short period of time.
When Bern began to work on transposing the symphony, he was only allowed to have a copy of it. He was told that the original was being preserved and that he would have access to it as soon as the preservation was completed. As Bern began to examine the pages of the symphony, he noticed strange doodles and the letters JoR on each page. Bern had never seen these symbols on any of Delaney’s other work. He was baffled but curious. Bern called his friend Eboni to help him. Eboni was a computer genius. If anyone could help him decipher these doodles and initials Eboni could. It wasn’t long before Bern suspected that perhaps Delaney had had help writing and composing his music. Bern and Eboni soon discovered that the initials JoR stood for Josephine Reed. Both Bern and Eboni were determined to discover who Josephine Reed was and what her connection was to Fredrick Delaney. They pledged to not stop digging until they figured out who she was and what she had to do with Fredrick Delaney.
Josephine Reed grew up in Oxford, North Carolina. She was one of several black siblings that grew up playing the piano. Josephine Reed traveled to New York City as a young woman in the early 1900’s with one of her brothers. Upon reaching New York City, Josephine was left to fend for herself. She found herself homeless and living wherever she could hunker down outside. Freddy Delaney was a mediocre musician at best living in New York City also during the early 1900’s. Freddy was in a band but the members of the band were getting more and more exasperated with his timing and ability to play music. One night he was introduced to “Crazy Jo”. Crazy Jo had been at the Alibi Club when Freddy and the band were practicing. She was a pretty black woman but something was off with her. The members of Freddy’s band encouraged her to show Freddy, the only white musician in their band, how his part on the piano was supposed to be played. Freddy could not believe how great she played his part on the piano. He noticed that she didn’t even use the sheets of music to play it. Later that night, when it was just the two of them left in the club, Freddy asked Josephine if she would teach him how to play the piano like she did. That was how Freddy, who later became Fredrick, and Josephine Reed began their relationship.
I really enjoyed the Jazz Age time period that Brendan Slocumb chose for the setting of Symphony of Secrets. I’ve read other books about this time period but none focusing so much on the musicians and the music of that time. As an educator, I have taught many children over the years who were on the spectrum. I even did my practicum for my masters with adolescent autistic children where I developed an after school respite program. The talents and unique qualities that the children I taught with autism possessed ran the gamut. I developed such personal and gratifying relationships with so many of these children. I guess that was part of the reason why I connected so deeply with Josephine’s character. Brendan Slocumb explored racism, controlling behavior, greed, secrets, women’s roles in a man’s dominated society, neurodivergent behavior and deception in his book, Symphony of Secrets. He is a master storyteller and has impressed me with both books he has written so far. I can’t wait to see what he writes next. I highly recommend this book. Publication is set for April 18, 2023.
Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor Books for allowing me to read this ARC of Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 30, 2023
Symphony of Secrets is Brendan Slocumb's follow-up his 2022 debut The Violin Conspiracy. Published in 2023, this is a richer novel that returns to the milieu of Western classical music and once again is propelled by a puzzle. This would be a unique sub-genre of mystery/ suspense as is--what if John Grisham had gone to Julliard instead of University of Mississippi Law School?--but Slocumb distinguishes the book further by featuring Black protagonists. Neither the prose or dialogue stand out, but his narrative is so propulsive that after a chapter or two, I was hooked.
The story opens in 1936, sixteen hours before the death of Frederic Delaney, a celebrated American composer. Backstage, Delaney (who reminded me of Aaron Copland if his productivity and global reach rivaled Walt Disney) indulges in his normal performance ritual, opening a bottle of champagne, pouring two glasses before the show and two after. No one knows who this second glass is intended for, and the phantom does not reveal itself backstage.
In the present day, Professor Bern Hendricks of the University of Virginia, considered the foremost expert on Delaney, is summoned by the Delaney Foundation for a hush-hush commission. Bern, who grew up poor in Milwaukee and like many children who couldn't afford otherwise, owes his entry to music to the charitable work of the Foundation. He feels that Delaney was the greatest composer in the world. Among the man's achievements is the Five Rings of Olympia, an opera cycle based on the blue, yellow, black, green and red rings of the new Olympic flag, each ring representing a different region of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas).
The first four operas debuted between 1921 and 1926, but the final opera, RED, missed its delivery date and didn't premiere until 1936. After changing his story, Delaney ultimately conceded that the delay was due to him losing his original draft. Between that boner and the spectacularly bad reception RED received when it finally debuted, Delaney became something of a joke late in his life. Bern hopes that the Foundation has found the lost version of RED and he can help restore Delaney's reputation.
Flown to New York on the Foundation's private jet and put up in an apartment, Bern learns that the long-lost RED has been recovered and that the Foundation wants him to prepare the score for a performance in six months, interpreting what are known as Delaney Doodles, whirls and geometric shapes that usually annotate the music. The recovered RED consists only of Doodles, including a new one that appears to read JaR. To help decipher the code, Bern seeks the help of a colleague named Eboni Washington, an expert in cybersecurity.
Eboni, a native of the Bronx who does not worship Delaney or revere the Foundation, pushes for access to the original document instead of a scan. She and Bern discover that "JaR" is actually JoR. They match this to a Black woman in the Delaney archives named Josephine Reed who accompanied him on his first European tour and was on his payroll. Historians have ignored her. Eboni suspects Josephine was Delaney's mistress, but tracking her people down to North Carolina, Bern and Eboni find a trunk full of never-before-seen Delaney Doodles. It becomes apparent to them that Josephine Reed wrote the music Delaney claimed credit for.
Symphony of Secrets jumps back to 1918 as Josephine Reed arrives in New York and meets a struggling pianist named Freddy Delaney. Josephine is what today would be called "neurodivergent." She is able to translate everyday sounds into colors and music. Often enigmatic, money doesn't seem to interest her and she lives on the street, but is a more skilled, instinctive jazz piano player than Delaney. Starting as his tutor, she's soon sleeping on his floor. Then she shares her ability to compose catchy tunes, which Delaney discovers he can sell, provided they keep her involvement a secret. Delaney promises to split their earnings 50/50.
The fact that I related all of this indicates the novel's strength: it's a damn good yarn. Slocumb--a former music instructor at the public and private school level and a violinist--creates very believable musicians, and their music and lyrics. I tend to dislike novels or movies that fabricate celebrities or their fake work (Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and That Thing You Do! are two of the more credible showbiz films) but Symphony of Secrets is rich in these areas. Five Rings of Olympia has the feel of something incredible and Slocumb describes opera a way that was easy for me to understand.
Like The Violin Conspiracy, this is a modern faerie tale. I was actively rooting for Josephine to break out of the tower she'd been locked in and through efforts past and present, receive credit for her work. Slocumb does a supremely good job of writing a white character who starts out with good intentions, but lives under segregation and is a product of that system. Greed ultimately clouds any moral judgment Delaney might have possessed. The novel is not subtle and I would've preferred if the forces marshaled against Josephine and Bern weren't so melodramatic in their evil. But I was caught up in the tale and wanted to see how good would triumph.
By accident, this is the third book I've read (one non-fiction, two fiction) this spring that deals with masterworks of 20th century art whose full authors or contributors have been lost to history (spoiler alert: a white man received sole credit). The cover art, though it looks a tad generic, is a ring design featuring blue, yellow, black and green, with the fifth ring of the Olympic flag (red) missing, a la the missing opera RED in the novel.
The story opens in 1936, sixteen hours before the death of Frederic Delaney, a celebrated American composer. Backstage, Delaney (who reminded me of Aaron Copland if his productivity and global reach rivaled Walt Disney) indulges in his normal performance ritual, opening a bottle of champagne, pouring two glasses before the show and two after. No one knows who this second glass is intended for, and the phantom does not reveal itself backstage.
In the present day, Professor Bern Hendricks of the University of Virginia, considered the foremost expert on Delaney, is summoned by the Delaney Foundation for a hush-hush commission. Bern, who grew up poor in Milwaukee and like many children who couldn't afford otherwise, owes his entry to music to the charitable work of the Foundation. He feels that Delaney was the greatest composer in the world. Among the man's achievements is the Five Rings of Olympia, an opera cycle based on the blue, yellow, black, green and red rings of the new Olympic flag, each ring representing a different region of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas).
