2.5
The Ghost of Frederic Chopin
ByPublisher Description
An intricately plotted mystery and an engrossing story imbued with the foggy atmosphere of post-Communist Prague, the third book in the Walter Presents Library is a bewitching mystery about a woman who claims to transcribe music from the ghost of Chopin.
Prague, 1995: Vera Foltynova, a widow in her late 50s, claims to receive visits from the ghost of great composer Frederic Chopin. What's more, she declares that Chopin has dictated dozens of compositions to her, to allow the world to hear the sublime music he was unable to create in his own short life. Many dismiss her story as a ridiculous hoax, while others swear that the music has the same beauty and refinement as the work of the dead master.
Ludvik Slany, a secret police agent-turned-television journalist, is assigned to make a documentary debunking Vera's claims. He arrives in Prague ready to uncover a scam, but the more he subtly tries to trick her into giving herself away, the more he begins to think he may be witnessing a genuine miracle...
The Ghost of Frederic Chopin is an engrossing story of music, faith and the ghosts of the past.
Prague, 1995: Vera Foltynova, a widow in her late 50s, claims to receive visits from the ghost of great composer Frederic Chopin. What's more, she declares that Chopin has dictated dozens of compositions to her, to allow the world to hear the sublime music he was unable to create in his own short life. Many dismiss her story as a ridiculous hoax, while others swear that the music has the same beauty and refinement as the work of the dead master.
Ludvik Slany, a secret police agent-turned-television journalist, is assigned to make a documentary debunking Vera's claims. He arrives in Prague ready to uncover a scam, but the more he subtly tries to trick her into giving herself away, the more he begins to think he may be witnessing a genuine miracle...
The Ghost of Frederic Chopin is an engrossing story of music, faith and the ghosts of the past.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Ghost of Frederic Chopin Reviews
2.5
“I could not get past the main character we were following. Their point of view was very skewed as it took place in Prague while the paranoia of Communism was still present. Even though it says the book takes place in 1995, the timeline jumped around so much under the guise of flashbacks and also years in the future towards the end. I’m not opposed to time jumps but these jumps felt very random and were not woven into the plot or scenes well at all. The character we were following, as he was uncovering a potential paranormal mystery, was almost too biased. I understand using perspectives and experiences from characters with all types of background and opinions are part of the messages the author is trying to send, but with this character it seemed to make no sense to me. I was also expecting some autumnal atmosphere as mentioned in the synopsis but maybe a whole 2 sentences throughout the entire book said anything about an atmosphere let alone one for autumn. There was one scene that explored the theme of death that got extra stars from me but everything else just felt disjointed, confusing, unearned, and disappointing. As this book is translated, maybe some stuff was not translated well or maybe it was the author’s writing but either way I don’t really recommend this one. Had a really cool premise but did not deliver😑”
About Eric Faye
Éric Faye is a journalist and prize-winning author of over twenty books of fiction, essays and travel writing. For his fiction he has been awarded the Deux-Margots Prize and the Grand Prix du roman from the Académie Française. The Ghost of Frederic Chopin is his eleventh novel.
Other books by Eric Faye
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