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Buy The BookA brilliant female musician lost to history. Another woman’s quest to ensure she is not forgotten.
THE FIRE CONCERTO
Clara Bishop hasn’t touched a piano since a concert hall fire nearly took her life a decade ago, ending her career as a rising star in the world of classical music. Significantly scarred and unable to play, she has turned away from everything and everyone associated with music, especially her ruthless mentor Madame, whom Clara blames for her injuries.
Her life is upended when Madame dies, leaving Clara an unexpected inheritance: an ornate nineteenth-century metronome with a cryptic message hidden inside. Convinced this is not a gift but a puzzle Madame wants her to solve, Clara comes to suspect that the unusual bequest is the long-lost metronome of the composer Aleksander Starza—a priceless object missing since 1885, when Starza was murdered by the brilliant female pianist Constantia Pleyel.
As Clara works to uncover the metronome’s haunted past and protect it—and herself—from those who wish to obtain it, she discovers that nothing about Starza and his murder are what they seem. History has remembered Constantia Pleyel as an unstable artist who killed Starza in a fit of madness. The truth could rewrite the history of music—and give Clara the second chance she has been longing for.
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"The Fire Concerto is a mesmerizing story of passion, suspense, and heartbreak. In a remarkable feat of the imagination, debut novelist Sarah Landenwich portrays three women across time whose ardent pursuit of music brings them joy and devastation. Their stories have stayed with me long after I reached the final page."
—Lauren BelferNew York Times bestselling author of And After the Fire and Ashton Hall -
"With lyrical prose and rich period detail, Landenwich's intricately plotted novel blends music, madness and mystery into one gorgeous debut. The Fire Concerto reminds us of the passions and perils of those touched by genius, and the universal longing we all have to be loved."
—Alyson Richman bestselling author of The Time Keepers -
“What happens when what we love to do is no longer good enough? When we’ve narrowed our lives on achieving greatness, and one day, that house burns down? What are we left with, and how do we recover from the scars? The Fire Concerto by Sarah Landenwich is a thrilling mystery, full of history, musicology, humor, and suspense. But what emerges in these pages is so much more, with so many layers beneath. Landenwich lands this novel perfectly.”
—TaraShea Nesbitbestselling author of The Wives of Los Alamos and Beheld -
"A lyrical and compelling meditation on the power of music, The Fire Concerto is a propulsive literary thriller and an impressive debut."
—Silas HouseNew York Times bestselling author of Southernmost and Lark Ascending -
"This is a brilliant debut, filled with remarkable and haunting characters, gorgeous scenes, and enthralling writing about music on par with James Baldwin’s masterpiece Sonny’s Blues."
—Paul Grinerauthor of The Book of Otto and Liam
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Signed and personalized copies available from Carmichael’s Bookstore in Louisville, KY.