The first four operas debuted between 1921 and 1926, but the final opera, RED, missed its delivery date and didn't premiere until 1936. After changing his story, Delaney ultimately conceded that the delay was due to him losing his original draft. Between that boner and the spectacularly bad reception RED received when it finally debuted, Delaney became something of a joke late in his life. Bern hopes that the Foundation has found the lost version of RED and he can help restore Delaney's reputation.
Flown to New York on the Foundation's private jet and put up in an apartment, Bern learns that the long-lost RED has been recovered and that the Foundation wants him to prepare the score for a performance in six months, interpreting what are known as Delaney Doodles, whirls and geometric shapes that usually annotate the music. The recovered RED consists only of Doodles, including a new one that appears to read JaR. To help decipher the code, Bern seeks the help of a colleague named Eboni Washington, an expert in cybersecurity.
Eboni, a native of the Bronx who does not worship Delaney or revere the Foundation, pushes for access to the original document instead of a scan. She and Bern discover that "JaR" is actually JoR. They match this to a Black woman in the Delaney archives named Josephine Reed who accompanied him on his first European tour and was on his payroll. Historians have ignored her. Eboni suspects Josephine was Delaney's mistress, but tracking her people down to North Carolina, Bern and Eboni find a trunk full of never-before-seen Delaney Doodles. It becomes apparent to them that Josephine Reed wrote the music Delaney claimed credit for.
Symphony of Secrets jumps back to 1918 as Josephine Reed arrives in New York and meets a struggling pianist named Freddy Delaney. Josephine is what today would be called "neurodivergent." She is able to translate everyday sounds into colors and music. Often enigmatic, money doesn't seem to interest her and she lives on the street, but is a more skilled, instinctive jazz piano player than Delaney. Starting as his tutor, she's soon sleeping on his floor. Then she shares her ability to compose catchy tunes, which Delaney discovers he can sell, provided they keep her involvement a secret. Delaney promises to split their earnings 50/50.
The fact that I related all of this indicates the novel's strength: it's a damn good yarn. Slocumb--a former music instructor at the public and private school level and a violinist--creates very believable musicians, and their music and lyrics. I tend to dislike novels or movies that fabricate celebrities or their fake work (Once Upon a Time In Hollywood and That Thing You Do! are two of the more credible showbiz films) but Symphony of Secrets is rich in these areas. Five Rings of Olympia has the feel of something incredible and Slocumb describes opera a way that was easy for me to understand.
Like The Violin Conspiracy, this is a modern faerie tale. I was actively rooting for Josephine to break out of the tower she'd been locked in and through efforts past and present, receive credit for her work. Slocumb does a supremely good job of writing a white character who starts out with good intentions, but lives under segregation and is a product of that system. Greed ultimately clouds any moral judgment Delaney might have possessed. The novel is not subtle and I would've preferred if the forces marshaled against Josephine and Bern weren't so melodramatic in their evil. But I was caught up in the tale and wanted to see how good would triumph.
By accident, this is the third book I've read (one non-fiction, two fiction) this spring that deals with masterworks of 20th century art whose full authors or contributors have been lost to history (spoiler alert: a white man received sole credit). The cover art, though it looks a tad generic, is a ring design featuring blue, yellow, black and green, with the fifth ring of the Olympic flag (red) missing, a la the missing opera RED in the novel.
May 9, 2023
LOVED IT….
….page turning!!
This maestro musical mystery…. was equally …. even a little better ….. as “The Violin Conspiracy”.
From start to finished I was in the palms of Brendan Slocumb’s skillful hands.
“The year 1927 came and went, and no RED. Slowly word began to leak out that Delaney had lost the only full copy of the opera. How was this possible? Opera scores were enormous, thick volumes, written on large sheets of foolscap. This wasn’t a folded napkin, abandoned in a trouser pocket”.
“No sketches. No documentation. Delaney was a bit like Mozart, scribbling, a first draft, copying it, almost verbatim into the final, and destroying the original. He lost the only draft of RED���.
Everyone wanted RED!!!!!
….we (readers) wanted to know where, what, how, and when we would know more too!! The suspense mystery/ and history is totally engrossing — and it’s much more than a mystery…
we hear the musical vibrations….
and feel the novel’s importance….
“The overture in Act I seemed to go well. The audience was silent, eyes on the stage. Rapt. He watched them more than he watched the show: loving the feeling of all these pale faces, eyes, reflecting, his glittering music, all caught like fish in a net, tied up, and this single moment, twisting and dancing, and breathing together. He had them, and his music was keeping them”.
The “Authors Notes” was also moving….
“Sadly, I—a Black man myself—had never imagined that Black composers even existed” . . .
“I thought it would be fascinating to explore the time period of the early 1900s— when the people who were writing chart-topping songs would literally star because the industry stole their music and their voice”.
“For me, Josephine Reed represents precisely that. But she also represents a great deal more. She’s a woman. She’s Black. And she’s neurodivergent. People with differing abilities are very dear to me. My nephew lives with autism, as does my best friends brother. I’ve been privileged to teach many students living with different types of neurological conditions, and a wide range of learning disabilities. Two of my very best students live with autism”.
“As a Black man, I’ve often heard you ‘can’t’ do that. It’s a phrase so many of us hear in our everyday lives. Women ‘can’t’ run as fast, ‘can’t’ conduct a major symphony, ‘can’t’ become a CEO. Some neurodivergent people can’t hold down a regular job or fit into society”.
“We all know that people ‘can’, if they’re given the opportunity and the tools”.
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb— raised in North Carolina, holds a degree in music education. He is a gorgeous, compassionate, exciting to read author.
I’ll read anything new book he comes out with!!!
….page turning!!
This maestro musical mystery…. was equally …. even a little better ….. as “The Violin Conspiracy”.
From start to finished I was in the palms of Brendan Slocumb’s skillful hands.
“The year 1927 came and went, and no RED. Slowly word began to leak out that Delaney had lost the only full copy of the opera. How was this possible? Opera scores were enormous, thick volumes, written on large sheets of foolscap. This wasn’t a folded napkin, abandoned in a trouser pocket”.
“No sketches. No documentation. Delaney was a bit like Mozart, scribbling, a first draft, copying it, almost verbatim into the final, and destroying the original. He lost the only draft of RED���.
Everyone wanted RED!!!!!
….we (readers) wanted to know where, what, how, and when we would know more too!! The suspense mystery/ and history is totally engrossing — and it’s much more than a mystery…
we hear the musical vibrations….
and feel the novel’s importance….
“The overture in Act I seemed to go well. The audience was silent, eyes on the stage. Rapt. He watched them more than he watched the show: loving the feeling of all these pale faces, eyes, reflecting, his glittering music, all caught like fish in a net, tied up, and this single moment, twisting and dancing, and breathing together. He had them, and his music was keeping them”.
The “Authors Notes” was also moving….
“Sadly, I—a Black man myself—had never imagined that Black composers even existed” . . .
“I thought it would be fascinating to explore the time period of the early 1900s— when the people who were writing chart-topping songs would literally star because the industry stole their music and their voice”.
“For me, Josephine Reed represents precisely that. But she also represents a great deal more. She’s a woman. She’s Black. And she’s neurodivergent. People with differing abilities are very dear to me. My nephew lives with autism, as does my best friends brother. I’ve been privileged to teach many students living with different types of neurological conditions, and a wide range of learning disabilities. Two of my very best students live with autism”.
“As a Black man, I’ve often heard you ‘can’t’ do that. It’s a phrase so many of us hear in our everyday lives. Women ‘can’t’ run as fast, ‘can’t’ conduct a major symphony, ‘can’t’ become a CEO. Some neurodivergent people can’t hold down a regular job or fit into society”.
“We all know that people ‘can’, if they’re given the opportunity and the tools”.
Brendan Nicholaus Slocumb— raised in North Carolina, holds a degree in music education. He is a gorgeous, compassionate, exciting to read author.
I’ll read anything new book he comes out with!!!
