Reviewed by Leah on
The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me is one of the cleverest books I think I’ve ever had the pleasure to read! It’s told with such style, such panache, that I think I’ve fallen a little bit in love with Lucy Robinson (she says, delusionally because I was totally in love with her already). Because the novel is set around the opera-world, the novel is as such set out like an opera would be – or how I presume an opera must be since I have never, ever seen an opera in my life and I would have told you that was absolutely FINE until I read The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me, because now I simply MUST go see an opera. Preferably at the MET in New York. It’s the sort of novel that’s about a subject you would never expect and yet it works in so many ways, and, not only that, it makes YOU passionate about what the writer is writing about! It’s insane! I rather liked the structure of the novel, I can’t say I understood (not being an opera geek) but it made sense, and I liked the back-and-forth, how we saw Sally in the present, hiding in her wardrobe and then going to opera school but then we flashed back to her life as a kid, her stint in New York, etc, how it all came to be that Sally was terrified to sing anywhere other than a wardrobe, yet had somehow mustered the courage to go to an opera school.
To put it simply, the novel blew my mind. I was hooked immediately. The plot is fantastic, utterly fantastic, and I like that we were drip-fed Sally’s time in New York, because as it got to its inevitable conclusion, I was half-looking forward to and half-fearing where it would go next, because Sally’s time in New York sounded SO dream-like, so utterly perfect – working as a wardrobe mistress, falling in love with Julian Bell, spending the summer with her favourite people in the world – her cousin Fiona, who’s more like her sister; her best friend Barry; and the rich and eccentric Bea. It all seemed so perfect that it was like looking at it with a hazy glow, and I was terrified because we knew something had happened, something awful, something so awful that it meant Fiona was in New York, alone, and Julian and Sally had split up, and she could barely face him – which made it all the worse when he walked in to be a tutor at the opera school Sally is a student at. It was like one big complicated ball, slowly being unravelled and I had a lightbulb moment, about 60% into the novel where I knew exactly what had happened and I just found myself hoping and praying that I was wrong, that it was something entirely different. Never have I wished to be more wrong whilst reading a novel.
There is just SO MUCH to say about this wonderful novel! The present day bits set in the opera school are divine – with Sally making her way in a new world, and making new friends in the shape of Helen and Jan Borsos – oh, Jan Borsos! The crazy Hungarian dude, who walked across Europe with one shoe (!!!!!!) to get to the school! Who was married and divorced and penniless by the age of 23, but who had such a love for life, and for singing! I LOVED JAN BORSOS SO MUCH. He utterly captivated me, with his kooky ways. But it was Sally herself who was the real star. I have mucho admiration for everything she accomplishes in the book – after what she went through, even getting to the opera school was a massive achievement and I felt so connected to her, and I wanted to crawl into the wardrobe and sit beside her and tell her that it was totally cool to sing in a wardrobe – she could have totally made that the next big thing! Wardrobe singing! Her journey was the type of journey that makes an opera (at least, I think so) and where when you get to the end you stand up and give her a massive ovation because she’s just amazing. And Julian Bell! Oh, Julian Bell, do I love you, too! I pretty much loved all of the characters, it was the kind of cast where they all brought something to the novel, they all made an impact, and no one did that more than Fiona, or Freckle, as Sally calls her. Their relationship was amazing, through everything, they were each others rock to the best of their abilities and it wasn’t always easy, but that’s what you do with family, you be there.
The book had everything you could ever wish for in a novel! It made me laugh, it made me cry, it had singing in a WARDROBE for Christ’s sake!! SINGING IN A WARDROBE. My mind was blown. The two plots were very well paced, very well thought out and very well delivered, leaving me eagerly wanting more and fearing for more, especially the whole idyllic New York thing that wasn’t so idyllic, but can be viewed that way in parts. If I didn’t already love Lucy Robinson, this would have sealed the deal. She is an author who gets better with every book, and it’s quite amazing to see! The Unfinished Symphony of You and Me is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read, and is definitely up there as my favourite of 2014 without a shadow of a doubt. It will take something pretty bloody special to beat this novel, lemme tell you. It had it ALL and then some. I mean, can’t you tell? This is one of the longest reviews I have ever written, and it was a pleasure to write! I just adored this book all the way through, I was captivated from start to finish, and I was SO SAD to finish it! So sad to say goodbye to Sally, to Julian, to Jan (OH JAN BORSOS, I WILL MISS YOU!!!!), to Fiona, to Barry, to Helen. Even in the deepest darkest parts of the novel, even when Sally was doing stuff that was squirm-inducing like being with her parents, ever, it was such a delight. I can’t wait to get myself the paperback and tuck into this book once more, it’s a TREASURE. Thank you Lucy Robinson, you are the bestest writer, ever.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 20 April, 2014: Finished reading
- 20 April, 2014: Reviewed