The Piano Tuner
18 March 2021Synopsis
'Engrossing . . . The reader falls under the spell that the author is weaving, surrendering to the story's exotic magic' – The Times
Discover this exquisitely told story of adventure and enlightenment from the bestselling author of North Woods, Daniel Mason.
White. Like a clean piece of paper, like uncarved ivory, all is white when the story begins.
London, 1886. One misty afternoon, piano tuner Edgar Drake receives an unusual request from the War Office: he must leave his quiet life and travel to the jungles of Burma to repair a rare grand piano owned by an enigmatic army surgeon.
So begins an extraordinary journey across Europe, the Red Sea, India and onwards, accompanied by an enchanting yet elusive woman. Edgar is at first captivated, then unnerved, as he begins to question the true motive behind his summons and whether he will return home unchanged to the wife who awaits him . . .
'A virtuoso tale' – The Observer
'Remarkable' – The New York Times
'Intriguing and alluring' – The Guardian
Details
18 March 2021
9781529053821Reviews
Engrossing . . . the reader falls under the spell that the author is weaving, surrendering to the story's exotic magicThe Times
Remarkable . . . a novel that immerses the reader in a distant world with startling immediacy and ardorMichiko Kakutani, New York Times
A virtuoso tale, cast in the Burmese colonial wars of the 1880s . . . Mason [adds] a depth of quirky historical knowledge and a feel for the brutal politics of colonialism, to create a complex and subtly imagined adventure . . . with echoes of other books: Heart of Darkness, of course, and A Handful of Dust . . . a highly dextrous and involving performanceObserver
Intriguing and alluring . . . those strange images of Europe meeting the east, of the east engulfing Europe, linger like a haunting tuneGuardian