May 1, 2023
Frederick Delaney was a renowned composer in the early 20th century. He set up a foundation to advance music education. Bern Hendricks is a black music professor who was the recipient of a grant from Delaney’s foundation. He is given the cherished opportunity to authenticate, and prepare for its debut, one of Delaney’s long lost operas. With the help of Eboni, a computer expert, Bern tries to untangle the unique musical notation system used on the pages of the opera. That leads them to Josephine Reed, a young, neurodivergent, black composer who may have been the uncredited composer of the music for much of Delaney’s successful works.
I was happy to find that the author was not a victim of “sophomore slump” after his first novel, “The Violin Conspiracy”. His knowledge and love of music are just as clear in this book. He also has the ability to create original plots (which seems rare in contemporary fiction). I usually dislike dual timeline books, but in this case I was invested in both the Bern/Eboni investigation and the Frederick/Josephine story. The progression of the relationship between Frederick and Josephine was particularly well written. I thought that the story got a little melodramatic towards the end, but I still liked the book a lot. 4.5 stars
I was happy to find that the author was not a victim of “sophomore slump” after his first novel, “The Violin Conspiracy”. His knowledge and love of music are just as clear in this book. He also has the ability to create original plots (which seems rare in contemporary fiction). I usually dislike dual timeline books, but in this case I was invested in both the Bern/Eboni investigation and the Frederick/Josephine story. The progression of the relationship between Frederick and Josephine was particularly well written. I thought that the story got a little melodramatic towards the end, but I still liked the book a lot. 4.5 stars
March 30, 2023
What a great followup to Brendan Slocumbs prior work, The Violin Conspiracy. This book follows the travails of two individuals who are hired to transcribe a newly discovered last symphony entitled RED, by the prestigious Delaney Foundation. The Foundation was started by Fredric Delaney who was the most accomplished and respected classical composer from the 1920-30's. Bern Hendricks is a Delaney expert, and was brought by the Foundation to update the lackluster RED Opera, the last of 5 that he was commissioned to write by the International Olympic Committee. All prior works were masterpieces, as were his regular popular songs of the 1920's. But there are these strange doodles on the manuscript which nobody can figure out until Bern enlists the aid of his Cybersecurity friend Eboni, And now secrets are discovered as we go back in time to meet Josephine Reed a black lady who met Delaney. The pages of doodles contain the initials JoR and the duo try to figure out who JoR is, and then what she meant to Delaney. We go back and forth from the present day travails to the 1920's and the relationship between Delaney and Reed. Who created this music, who owns the music, to whom were royalties paid or not paid. Who owns the music? It is a fascinating look at race, and minorities who have been slighted in their contributions to music and society. It is a wonderful mystery, a masterful tale, and makes me wonder if Slocumb might just be a better writer than musician!! A well done book that realistically takes us back in time and see how society treated blacks, women, minorities and their music. Cannot say enough good things about this book, a well deserved 5***** effort
April 12, 2023
After reading the Author's Note at the beginning of the book I had a feeling I was in for a special read. My instincts were right. Symphony of Secrets really blew me away. One of my favorite reads this year and I am excited to read Brendan Slocumb's previous novel, The Violin Conspiracy.
Dr. Bern Hendricks practically lives, eats, and breathes music. When he is given the chance to work on a top-secret project in which he would authenticate a long lost masterpiece by his favorite composer, Frederick Delaney, he jumps at the opportunity. Despite being an expert in Delaney and his works, he's about to learn a whole lot more.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot but the story alternates between Bern in the present day and Josephine Reed in 1918, a woman who frequents jazz clubs and composes. When Frederick Delaney, a struggling musician meets Josephine, she changes his life.
The beginning of the book which focuses on Bern settling in with his work at the Delaney Foundation was fascinating to me. He was so passionate and I found his excitement contagious as I really got into learning what goes into a task of this magnitude.
Bern and Josephine are Black and race factors into this story in many different ways. Both Josephine as part of the music industry and Bern in a more academic musical field offered unique looks and were stories worth telling.
I'll never do this book justice because I'm just a reader, not a writer. Just trust me, Brendan Slocumb is an author you should add to your tbr list.
Thank you Anchor Books for sending me an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
Dr. Bern Hendricks practically lives, eats, and breathes music. When he is given the chance to work on a top-secret project in which he would authenticate a long lost masterpiece by his favorite composer, Frederick Delaney, he jumps at the opportunity. Despite being an expert in Delaney and his works, he's about to learn a whole lot more.
I don't want to give away too much of the plot but the story alternates between Bern in the present day and Josephine Reed in 1918, a woman who frequents jazz clubs and composes. When Frederick Delaney, a struggling musician meets Josephine, she changes his life.
The beginning of the book which focuses on Bern settling in with his work at the Delaney Foundation was fascinating to me. He was so passionate and I found his excitement contagious as I really got into learning what goes into a task of this magnitude.
Bern and Josephine are Black and race factors into this story in many different ways. Both Josephine as part of the music industry and Bern in a more academic musical field offered unique looks and were stories worth telling.
I'll never do this book justice because I'm just a reader, not a writer. Just trust me, Brendan Slocumb is an author you should add to your tbr list.
Thank you Anchor Books for sending me an advance copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
July 27, 2023
I loved this author’s The Violin Conspiracy.
(See Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).
So, I was looking forward to this one.
The story begins with Dr. Bern Hendricks, a music professor at the University of Virginia being provided an opportunity to authenticate a recently discovered composition from his favorite 20th century composer (fictional) Frederick Delaney. He asks for support from his tech friend, Eboni. What they discover puts them in danger.
In a 1920’s timeline, we meet a homeless Josephine Reed. She meets Fredrick Delaney, a struggling musician. He recognizes her brilliance, and has her as his silent partner.
Are you following where this is possibly going?
How will this affect present day?
Especially the powerful Delaney organization?
Their efforts to collect evidence to solve this mystery may not only threaten the organization, but put their lives at risk.
Bern and Eboni show as savvy, young Black professionals. We experience Bern’s expertise in classical music and Eboni’s excellence in technology and cyber security. When we are in the 1920’s timeline we are quite aware of Fredrick as a struggling young white musician with allusions of grandeur, and Josephine as a young Black woman, on the streets – with the music in her – neurodivergent – an ability to invent a unique musical language of her own. We witness how easily Fredrick takes advantage of her.
How do we feel as readers?
This book is knee deep in themes:
Justice. Greed and power. Friendship. Intellectual property rights. Racism. Physical and emotional abuse. Music. Courage. Persistence. Determination. Beautiful Minds. Oh, and lots of New York Pizza.
Yes, I do want to say the author tackles important issues, such as the social and systemic treatment of the marginalized, as well as racism in the musical world, with tact and grace.
Yet, this was a slow-burning mystery (not very dramatic) that took a long time to build for me. I almost gave up on it twice.
It finally picked up towards the 75% mark.
What? Isn’t that about the time for it to end?
To be honest, that was only because I found myself skipping along. I know…shameful. I just had a hard time finding my way…
Yes, Josephine’s story was compelling. I appreciated Bern and Eboni’s quest for answers. But, having said all this, once I did get to the end, well, did that feel a little over-the-top to you, too?
Or is it a possible reality – or shall we suspend disbelief?
I have questions. Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. That helped me find some answers. 3.5 stars.
(See Review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...).
So, I was looking forward to this one.
The story begins with Dr. Bern Hendricks, a music professor at the University of Virginia being provided an opportunity to authenticate a recently discovered composition from his favorite 20th century composer (fictional) Frederick Delaney. He asks for support from his tech friend, Eboni. What they discover puts them in danger.
In a 1920’s timeline, we meet a homeless Josephine Reed. She meets Fredrick Delaney, a struggling musician. He recognizes her brilliance, and has her as his silent partner.
Are you following where this is possibly going?
How will this affect present day?
Especially the powerful Delaney organization?
Their efforts to collect evidence to solve this mystery may not only threaten the organization, but put their lives at risk.
