Jul 28 2006
REVIEW: Mozart’s Wife by Juliet Waldron
Dear Mrs. Waldron,
After reading your latest book last year (Independent Heart), I had to wait for the publisher to reset the type on Mozart’s Wife before it was available in paperback form.
It’s not a romance book but does tell the love story of Mozart for his darling little wife and of Stanzi Marini for him. It also takes you back to Germany, Austria and Prague in the 18th century to watch the trials their love undergoes, the bitter jealousies, the constant worries about bills and money, the heartbreak of losing four of their six children and the horrible toll on Constanza’s health. She’s been alternately reviled as a woman who wasn’t worthy of her genius husband and praised for her efforts to ensure that his musical legacy lives to this day.
This book shows a middle ground probably closer to the truth. It also immerses the reader in the day to day struggle to survive in those times and offers another possibility to explain Mozart’s mysterious death and burial. I like that neither Mozart nor Constanza is turned into a villain and both their strengths and
weaknesses are presented. Details of daily life and of the two leads show your years of research and deft touch to fill in where facts are lacking.
Though it’s not a feel good book with a HEA, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent reading it while playing Mozart’s immortal music as a background accompaniment. B for you.
~Jayne
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Jul 28, 2006 @ 08:29:12
I have this one in the TBR pile. Also bought her other book as I remember you saying you liked them both.
Jul 28, 2006 @ 09:26:43
I just added this book to my want to read list. I thought I would point out that if you liked this book enough, you might also like “Marrying Mozart” by Stephanie Cowell. I read it earlier this year (late last year?) and I thought it was enjoyable.
Nov 16, 2006 @ 14:56:00
Thanks so very much for your comments, Jayne! It took a long long time to write this book and many years of research. Whenever I hit a bump, that is, something that didn’t fit in with my preconceived notions about Wolfgang and his Stanzi, I would sit back and digest for days–weeks–whatever it took. Slowly, understanding would come, and I’d accept something more about my “character’s” (and my own!) humanity. I think that’s why the story smacks of “true,” rather than “fiction.” I love the Late 18th Century, on either side of the Atlantic, and after reading a lot of what was, for those people, contemporary works, I think I got inside the appropriate world view. Like all authors, am proud of all my books, but Mozart’s Wife is the darling of my heart.
Nov 19, 2006 @ 08:10:31
Juliet it’s good to hear from you. I’ve been checking your website for any new books you’ve got in the works. Can I look forward to something else from you? Thanks for stopping by.