Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey by Perri Knize Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey
Book Review: Excellent book, but I feel sorry for her husband
Summary: 4 Stars
Well, I learned more about what makes pianos wonderful and unique than I ever thought I would know. I also discovered that the perfect piano sound is incredibly illusive. And the writing is really spectacular - lots of turns of phrases that made me stop and admire Ms. Knize's literary skills. The number one thing I discovered, however, is that Perri Knize's husband must be a saint, because she's so obsessed with the perfect sound that it seems like nothing else in her life matters. He should get pages and pages of credit for putting up with it. There should be a suffering husband chapter, in fact.Book Review: Portal to a Secret World
Summary: 5 Stars
I was unable to put Perri Knize's book down, but this is not necessarily a book for everyone. If you are already passionate about pianos, and have an endless desire to play the most refined and equisite instrument you can find, then opening the covers of this book is like stepping into paradise. If you are fascinated by tales of obsession or enjoy exploring complex worlds normally hidden from public view, you may also find this book hard to put down.
Perri is perfectly suited to write this book. First, she is a writer, a journalist, and a researcher. Her story is marvelous just for the information shared, but her skills as a writer and her unique experiences make her story a real life action thriller.
Here is a book for the serious piano lover where all secrets are revealed. Her guides to this complex, often secretive, and usually closed world include many of the most sought after experts in the field. And they line up to help her in her quest. In the end they together find answers and begin to work together to help her recover the lost sound of her "once" in a million piano. Having walked through many of these doors and met some of these characters in my own piano journey, I can vouch for the accuracy of the details, the descriptions, the atmosphere, and the emotions of such a journey. This is about as real as it gets.
Perri is gradually taken into a world most of us may never even realize exists. It's not just that these doors are normally closed to the public, they are often invisible. Along the way there are high speed car chases, secret formulas, semi-abandoned industrial buildings with workshops of modern day alchemists, delicate negotiations, and a growing cast of visionaries who join her quest to transform this fractured puzzle of isolated geniuses, experts, and keepers of lost traditions into a coherent and unified public record. All of this points to a special time in the history of the piano; we are in a period of rebirth and advancement after years of decline.
Just a few of the related books and links of interest to readers of this book: The Piano Shop on the Left Bank; Piano: the making of a Steinway concert grand; The Frederick Piano Collection web site (Ashburnham, Masachusetts), and The Piano Book.
Book Review: Wonderful journey . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Another wonderful tale of what music and the piano can mean to someone. I'm a 50-something student of piano who's been taking lessons for just one year. By comparison to Perri I probably have a tin ear. I don't know if I could comprehend the frustrations she felt, but I expect I will never know the degree of joy her odyssey led to as well.
If you liked Carhart's "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank" or Adams' "Piano Lessons--Music, Love & True Adventures," then you will love "Grand Obsession: A Piano Odyssey"
Book Review: Spiritual musical journey
Summary: 5 Stars
While not overtly religious, Grand Obsession is a highly spiritual book. It is an expert combination of factual reporting on the fascinating art and science involved in crafting fine pianos as well as a testament to the artists and artisans who have dedicated themselves to producing beautiful sounds.
The author tells her own story as well, and her own rapturous experiences with music resonate highly. Even if you're not a pianist, this is still an excellent book; it is for anyone who has been moved by music.
Book Review: Grand Obsession resonates
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are uncertain about buying this book, and given all the raves about it a little doubt is a natural reaction, read the Prelude: From a Tree in the Forest which begins the story by telling about the felling of a European spruce in an Austrian forest--the beginning of a piano. (Unfortunately, this section is hard to find on the web unless you have a Kindle.) I don't know how the ordinary words on a page can convey such a sense of immediacy or why it is such a compelling story, but the book is all about the resonance between people and music, between what seems inanimate and what is alive, between people and people.
It is people who generously guide Perri Knize on her quest to solve the mystery to the remarkable sound she once heard from her piano. Fellow pianists, tuners, store owners, restorers and manufacturers, scientists and even doctors of medicine. The quest is wide ranging as the questions open more and more avenues to explore. Ms. Knize is not a dilettante, however, for the book is a search for an answer not an encyclopedia. She never loses sight of her goal. Wanting answers, she travels geographically and intellectually in many directions. I think that it was her passion that opened doors to her; doors that I would expect to be closed to the simply curious. It was a passion for the information that she shared with these very busy specialists, people who themselves wanted to tell their story to someone who could hear. I feel that she has opened a window for me into another world: one that I can look through and respect and begin to understand what is taking place outside my frame of reference.
The specialists as a group are characterized by highly divergent opinions for there is no one way that we all think or hear. Yes, we may recognize the distinct notes of a scale...perhaps even correctly name them. But, with all the overtones and subtle nuances of sound we don't hear the same thing.
So, if you are not grabbed by the Prelude, perhaps this isn't the book for you. Fortunately, we're not all passionate about the same thing.
Incidentally, it was great to read this book on the Kindle. There are many, many people in Grand Obsession. Many of them have names not easily recalled by a mono-linguistic English speaker such as I. The search feature was great for refreshing my memory. I also used the Wikipedia feature to pursue composers, pianists, and other information. Then, there were the bookmarks, notes, and highlights that I placed at different points--all of them available at the click of a button.