Bern and Eboni show as savvy, young Black professionals. We experience Bern’s expertise in classical music and Eboni’s excellence in technology and cyber security. When we are in the 1920’s timeline we are quite aware of Fredrick as a struggling young white musician with allusions of grandeur, and Josephine as a young Black woman, on the streets – with the music in her – neurodivergent – an ability to invent a unique musical language of her own. We witness how easily Fredrick takes advantage of her.
How do we feel as readers?
This book is knee deep in themes:
Justice. Greed and power. Friendship. Intellectual property rights. Racism. Physical and emotional abuse. Music. Courage. Persistence. Determination. Beautiful Minds. Oh, and lots of New York Pizza.
Yes, I do want to say the author tackles important issues, such as the social and systemic treatment of the marginalized, as well as racism in the musical world, with tact and grace.
Yet, this was a slow-burning mystery (not very dramatic) that took a long time to build for me. I almost gave up on it twice.
It finally picked up towards the 75% mark.
What? Isn’t that about the time for it to end?
To be honest, that was only because I found myself skipping along. I know…shameful. I just had a hard time finding my way…
Yes, Josephine’s story was compelling. I appreciated Bern and Eboni’s quest for answers. But, having said all this, once I did get to the end, well, did that feel a little over-the-top to you, too?
Or is it a possible reality – or shall we suspend disbelief?
I have questions. Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. That helped me find some answers. 3.5 stars.
April 28, 2024
Rating: 5++
It's always cause for celebration when we stumble across a story that's unique, mysterious and engaging. A person of color, Brendan Slocum was born and educated in North Carolina where he's both played and worked in music education for over 20 years.
We're first introduced to Frederick Delaney, a composer from the 1920's known for his unique, multi-faceted music. Founder of Delaney Publishing, his music merged jazz, opera, rag time and classics. But the pinnacle of his career took form of a tribute to the 5 rings on the Olympic flag titled "The Triumph of the Americas" which astounded critics and enthusiasts. His success as composer and publisher yielded millions and a result, the Delaney Foundation was created for the purpose of fostering music education and to preserve his legacy.
Moving back to the present, we meet Bernard 'Bern' Hendricks, PhD, a black musicologist who's renown for his lifelong commitment to Delaney's compositions. Out of the blue, Bern is contacted by Mallory Delaney, executive director of the foundation who requests his assistance on an important, time sensitive project. Hendricks is flown to the NY offices on the foundation's private jet and is given a tour prior to the conference with Mallory and her colleague. He's told they discovered the original version of RED, one of the most important 'rings' in the "Triumph of the Americas" and seek his expertise to transcribe it for an upcoming performance. Excited, Bern takes a leave of absence from his teaching position and moves to NY to begin. While studying the weathered original, he can't help but notice strange doodling and notations in the borders. In need of a tech wiz and researcher, he contacts Eboni Washington, a long time friend for assistance. Eboni is headstrong and brilliant as well as a remarkable researcher. Of all doodles, the continual repetition of a 'JoR' symbol becomes the question mark in need of an answer.
It turns out that Delaney encountered Josephine Reed, aka JoR, a young black 'bag lady' in the streets of NY as he left a popular jazz haunt. With segregation rampant, he decides to sneak her into his studio apartment where he witnesses a startling music genius. Born with the gift of perfect pitch, Josephine 'hears' music from everyday sounds and writes tunes using odd notations and symbols. Enthralled by her sweet disposition and magical talent, Freddy enhances her melodies with lyrics which they play together as entertainment.
Fred had been hired by Ditmars & Ross, a music publisher, to play tunes at NY retail venues and sell sheet music to those interested. Long hours, low pay and repetitive gigs, Fred grew weary. Seeking change he took several of the tunes he'd collaborated on and sold them to Ditmars as his own. In a move to keep Josephine happy, he convinces Ditmars to break society's rules and hire a black girl for filing. With her spirits high and receiving a small paycheck, Freddy pushed her to write more.
During the deep dive into JoR, Bern and Eboni travel to her birthplace in North Carolina to meet her family. While learning of her history, they're lead to a battered trunk filled with unpublished compositions and sheets of doodles. Like an onion, as they peel each leaf, discovery of facts and circumstances about Frederick Delaney raise suspicions in need of corroboration. It's here that the 'sticky wicket' surfaces when Bern and Eboni find out the foundation is on to their discovery. Rather than spoil the plot, suffice it to say its mind boggling.
Driven by themes of greed, segregation, redemption and truth, the story appeals to our humanity. As the end nears, Slocum shows prowess at mystery genre through addition of an unexpected twist. Without doubt, one of the best books I've read and HIGHLY recommended.
It's always cause for celebration when we stumble across a story that's unique, mysterious and engaging. A person of color, Brendan Slocum was born and educated in North Carolina where he's both played and worked in music education for over 20 years.
We're first introduced to Frederick Delaney, a composer from the 1920's known for his unique, multi-faceted music. Founder of Delaney Publishing, his music merged jazz, opera, rag time and classics. But the pinnacle of his career took form of a tribute to the 5 rings on the Olympic flag titled "The Triumph of the Americas" which astounded critics and enthusiasts. His success as composer and publisher yielded millions and a result, the Delaney Foundation was created for the purpose of fostering music education and to preserve his legacy.
Moving back to the present, we meet Bernard 'Bern' Hendricks, PhD, a black musicologist who's renown for his lifelong commitment to Delaney's compositions. Out of the blue, Bern is contacted by Mallory Delaney, executive director of the foundation who requests his assistance on an important, time sensitive project. Hendricks is flown to the NY offices on the foundation's private jet and is given a tour prior to the conference with Mallory and her colleague. He's told they discovered the original version of RED, one of the most important 'rings' in the "Triumph of the Americas" and seek his expertise to transcribe it for an upcoming performance. Excited, Bern takes a leave of absence from his teaching position and moves to NY to begin. While studying the weathered original, he can't help but notice strange doodling and notations in the borders. In need of a tech wiz and researcher, he contacts Eboni Washington, a long time friend for assistance. Eboni is headstrong and brilliant as well as a remarkable researcher. Of all doodles, the continual repetition of a 'JoR' symbol becomes the question mark in need of an answer.
It turns out that Delaney encountered Josephine Reed, aka JoR, a young black 'bag lady' in the streets of NY as he left a popular jazz haunt. With segregation rampant, he decides to sneak her into his studio apartment where he witnesses a startling music genius. Born with the gift of perfect pitch, Josephine 'hears' music from everyday sounds and writes tunes using odd notations and symbols. Enthralled by her sweet disposition and magical talent, Freddy enhances her melodies with lyrics which they play together as entertainment.
Fred had been hired by Ditmars & Ross, a music publisher, to play tunes at NY retail venues and sell sheet music to those interested. Long hours, low pay and repetitive gigs, Fred grew weary. Seeking change he took several of the tunes he'd collaborated on and sold them to Ditmars as his own. In a move to keep Josephine happy, he convinces Ditmars to break society's rules and hire a black girl for filing. With her spirits high and receiving a small paycheck, Freddy pushed her to write more.
During the deep dive into JoR, Bern and Eboni travel to her birthplace in North Carolina to meet her family. While learning of her history, they're lead to a battered trunk filled with unpublished compositions and sheets of doodles. Like an onion, as they peel each leaf, discovery of facts and circumstances about Frederick Delaney raise suspicions in need of corroboration. It's here that the 'sticky wicket' surfaces when Bern and Eboni find out the foundation is on to their discovery. Rather than spoil the plot, suffice it to say its mind boggling.
Driven by themes of greed, segregation, redemption and truth, the story appeals to our humanity. As the end nears, Slocum shows prowess at mystery genre through addition of an unexpected twist. Without doubt, one of the best books I've read and HIGHLY recommended.
November 19, 2023
A Symphony of Secrets by Brendan Slocumb. The basis of this book was born off of this authors (Violin Conspiracy). I have no read but waiting for availability. It is not necessary to read first. Anyways, this lovely books is about a strong black woman who composes music in 1918. Dual timeline. Strong beautiful characters. Racism which is the premise of this novel and the reason behind why this book happens. Highly recommend. Wonderful storyline.
