MacLachlan, Patricia - The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt

[oyceter]

Recced and lent to me by double_helix, whom I duly thank, because I very much fell in love with this book.

"Melinda Pratt rides city bus number twelve to her cello lesson, wearing her mother's jean jacket and only one sock. Hallo, world, says Minna. Minna often addresses the world, sometimes silently, sometimes out loud."

It's written in extremely clear and simple language, and yet, MacLachlan manages to describe quirks of character and fleshes out how Minna sees the world in a singularly wonderful manner. Minna Pratt is eleven and searching for her vibrato. Along the way, she would like to know why fact and fiction are both truths, how to have a normal family whose mother does not write all the time, and how to better get to know Lucas, the new boy in her chamber group who does have a vibrato.

In a way, this reminded me a little of Virginia Euler Wolff's The Mozart Season, with the obvious similarities of tying not just music, but Mozart into the lives of young girls trying to figure out themselves and their lives. And I love how music is interwoven into this book -- I can't tell if it's a little remainder of being forced to take piano lessons as a kid, but the familiarity of andantes and allegros and the like comfort me.

There's something about the way this book is written that completely charms me, especially Minna's offbeat views of the world.

"Maybe we'll be fine musicians one day. But there is more.

"I will be a ferret. Your son will be a frog.

"And that is so. Tra-la."

I think that I too would like to be a ferret or a frog some day.

Comments

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I haven't read this book of hers, but some of her other books are family favorites. I recommend Sarah, Plain and Tall and its sequals, and Baby. All lyrical and beautifully written and good books.

[oyceter]

I'm pretty sure I've read Sarah, Plain and Tall some time during my school career, because I vaguely remember it. I should probably pick it up again.

Mozart Season

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I loved the Mozart Season, except it was....well, I wouldn't say preachy in some parts, because it wasn't, but I did have an extreme sense of what the author thought were Important Points that she wanted the reader to Get. That might be due more to its being YA fiction than the author, though. Otherwise I thought it was a really good portrayal of musicians, especially young ones.

Re: Mozart Season

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I searched out and bought a copy of THE MOZART SEASON years after I'd read it--parts of it really stuck with me.

Re: Mozart Season

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

A lot of it's v well-written. Did that author go on to write more books?

Re: Mozart Season

[oracne.livejournal.com]

I've seen another book by her--can't remember the title--and it looked NOTHING like it, in style or plot.

Re: Mozart Season

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

That might've been Probably Still Nick Swansen, which I think was also mildly popular -- she's written a number of other books too. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author=Virginia%20Euwer%20Wolff/104-0850797-9627968)

Re: Mozart Season

[oyceter]

*nods* I don't remember all of it (I picked it up very randomly two years ago), but I do remember really loving the author's descriptions of the music, and trying to play the music.

Re: Mozart Season

[livinglaurel.livejournal.com]

I thought it was also a really good representation of what it's like being a young musician, and growing up in a family of musicians, which was v cool. Although most young musicians do tend to spend a little more time practicing I think, altho' that's hard to write aboout really....

[sophia-helix.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm *so* glad you liked the book. I realized later it's very much a "middle-grade" book, in terms of language complexity, and I worried you'd think it was shallow. But I love that clear, sharp language myself.

And I loved the one you lent me, too, and am now hunting out the sequel. :)

.m

[oyceter]

Oh, I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I'm still amazed by the voice of the book and how MacLachlan creates such a unique tone out of really simple words and sentence structures. Man, I wish I could do that!

I've got the sequel to S&C as well, if you want to borrow.