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Sleeping with Schubert

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
It seems that the legendary composer Franz Schubert is alive—well, sort of—in the twenty-first century: His soul has taken up residence in the body of Brooklyn lawyer Liza Durbin. Even more astonishing, so has his prodigious gift. A mediocre pianist at best as a child, Liza can suddenly pound out concertos and compose masterly music out of the blue. But how can a brilliant male Austrian composer from the nineteenth century coexist in the everyday life of a modern American woman? And how can Liza explain what’s happened to her without everyone thinking she’s gone off the deep end?
Fortunately, the evidence is tangible, and Liza is soon brought into the esteemed halls of Juilliard under the tutelage of the revered—and feared—Greta Pretsky, a humorless woman whose only interest in Liza is her channeling of Schubert. Greta’s greedy for her next big star, and the entire New York City press is whispering of Liza’s brilliance as the public awaits her debut at Carnegie Hall. Even Liza’s boyfriend, Patrick, seems more in love with her than ever.
Yet as Liza yields to Franz’s great passion, her own life and identity threaten to elude her. Why was she chosen as the vessel for this musical genius—and when, if ever, will he leave? Their entwined souls follow a path of ecstasy, peril, and surprise as they search for the final, liberating truth.
A strikingly original novel, Sleeping with Schubert plays on years of speculation regarding Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony.” Bonnie Marson’s extraordinary imagination supposes that Schubert cannot truly die until the mystery is solved—even if it means being resurrected in the body of a deceptively ordinary woman. Filled with drama and humor, this irresistible novel explores love, genius, and identity in ways that will engage and amaze readers.
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    • AudioFile Magazine
      A story as light as a bubble needs a reader who can keep it shimmering in the air. Staci Snell does it beautifully. The premise: Attractive, high-spirited Liza Derbin suddenly (and incon-veniently) finds herself sharing her body with the spirit of Franz Schubert. She's never been a musical genius before; Franz has never been an American, or a lawyer, or a young woman before. Liza has a zany family, a tumultuous love life, and an up-for-anything personality. Snell's performance is full of wit and sympathy for her predicament, and equally deft with the myriad other voices. Except for the publisher's odd claim of "Including the music of Franz Schubert" (30 seconds of the Trout Quintet at the fade-out), this is a thorough delight. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 29, 2004
      Off-key simulations of classical music, celebrity journalism and human relationships flatten first-time author Marson's high-concept chick-lit novel about a cranky 21st-century Brooklyn lawyer possessed by the titular 19th-century Viennese composer and pianist. Protagonist Liza Durbin is succinctly introduced as a 30-something with worldly and otherworldly concerns. But Marson's reckless use of analogy ("The music followed a wild course, carved through stony walls, bathed in icy waters") and adjectives ("Her deep brown eyes doubled in size, and her pumpkin-bright hair bristled") gets in the way of her storytelling. Liza is first visited by Schubert when she sits down at a department store piano; her family soon persuades her to take her unusual skills public ("I say make a CD today so if it goes away tomorrow, it's not a total loss"). Her meteoric rise to stardom is chronicled in mock newspaper articles and television transcripts, broad parodies that strain for effect. Narrative suspense and emotion emerge as Liza's Carnegie Hall debut approaches and her on-again off-again boyfriend Patrick bridles at sharing Liza with Franz, but a heroine whose life change brings inadvertent weight loss and battles with a shallow, gorgeous kid sister may remind readers of warmer characters by Jennifer Weiner and Jane Green. Marson is at her best in capturing the power of music to transform and (literally) inhabit performers and composers, but this is a brittle, overworked debut. Agent, Richard Pine.
      (June)

      Forecast:
      Marson's novel is likely to have a hard time finding a readership: chick lit readers may be thrown by the elaborate conceit, and classical music enthusiasts are unlikely to go for the girly stuff. Film rights have been sold to Paramount, though, which gives the book a chance for extra exposure.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Accomplished actor Michelle Santopietro makes a perfect Liza Durbin, a Brooklyn attorney who inexplicably finds that composer Franz Schubert has been channeled into her body. Capturing Liza's confusion, hysteria, and sense of humor, Santopietro brings alive Marson's imaginative novel in a wonderful production featuring the late composer's work. While the abridgment is choppy at times and Santopietro is a bit weak when reading characters other than the narrator, her rendition of Liza, coupled with Marson's gift of storytelling, makes this package as entertaining as the novel is original. Even Schubert weighs in occasionally on Liza's escapades, with a charming, elderly--though unidentified--voice. H.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

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