May 13, 2023
I liked it fine, but it did not have the wow factor that the Violin Conspiracy had. I do respect how much the author writes in the African American lack of equivalency and second class experience in the world of music. In this iteration, a venerated composer actually stole music and built an entire reputation and prolific career based on the natural abilities of a young black girl, who in addition to minority and second class status, may have had some other challenges.
The young genius Josephine Reed, its clear she had a strong case of Synesthesia, although the book never name that term once. Its something that is written about occasionally in books - particularly by authors who carry that specialized experience (i.e. Jenna Blum.) But her synesthesia did not lead to opportunities, in fact it led to what could only be described as mental illness or mental stress, confusion, overwhelm, and the need to continually transcribe to manage the sensory overload. Freddy does love her, but he needs her more. His own narcissism leads him to believe he is actually doing right by her, but he cannot actually see or hear her. Thus reifying the inherent racism.
I had trouble with the current timeline. Isn't always the historical time line so much better? Even if it is indeed everywhere, I cannot abide the idea that are still so racist and evil and murderous, that we would lie, cheat, and steal, to keep certain narratives around that suit us, and for financial gain. I am sure it is true, but it saddens and sickens me to such an extent. I would like to believe we are slowly growing beyond this. But I did feel this part of the story was a little sensationalized. Or maybe we don't sensationalize this kind of thing enough. Or we are over-numbed. Does no one remember anymore that the Governor of Michigan was almost kidnapped? Or that Paul Pelosi was almost murdered to death? So many stories that were shocking at the time but just disappeared. On the other hand, there are people out there doing some pretty great things. There is always the balance of good, the heroic. Our hero and heroine in this story fight to do just that. To make justice when there was none. To make right the wrongs. To claim truth over greed. Maybe I feel a little inured of this fight. Maybe I'm a little sick of it. Maybe I am frightened by the enormity of it. Either way, it didn't perfectly land for me. It felt sensationalized and over the top in places. But I did appreciate the genesis of the story. I definitely appreciated it.
The young genius Josephine Reed, its clear she had a strong case of Synesthesia, although the book never name that term once. Its something that is written about occasionally in books - particularly by authors who carry that specialized experience (i.e. Jenna Blum.) But her synesthesia did not lead to opportunities, in fact it led to what could only be described as mental illness or mental stress, confusion, overwhelm, and the need to continually transcribe to manage the sensory overload. Freddy does love her, but he needs her more. His own narcissism leads him to believe he is actually doing right by her, but he cannot actually see or hear her. Thus reifying the inherent racism.
I had trouble with the current timeline. Isn't always the historical time line so much better? Even if it is indeed everywhere, I cannot abide the idea that are still so racist and evil and murderous, that we would lie, cheat, and steal, to keep certain narratives around that suit us, and for financial gain. I am sure it is true, but it saddens and sickens me to such an extent. I would like to believe we are slowly growing beyond this. But I did feel this part of the story was a little sensationalized. Or maybe we don't sensationalize this kind of thing enough. Or we are over-numbed. Does no one remember anymore that the Governor of Michigan was almost kidnapped? Or that Paul Pelosi was almost murdered to death? So many stories that were shocking at the time but just disappeared. On the other hand, there are people out there doing some pretty great things. There is always the balance of good, the heroic. Our hero and heroine in this story fight to do just that. To make justice when there was none. To make right the wrongs. To claim truth over greed. Maybe I feel a little inured of this fight. Maybe I'm a little sick of it. Maybe I am frightened by the enormity of it. Either way, it didn't perfectly land for me. It felt sensationalized and over the top in places. But I did appreciate the genesis of the story. I definitely appreciated it.
May 6, 2023
Bern Hendricks, a professor of music at University of Virginia, is a brilliant scholar who has idolized Frederic Delaney, the most famous American composer and a man he regards as the best composer who ever lived. As a young, poor Black boy, Henricks was given a chance to develop his musical talent through the belief and support of the Delaney Foundation. Hendricks was a proud "DF Kid". The organization was created to support children like Bern and to protect the legacy of Delaney, whose works in the last years of his short life were noticeably inferior to his earlier works.
Bern is invited by the Foundation to come to New York City to work on the long-lost fifth and final part of Delancey's masterpiece opera, the Rings of Olympia, which was just found. He jumps at the opportunity. With the help of Bern's computer whiz friend Eboni, clues emerge that a Black woman named Josephine Reed may have been involved in the creation of Delaney's music. Could she have been the true composer? Not only would this change everything for Bern but this would be a huge blow to the Foundation and Delaney's legacy. This riveting, dual timeline story takes us back to when Delaney was struggling to create his own music and met Josephine, a person with a unique talent to develop a wide range of beautiful music through absorbing her surroundings and putting it all down in a series of unique doodles.
If you read and enjoyed author Brendan Slocumb's debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, you won't want to miss Symphony of Secrets. It is so creative in its plot and characters, including the special, neurodivergent Josephine and the passionate Bern who wants to ensure that Josephine's contribution to music is not forever erased. And when it comes to historical fiction, I love when New York City is the setting, especially during the Jazz Age with its vibrant music scene. As a mystery, it's a very enjoyable ride.
Many thanks to the author and Anchor Books for the advance copy. You don't need to be a music lover to enjoy this book. But if you are, Symphony of Secrets will be a real treat.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Bern is invited by the Foundation to come to New York City to work on the long-lost fifth and final part of Delancey's masterpiece opera, the Rings of Olympia, which was just found. He jumps at the opportunity. With the help of Bern's computer whiz friend Eboni, clues emerge that a Black woman named Josephine Reed may have been involved in the creation of Delaney's music. Could she have been the true composer? Not only would this change everything for Bern but this would be a huge blow to the Foundation and Delaney's legacy. This riveting, dual timeline story takes us back to when Delaney was struggling to create his own music and met Josephine, a person with a unique talent to develop a wide range of beautiful music through absorbing her surroundings and putting it all down in a series of unique doodles.
If you read and enjoyed author Brendan Slocumb's debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, you won't want to miss Symphony of Secrets. It is so creative in its plot and characters, including the special, neurodivergent Josephine and the passionate Bern who wants to ensure that Josephine's contribution to music is not forever erased. And when it comes to historical fiction, I love when New York City is the setting, especially during the Jazz Age with its vibrant music scene. As a mystery, it's a very enjoyable ride.
Many thanks to the author and Anchor Books for the advance copy. You don't need to be a music lover to enjoy this book. But if you are, Symphony of Secrets will be a real treat.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
July 29, 2023
Symphony of Secrets is a wonderful fictional thriller about a voice the music world tried to silence.
I’d read Slocumb’s debut, The Violin Conspiracy, and absolutely loved it, but I was worried this one would suffer the dreaded sophomore phenomenon. IT DIDN’T. It was just as powerful.
Slocumb’s exploration of people whose voices are silenced takes readers back to the early 1900s when music theft was rampant. People who were composing chart-topping music were often starving because the industry claiming to support them and their dream was stealing their music and voice.
Slocumb proposes that a wildly popular composition is not the work of a famous artist, but rather the stolen work of a homeless, neurodivergent Black woman! His examination of marginalized communities and people who are exploited is eye-opening and the masterful plot he planned to uncover the vital voices we’ve failed to hear is phenomenal and compelling.
I won’t forget Josephine Reed any time soon. Slocumb ensured that she was as memorable as her message.
I’ll be standing on my soap box for the foreseeable future making sure all music fans and thriller lovers hear about this book and put it on their reading list!
I’d read Slocumb’s debut, The Violin Conspiracy, and absolutely loved it, but I was worried this one would suffer the dreaded sophomore phenomenon. IT DIDN’T. It was just as powerful.
Slocumb’s exploration of people whose voices are silenced takes readers back to the early 1900s when music theft was rampant. People who were composing chart-topping music were often starving because the industry claiming to support them and their dream was stealing their music and voice.
Slocumb proposes that a wildly popular composition is not the work of a famous artist, but rather the stolen work of a homeless, neurodivergent Black woman! His examination of marginalized communities and people who are exploited is eye-opening and the masterful plot he planned to uncover the vital voices we’ve failed to hear is phenomenal and compelling.
I won’t forget Josephine Reed any time soon. Slocumb ensured that she was as memorable as her message.
