From Publishers Weekly
Former opera singer Cowell, whose previous novel (1997's The Players) explored the apprenticeship years of a callow Shakespeare, turns her eye to the women in the life of a young Mozart in her fourth graceful and entertaining historical. Music copyist Fridolin Weber and his socially ambitious wife, Marie Caecilia, have four daughtersβbookish and devout Sophie; quiet Constanze; beautiful, silver-voiced Aloysia; and headstrong Josefaβwhom they struggle to keep in hats and hose. Though the freethinking girls may wonder about the benefits of marrying well vs. marrying for love, Caecilia, whose family once had money, is terrified of growing old a pauper. Pinning her hopes on her prettiest daughter, 16-year-old Aloysia, Caecilia aims for a Swedish baron as suitor (though she keeps a list of backups in a notebook). Aloysia falls in love with the young Mozart, however, who happily returns her affections, though he, too, wonders about marrying better to support his father and beloved mother. But when the Webers move to Munich from Mannheim, Caecilia's hopes for good matches begin to dim, as Josefa takes a married lover and a pregnant Aloysia runs away with a painter who, along with Mozart, had been boarding with the family. As Mozart progresses in his career, he has relationships with the other Weber sisters, too, and falls alternately in and out of favor with their bitter old mother. Told through the recollections of an aging Sophie, the tale is as rich and unhurried as 18th-century court life.
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From
Cowell's novel portrays Mozart as a passionate, determined young man and focuses on his relationships with the four Weber sisters. Mozart first meets Fridolin Weber, a music copyist, and his four daughters when he and his mother arrive in Mannheim. The second eldest girl, Aloysia, captivates Mozart, who finds her singing talent is matched by her beauty. Against the wishes of his mother, Mozart proposes to Aloysia, but he can't marry her until he makes his fortune. His dream is to be able to compose operas for a living, but when Idomeneo closes after just a few performances, Mozart is forced to beg the arrogant archbishop of Salzburg for a position. Aloysia, who dreams of fame and fortune as an opera singer, elopes with a portraitist. Mozart is heartbroken, but little does he know that true love lies with another Weber sister. As much about the four Weber sisters as it is about Mozart, Cowell's novel is an engaging look at Mozart's colorful world and his struggles during his early twenties. Kristine Huntley
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