The Piano Lesson by August Wilson Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $5.89 You Save: $7.11 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.29 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Piano Lesson
Book Review: A MASTERPIECE, A Marvel! says JLS
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a PLAY to be read aloud! The power and brilliance is not only in the theme but in the pacing and rhythm of the dialogue. The character of Boy Willie comes to life when his words are spoken. On the page, he "speaks" rapidly and, sometimes, in an exuberant jumble of passion, rage, and confusion -- as he tries to convince his sister to sell the family piano so he seek his dream. When spoken, Boy Willie is an exciting man, so caught up with his one chance for success, that his words just flow. August Wilson is my favorite playwrite, too. I heed the advice from one of my teachers. A play is NOT a play until read aloud. Take a risk! Even if you are alone, read The Piano Lesson aloud. You won't sound silly. Act out all the parts. Don't deny yourself this masterpiece!Book Review: A closer look at reality
Summary: 5 Stars
The Piano Lesson is my favorite play. The language is very surreal and heartwarming at the same time. It also gives us a closer look at reality; the reality African Americans have endured for decades. Boy Willie wants to sell an antique piano that was once owned by his ancestors. He wants to buy a land his parents had once worked as slaves. His sister, Berniece, refuses to give up the piano -- it has a sentimental value that she cannot let go. But it is the piano itself that teaches the family an important and valuable lesson about the importance of family history and the need for future opportunities.
This is a piece of literature that cannot be overlooked. August Wilson is a master storyteller!
Book Review: A lot of words for a ghost story
Summary: 2 Stars
In August Wilson's play, "The Piano Lesson", there are some good points and there are some bad points, but mostly boring points. The story just did not seem to be able to keep my attention. I will discuss the parts that i thought were good first. I thought that August Wilson described the piano and its carvings on it extremely beautifully. The way he portrays the family's heritage within the piano is fantastic. What i especially loved was the symbolism of the stealing of the piano. He had made it seem like that if Sutter still had the piano, that the Charles family would still be bound to him. But on INDEPENDENCE DAY(!) they stole the piano from him, thus symbolically liberating the family. The stealing of the piano gives an extra significance for the Charles family to July fourth.
The beginning and the end of the play were very interesting. They were easily the most exciting parts of the book. I found it interesting to find out about the history of the family and how the piano was sacred to them. The end surprised me. I never expected Willie to get into a fight with the ghost of Sutter.
Now for the boring parts. Well, saying that the beginning and the end of the play were the most exciting, actually isn't saying a whole lot. The book just could not hold my attention at all. The only interesting points were the first and last ten pages. The 80 pages in the middle all seemed to have the same theme. That theme was that Willie and Berniece would get into an argument over the piano, then a few pages down the road it would be the same argument all over again. The other events that occured within the middle of the play seemed very insignificant. Lymon seemed to me like an unimportant character that could have been eliminated. Grace had no importance at all, but to fill up pages within the book.
"The Piano Lesson" seemed to me to be a very boring book at many points, although it did have its bright spots. This would make a much better short story than a play or a long book.
Book Review: A perfectly crafted masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
August Wilson's subtly brilliant work examines the manner in which an African-American family copes with its past. The central character of the play--the piano--is a pictoral history of the family, carved by a woodcarving ancestor from the families slavery days. The fascinating confrontation between Berniece, who cherishes the piano, and Boy Willie, who wishes to sell the piano and use the profit to buy the land their family tilled as slaves, gives the reader a thought-provoking dilemma. Should one cling to the past or use it to make one's future?Although it seems Berniece is right, there is something in Boy Willie's exuberant pursuit of the American dream that makes the reader respect and enjoy his character, despite his imperfections. Mr. Wilson succeeds in creating characters with virtues, flaws and noble goals with which we can relate.
Trumancaro@aol.com
Book Review: A play full of conflict and self-observation
Summary: 4 Stars
This can be an enjoyable read for anyone. Wilson's language and dialogue is beautiful. Descriptions of the piano are gorgeous and Wilson does a good job of making an inanimate object seem almost mystical. This is a play that should be read by everyone, regardless of race. It deals with many racial issues, however the main conflict between Boy Willie and Berniece is something that anyone can have an opinion on. I personally thought that both Boy Willie and Berniece had good points and one could sympathize with either of them, but their arguments tend to hide the truth to both of them, and possibly to the audience. The end of the play is a revelation to them both, and can be to the reader as well. Regardless of your background, you will enjoy this play as it deals with the importance of hard work and the betterment of one's life, contrasted with the significance of history and ancestry - issues that anyone can relate to.