I’ll be standing on my soap box for the foreseeable future making sure all music fans and thriller lovers hear about this book and put it on their reading list!
July 24, 2023
4 stars
This is the authors second book and I have now read them both. I think this book started out a bit slower than Slocumb's first book, Violin Conspiracy, but about 100 pages into the large print edition I was absorbed into the action and characters. This is not a story based on the truth, per se, but fiction based on the quantity of people who's voices are never heard. People who may have lost their way simply because they were not given that 'hand-up' that would have propelled them to the forefront, due to the color of their skin, the fact that they were shy, their fear of change or success, or from simply being told they could not.
I am not musically inclined - I cannot read music, I do not play an instrument, and I certainly do not have musical recall. But Slocumb writes so well that a non-musical person like myself can still get into his stories and enjoy them. Actually the heroine of this novel devised her own musical code and that was a large part of the story.
So whether you are a musical person or not, this story has a great plot, it has great heart, and does a good job of righting the wrongs that go on in the world.
This is the authors second book and I have now read them both. I think this book started out a bit slower than Slocumb's first book, Violin Conspiracy, but about 100 pages into the large print edition I was absorbed into the action and characters. This is not a story based on the truth, per se, but fiction based on the quantity of people who's voices are never heard. People who may have lost their way simply because they were not given that 'hand-up' that would have propelled them to the forefront, due to the color of their skin, the fact that they were shy, their fear of change or success, or from simply being told they could not.
I am not musically inclined - I cannot read music, I do not play an instrument, and I certainly do not have musical recall. But Slocumb writes so well that a non-musical person like myself can still get into his stories and enjoy them. Actually the heroine of this novel devised her own musical code and that was a large part of the story.
So whether you are a musical person or not, this story has a great plot, it has great heart, and does a good job of righting the wrongs that go on in the world.
May 29, 2023
This “symphony” about music and composer(s)—I’m not going to give anything away—was so much fun, and the reason for that was the musical construction and me (editor/writer) getting to decipher it as I read, much the same way the story is a story of deciphering truth.
I read a big fat (433 pages) hardcover library copy, and the joy of that was always being able to see, by my bookmark, where I was in the whole. I was approximately one-quarter of the way into it when I thought I figured out the “what happened,” and I wondered if this was way too early and would there be any mystery or had Slocumb blown his wad too early—exposed plot prematurely? I should not have wondered or worried. Slocumb knew exactly what he was doing. At page 235, a little more than halfway through the symphonic construction, he brings what’s been a lurking threat to the surface—ka-blam!—like a bass line you’ve heard from the beginning but suddenly it takes over, and add the brass section. The good vs. evil nature of the characters becomes operatic, but, hey, opera is music, and this book is a musical composition.
I found myself enjoying this construction as an editor as well as a writer. I suspect people who deal with writing technique and structure have a lot in common with musicians, and it is so much fun to watch this book spool out, revealing themes and undercurrents with symphonic precision.
I’m not usually interested in seeing adaptations of books, but if my hunch is right that author/musician Brendan Slocumb is at least entertaining the idea of adapting this very commercial story about White theft of Black property into another medium—Opera? Musical? Movie?—I’d like to see it. It’s a mass-appeal treatment of such a historically important story that it would be wonderful if it could reach an audience of people who don’t necessarily read 400+-page novels.
_____________
Addendum
The back-of-book Author’s Note is edifying. Don’t skip it. There are so many true stories that inspired the creation of this novel, and one that I love is the fact that junior year of college, author/musician Brendan Slocumb was invited to play the Suite for Violin and Piano by William Grant Still, which he was “dumbfounded” to learn was written by a Black man like himself. Slocumb “had never imagined that Black composers even existed.” (428)
Shocked at the composer’s name, I looked him up to see if he was the same William Still who wrote the 1872 classic The Underground Railroad Records: Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom .
According to a quick Google search, William Still (1821-1902) is an ancestor of William Grant Still (1895-1978)!
This book is full of dramatic concentric circles of fact and fiction. All the more reason to translate this symphony of words into an opera.
I read a big fat (433 pages) hardcover library copy, and the joy of that was always being able to see, by my bookmark, where I was in the whole. I was approximately one-quarter of the way into it when I thought I figured out the “what happened,” and I wondered if this was way too early and would there be any mystery or had Slocumb blown his wad too early—exposed plot prematurely? I should not have wondered or worried. Slocumb knew exactly what he was doing. At page 235, a little more than halfway through the symphonic construction, he brings what’s been a lurking threat to the surface—ka-blam!—like a bass line you’ve heard from the beginning but suddenly it takes over, and add the brass section. The good vs. evil nature of the characters becomes operatic, but, hey, opera is music, and this book is a musical composition.
I found myself enjoying this construction as an editor as well as a writer. I suspect people who deal with writing technique and structure have a lot in common with musicians, and it is so much fun to watch this book spool out, revealing themes and undercurrents with symphonic precision.
I’m not usually interested in seeing adaptations of books, but if my hunch is right that author/musician Brendan Slocumb is at least entertaining the idea of adapting this very commercial story about White theft of Black property into another medium—Opera? Musical? Movie?—I’d like to see it. It’s a mass-appeal treatment of such a historically important story that it would be wonderful if it could reach an audience of people who don’t necessarily read 400+-page novels.
_____________
Addendum
The back-of-book Author’s Note is edifying. Don’t skip it. There are so many true stories that inspired the creation of this novel, and one that I love is the fact that junior year of college, author/musician Brendan Slocumb was invited to play the Suite for Violin and Piano by William Grant Still, which he was “dumbfounded” to learn was written by a Black man like himself. Slocumb “had never imagined that Black composers even existed.” (428)
Shocked at the composer’s name, I looked him up to see if he was the same William Still who wrote the 1872 classic The Underground Railroad Records: Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom .
According to a quick Google search, William Still (1821-1902) is an ancestor of William Grant Still (1895-1978)!
This book is full of dramatic concentric circles of fact and fiction. All the more reason to translate this symphony of words into an opera.
August 1, 2023
I enjoyed this musical thriller, which focuses on artistic ownership and historical revisionism. I learned a lot about the music industry and specifically music publishers and their business model in the 1920's. Josephine is such an interesting character, she is neurodivergent and probably also has synesthesia - a condition where you experience one of your senses through another. Although the writing in Symphony of Secrets feels more polished than in his debut novel, The Violin Conspiracy, I did not enjoy it as much. It felt very drawn out and the ending of the current day story felt over the top with not one nuanced character in sight.
The Story: A young musician discovers a mysterious symphony that has been hidden away for centuries. As he delves deeper into the music, he uncovers a dark and dangerous secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
The Story: A young musician discovers a mysterious symphony that has been hidden away for centuries. As he delves deeper into the music, he uncovers a dark and dangerous secret that threatens to destroy everything he holds dear.
May 29, 2023
Professor of Musicology Bern Hendricks is the foremost expert on the celebrated and revered 1920’s composer Frederic Delaney.
When a long lost manuscript (supposedly by Frederic) is found Bern is engaged by the Delaney Foundation to authenticate it. It doesn’t take long before Bern becomes aware that something is very off about this project, especially as he is never allowed to see the original manuscript.
The first thing we must take into account is that Bern Hendricks is a Black man and Frederic Delaney is white. The Delaney Foundation’s Directors are all white, including relatives of Frederic. Anything untoward about Frederic is not going to be to their liking and all efforts will be taken to suppress any such information.
What Bern is about to uncover is going to put himself and his tech-savvy companion, Eboni, in mortal danger from the Foundation because it doesn’t look good for Frederic. Bern, however, is determined to turn a long held wrong into a right – and give credit where credit is due.
The first 100 pages of this book are slow and I almost gave up until I met Josephine. Josephine is Black and neurodivergent (I had to look up the word) but when she has a chance meeting with the struggling song writer Frederic their lives change forever. There is no way to read this book and not love Josephine.
I’m sure anyone knowledgeable about composing music will eat up this book. So much of it is about musical composition all of which goes right over my head, but even so, once I met Josephine I couldn’t put the book down.
“The Violin Conspiracy” was great read, I liked this one much better.
