The Musician's Daughter (Theresa Schurmann Mystery, #1)

by Susanne Dunlap

In eighteenth century Vienna, Austria, fifteen-year-old Theresa seeks a way to help her mother and brother financially while investigating the murder of her father, a renowned violinist of Haydn's orchestra at the court of Prince Esterhazy, whose body was found near a gypsy camp.

• ISBN10: 1599904527
• ISBN13: 9781599904528
• Publish Date: 1 January 2010 (first published 2 January 2009)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
• Imprint: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: http://bloomsbury.com/Books/details.aspx?isbn=9781599904528

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

I'm not quite sure how I first learned about The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap, but I do know that when I found the book on clearance at Half Price Books I squealed with delight. See I've always wanted to learn to play the violin so I have a soft spot for novels about violinists. I was excited to get my hands on a copy of this book.

Dunlap weaves a tantalizing tale of intrigue right from the start with the mysterious murder of Theresa's father who is a violinist in the Prince's orchestra. From that point forward, Theresa is determined to find out who murdered her father and took his beloved violin. With the help of some unlikely allies, Theresa follows a dangerous trail that uncovers astonishing injustices.

My favorite parts of The Musician's Daughter were the strength and dedication Theresa, the main character, and her devotion to music and her drive to discover the truth behind her father's murder. I also admired Theresa's love and respect for her father.

"My papa had taken me to a public execution once, a little over a year before. 'Look,' he had told me. 'Do not be tempted to glance away. ...' I was already crying before a sing blow was struck. My father took me away, relinquishing our good view to two young boys who were happy to have it. 'Remember this well, Theresa,' he had said. 'There is injustice in this world. Never turn your back on it.'"

I also enjoyed the beautiful names of the characters that Dunlap created. The names seemed fitting and exotic. These were names I have not encountered in literature before. I only hope my inner voice did the pronunciation of names like Mirela, Danior, and Alida justice.

My only wish, as I read the story, was that Theresa be given more time with the music. Music plays a big part in her family's life and she obviously has a passion, ear and talent for it. But the events of the story take place over about a 14 day period, and there were not many opportunities for this to occur.

Overall, I enjoyed The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap. She created a musical world full of intrigue and danger and characters who drive the story forward in an effort to bring justice to those who have been wronged. The Musician's Daughter by Susanne Dunlap receives a thumbs up.

[sstaley]

This book is promoted as a young adult/ historical fiction. It was a wonderful read for any adult who loves historical fiction, a budding romance and a lot of mystery. I was surprised to read on goodreads.com, that many people did not like this book as much as I did. I have found this to be happening with many books I have read lately. I will either like a book more than others or will not like a book as much as other readers do. I really am not trying to be contrary, it just seems to be happening.

The beginning of this book hooked me from the moment I started reading it. Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the book which I found on the author's website...

To read more of my review go to my blog at http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/2010/09/my-review-of-musicians-daughter-by.html