When a long lost manuscript (supposedly by Frederic) is found Bern is engaged by the Delaney Foundation to authenticate it. It doesn’t take long before Bern becomes aware that something is very off about this project, especially as he is never allowed to see the original manuscript.
The first thing we must take into account is that Bern Hendricks is a Black man and Frederic Delaney is white. The Delaney Foundation’s Directors are all white, including relatives of Frederic. Anything untoward about Frederic is not going to be to their liking and all efforts will be taken to suppress any such information.
What Bern is about to uncover is going to put himself and his tech-savvy companion, Eboni, in mortal danger from the Foundation because it doesn’t look good for Frederic. Bern, however, is determined to turn a long held wrong into a right – and give credit where credit is due.
The first 100 pages of this book are slow and I almost gave up until I met Josephine. Josephine is Black and neurodivergent (I had to look up the word) but when she has a chance meeting with the struggling song writer Frederic their lives change forever. There is no way to read this book and not love Josephine.
I’m sure anyone knowledgeable about composing music will eat up this book. So much of it is about musical composition all of which goes right over my head, but even so, once I met Josephine I couldn’t put the book down.
“The Violin Conspiracy” was great read, I liked this one much better.
March 8, 2023
Brendan Slocumb’s phenomenal first book, the Violin Conspiracy, is followed up by another literary masterpiece. Slocumb combines the historical mystery of the Da Vinci Code with the suspense and intrigue of the Silent Patient to create a page-turner centered around the 1920s New York music world, racism and the extraordinary lengths some people will go to to become famous. One of the best books I’ve read all year!
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Anchor Books and Brendan Slocumb for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Edelweiss, Anchor Books and Brendan Slocumb for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 6, 2023
I enjoyed The Violin Conspiracy but this just didn't work for me.
Firstly, the plot is plodding and predictable from the first quarter of the book. It's really obvious from early on what the plot is going to be and there are no interesting twists or turns to keep it interesting. It's just a slog to get to the ending.
Finally, I found the book's theme to get tiring quickly. I get it, racism bad. I don't need it carefully explained to me over several hundred pages. It felt like a very surface-level engagement, which is strange because The Violin Conspiracy handled the subject matter much more engagingly.
Firstly, the plot is plodding and predictable from the first quarter of the book. It's really obvious from early on what the plot is going to be and there are no interesting twists or turns to keep it interesting. It's just a slog to get to the ending.
Finally, I found the book's theme to get tiring quickly. I get it, racism bad. I don't need it carefully explained to me over several hundred pages. It felt like a very surface-level engagement, which is strange because The Violin Conspiracy handled the subject matter much more engagingly.
June 21, 2023
Another thrilling and thoughtful read from Brendan Slocumb. I loved The Violin Conspiracy and this was a lot more ambitious and complex, I was feeling more and more in awe as I read.
May 18, 2023
A Captivating and Thought-Provoking Thriller
SUMMARY
Professor and scholar Bern Hendricks is an expert on the world-renown composer Frederick Delaney and is asked to authenticate one of Delano’s long-lost pieces of music. The recently found music may be the famous opera titled RED, celebrating the Olympics. Bern is honored and overjoyed to be asked to perform the authentication by the Delaney Foundation. Bern owes his entire career to the Delaney Foundation. But as Bern and his friend, Eboni, discover, things are not quite what they seem. Doodles on the pages of the music seem to tell a different story. There’s a woman that was somehow connected to Delaney, her name was Josephine Reed, and her name keeps coming up.
Delaney, who died in 1936, had been one of the greatest and most prolific composers since Beethoven. Bern thought he knew everything there was to know about the man and his music, but from the doodles on the music pages, he discovers a different truth behind Delaney’s success. It’s a truth that could ruin the Delaney Foundation, and they are not pleased with the discovery.
REVIEW
Symphony of Secrets is a captivating and thought-provoking thriller. It will be a hit with all readers, classical music-lover or not. It’s far too beautifully written and brilliantly plotted, only to be Brendan Slocumb’s second novel.
Slocumb’s writing alternates effortlessly between the present day and the early decades of the twentieth century. The writing builds suspense and delivers a fitting ending with a meaningful message. The characters are unique and well-defined. Josephine and Eboni’s characters are unique, and Bern is a new courageous superhero!
Author Brendan Slocum was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and has a degree in music education with a concentration in violin and viola from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He has been a public and private school educator for twenty years. He serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In 2022, he published his first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, one of the best books of the year.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Pantheon Vintage and Anchor for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Knopf Pantheon Vintage and Anchor
Published April 18, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Professor and scholar Bern Hendricks is an expert on the world-renown composer Frederick Delaney and is asked to authenticate one of Delano’s long-lost pieces of music. The recently found music may be the famous opera titled RED, celebrating the Olympics. Bern is honored and overjoyed to be asked to perform the authentication by the Delaney Foundation. Bern owes his entire career to the Delaney Foundation. But as Bern and his friend, Eboni, discover, things are not quite what they seem. Doodles on the pages of the music seem to tell a different story. There’s a woman that was somehow connected to Delaney, her name was Josephine Reed, and her name keeps coming up.
Delaney, who died in 1936, had been one of the greatest and most prolific composers since Beethoven. Bern thought he knew everything there was to know about the man and his music, but from the doodles on the music pages, he discovers a different truth behind Delaney’s success. It’s a truth that could ruin the Delaney Foundation, and they are not pleased with the discovery.
REVIEW
Symphony of Secrets is a captivating and thought-provoking thriller. It will be a hit with all readers, classical music-lover or not. It’s far too beautifully written and brilliantly plotted, only to be Brendan Slocumb’s second novel.
Slocumb’s writing alternates effortlessly between the present day and the early decades of the twentieth century. The writing builds suspense and delivers a fitting ending with a meaningful message. The characters are unique and well-defined. Josephine and Eboni’s characters are unique, and Bern is a new courageous superhero!
Author Brendan Slocum was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and has a degree in music education with a concentration in violin and viola from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He has been a public and private school educator for twenty years. He serves as an educational consultant for the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. In 2022, he published his first novel, The Violin Conspiracy, one of the best books of the year.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Pantheon Vintage and Anchor for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Knopf Pantheon Vintage and Anchor
Published April 18, 2023
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com
December 9, 2022
I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher.
This is the second novel by author Brendan Slocumb, who is the author of The Violin Conspiracy. This novel moves back and forth between past and present and I thought the dual timelines flowed seamlessly. As with his first self-described "musical thriller", I found his second novel to be very suspenseful, keeping me on edge and not wanting to stop reading until I found out what happened. Both timelines provided me with characters to root for and champion their successes, and villians to root against. As a reader, we are exposed to racism in both timelines, and it was heartbreaking to read about in both storylines.
I loved the descriptions of how Josephine experienced the world and her ways of describing her surroundings with music, as well as her unique names for things, such as the "white torrents". Her story was at times beautiful and at other times heartbreaking. I found myself wishing that the music in the novel was real so that I could experience what Josephine was writing about.
Greed and power play a role in both timelines. I would like to say more here but I don't want to provide any spoilers. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading future novels by this author.
This is the second novel by author Brendan Slocumb, who is the author of The Violin Conspiracy. This novel moves back and forth between past and present and I thought the dual timelines flowed seamlessly. As with his first self-described "musical thriller", I found his second novel to be very suspenseful, keeping me on edge and not wanting to stop reading until I found out what happened. Both timelines provided me with characters to root for and champion their successes, and villians to root against. As a reader, we are exposed to racism in both timelines, and it was heartbreaking to read about in both storylines.
I loved the descriptions of how Josephine experienced the world and her ways of describing her surroundings with music, as well as her unique names for things, such as the "white torrents". Her story was at times beautiful and at other times heartbreaking. I found myself wishing that the music in the novel was real so that I could experience what Josephine was writing about.
Greed and power play a role in both timelines. I would like to say more here but I don't want to provide any spoilers. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading future novels by this author.
June 3, 2023
This is probably the hardest book to rate that I’ve ever read.
I loved the Violin Conspiracy, but the plot of Symphony of Secrets was overly convoluted and unbelievable (yet somehow predictable as well). Yet at the same time, I went to bed last night and I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen next. This was a real page turner, but I often found myself annoyed once I actually turned the page.
The good: I LOVED the author’s note. I almost gave the book an extra star just reading about the inspiration for the book. One inspiration of the book was seeing the recent discriminatory book bans (as well as general discourse related to ownership of art). This was a key theme throughout the book. Additionally, he explained how he was inspired to create neurodivergent characters after seeing how his students had struggled by society’s standards, but had many talents of their own. Oftentimes authors can get very cliche with portrayals of ND characters, but he did a really good job of portraying society’s flaws as opposed to character’s.
It’s clear that Brendan Slocumb is a musician, and that shows in his work. He has such a smooth way of writing about classical music that is not only accessible but also gripping. Like his previous book, he does a good job of highlighting the barriers the Black classical musicians encounter.
It’s also clear that he is not a lawyer, as many of the legal scenes in the book made me cringe. In addition to being unbelievable, a certain character was so inconsistent in their actions that I couldn’t even buy into the caricature that was created. Part of me wishes the book just had a better editor because the heart was definitely there, but the story still felt lacking. The plot could have been really gripping, but instead felt to me more like a melodrama.
Parts of the book were great, but it was a very up-and-down reading experience overall.
I loved the Violin Conspiracy, but the plot of Symphony of Secrets was overly convoluted and unbelievable (yet somehow predictable as well). Yet at the same time, I went to bed last night and I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen next. This was a real page turner, but I often found myself annoyed once I actually turned the page.
The good: I LOVED the author’s note. I almost gave the book an extra star just reading about the inspiration for the book. One inspiration of the book was seeing the recent discriminatory book bans (as well as general discourse related to ownership of art). This was a key theme throughout the book. Additionally, he explained how he was inspired to create neurodivergent characters after seeing how his students had struggled by society’s standards, but had many talents of their own. Oftentimes authors can get very cliche with portrayals of ND characters, but he did a really good job of portraying society’s flaws as opposed to character’s.
It’s clear that Brendan Slocumb is a musician, and that shows in his work. He has such a smooth way of writing about classical music that is not only accessible but also gripping. Like his previous book, he does a good job of highlighting the barriers the Black classical musicians encounter.
It’s also clear that he is not a lawyer, as many of the legal scenes in the book made me cringe. In addition to being unbelievable, a certain character was so inconsistent in their actions that I couldn’t even buy into the caricature that was created. Part of me wishes the book just had a better editor because the heart was definitely there, but the story still felt lacking. The plot could have been really gripping, but instead felt to me more like a melodrama.
Parts of the book were great, but it was a very up-and-down reading experience overall.
March 28, 2023
A well-intended book that was far longer than it needed to be. I have heard nothing but good things about Slocumb's first book, which I am still eager to read; however this story was too long-winded. I liked what Slocumb was trying achieve in bringing attention to the ways in which marginalized artists' work can be stolen by artists in power (primarily white male artists). Still, the storyline was predictable and kept going on and on. Had it been more concise, I think I would have had a somewhat better reading experience-- it is clear Slocumb is a talented writer, but this needed some trimming.
May 2, 2023
This sophomore novel/mystery written by Slocumb had some similar themes as The Violin Conspiracy (which I loved) but was even richer and more complex in all facets. This one contained dual timelines, the earlier one bringing us back to the 1920's scene in NYC. Here we have amazing well drawn kick-ass female characters and a mystery that moved into full gear at the half-way point - and then developed into a real fast paced page-turner by the end. Though I had some initial concerns re. the musical detail contained in the early pages of the narrative - given my complete lack of musicianship - soon enough that dissipated as it was clear it was irrelevant to the drama that unfolded. I love the way Slocumb writes a strong narrative (again, centered in the world he knows best, that of classical music) that stands alone aside from the mystery thread. The story centers around themes of racism, sexism, greed, obsession with fame/power and ownership over an artist's/genius' output. Stellar - even better than his first book.
April 9, 2023
Symphony of Secrets follows Bern Hendricks, a professor, who makes a shocking discovery about the most famous American composer of all time. Determined to right history's wrongs, Bern strives to give recognition to a young Black female composer whose music was stolen and whose story was silenced.
Told using dual timelines, Slocumb builds a story of today juxtaposed against a story set in the Tin Pan Alley era of Manhattan. While the first half of the book was fairly compelling, the pace of the story picked up during the second half and the narrative became more predictable. As I continued reading, I felt less inclined to pick it up and the inevitable nature of the story became clearer. Slocumb relied more and more on telling and using clipped sentences.
However, the character of Josephine Reed, the young Black composer whose music was stolen from her in the 1920s, was fascinating. Her character was thoughtfully crafted and delicately developed over the course of the book. And while there was still plenty of room for her to be more fully fleshed out, Slocumb's own talent with writing and music clearly shines through Reed and her connection to music. In fact, the depth of understanding the silencing of Black voices, and cultural appropriation in general, could've been more fully and deeply explored if the historical fiction story had solely been told from her perspective. Additionally, her language with expressing music involved a great deal of color association, and the intricacy Slocumb could've utilized to build a more emotionally nuanced foundation might have been more effectively delivered by experiencing her world through her lens.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
Told using dual timelines, Slocumb builds a story of today juxtaposed against a story set in the Tin Pan Alley era of Manhattan. While the first half of the book was fairly compelling, the pace of the story picked up during the second half and the narrative became more predictable. As I continued reading, I felt less inclined to pick it up and the inevitable nature of the story became clearer. Slocumb relied more and more on telling and using clipped sentences.
However, the character of Josephine Reed, the young Black composer whose music was stolen from her in the 1920s, was fascinating. Her character was thoughtfully crafted and delicately developed over the course of the book. And while there was still plenty of room for her to be more fully fleshed out, Slocumb's own talent with writing and music clearly shines through Reed and her connection to music. In fact, the depth of understanding the silencing of Black voices, and cultural appropriation in general, could've been more fully and deeply explored if the historical fiction story had solely been told from her perspective. Additionally, her language with expressing music involved a great deal of color association, and the intricacy Slocumb could've utilized to build a more emotionally nuanced foundation might have been more effectively delivered by experiencing her world through her lens.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.
April 25, 2023
4.5⭐️
September 10, 2024
This was oh so well written and it made me oh so angry. I love going starting books without knowing much about them beforehand these days, and man was this just a ride. I didn’t manage to really get into it until the halfway mark but after that it was just rage-powering through it bc what the flipping heck. What the fricking flip.
To think that there are so many minority group musicians and artists and authors of all kinds that never got the recognition they deserved bc of people like Frederic. And not only did he steal!!! (Read the book to find out all the other reasons why we hate him). And the stupid Foundation. And those cartoonish goons?!
All books that bring light to an important topic (racism! sexism! abuse!) are a win for me, and this one did an exceptional job at it as well! (Otherwise, the final quarter of the book was a banger but it didn’t have the final mic drop moment I was hoping it would have).
Justice for Josephine 🎶
To think that there are so many minority group musicians and artists and authors of all kinds that never got the recognition they deserved bc of people like Frederic. And not only did he steal!!! (Read the book to find out all the other reasons why we hate him). And the stupid Foundation. And those cartoonish goons?!
All books that bring light to an important topic (racism! sexism! abuse!) are a win for me, and this one did an exceptional job at it as well! (Otherwise, the final quarter of the book was a banger but it didn’t have the final mic drop moment I was hoping it would have).
Justice for Josephine 🎶
July 8, 2023
Brendan knocked this one out of the park! One of the first things I noticed is the growth in writing from The Violin Conspiracy. I love when I see/read the difference from a debut to a sophomore novel. Many book synopses boast about being a “page-turner,” this lived up to the hype! The dual time periods worked perfectly, and one didn’t overpower the other in terms of one being more interesting. They both held their own, and this book did not feel as long as it is.
I read this book in like 2-3 days and finished on my birthday: what a treat!
I read this book in like 2-3 days and finished on my birthday: what a treat!
March 25, 2023
This went a bit bonkerballs. But overall I really liked it!
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