Now, back to Virtuosity. I could just rave about it and go on and on about how much I loved it. But that's not going to help much in explaining why. As I said, the prose was amazing. It was well thought out, lyrical when it came to speaking about music but also very well-balanced with humour.
Iron fists, it turned out, come in all shapes and sizes. This one had a French manicure.Carmen was a strong character who knew what she wanted and that was to win the Guarneri competition. The one person who could just as easily tear it away from her was Jeremy. It didn't help when the two started to get involved with one another. Yet no matter how smitten she was with him, her goal was never far from her mind, so her adoration was mixed with repulsion. And that was what made me believe her. Years she toiled at perfecting the violin. Wanting to become the best violinist in the world also was what allowed her to slip into drug abuse. She became dependent on Indernal to take care of her nerves.
Virtuosity thus presents the journey of a world-class musician and how far she would be willing to go to be the top of the class. I thought the books was fascinating and there were twists I did not for the life of me expect. They stole my breath, left me steaming mad and when I closed that book at the end, I was positively sad that I didn't have more left to read.
Regardless of whether one knows music or not, Martinez made Virtuosity accessible to anyone. There's no excess of music jargon but there were enough musical references that those who do know know music will especially appreciate.
Carmen's mother Diane was also integral to the plot, not only as Carmen's mother but also as her agent. I definitely appreciated the presence of a prominent adult figure, even if I didn't agree with some of her methods. She gave Carmen everything she could possibly think of to help her to achieve greatness as a classical violinist. She also made provisions for a private tutor, so when Jeremy came into Carmen's life, there obviously was conflict because 1) he was someone who could distract her, and 2) he was the prime competition. Nonetheless, I liked that even though there were strong undertones of romance, music was what drove the plot first before the romance did. That is something that I particularly appreciate when it comes to contemporary fiction because I'm interested in the protagonist's life as a whole and their passions. If I'm in the mood for romance, I'll grab a book based on romance.
Oh and one other thing I liked was Carmen's reference to her Catholic faith, or lack thereof. Personal beliefs are something that aren't featured enough, so that added a plus point too in rounding up the character of Carmen, whose voice packed a whole lot of punch as well.
Clark offered to drive me with all the subtlety of a sumo wrestler in ballet shoes.Besides the story itself, Virtuosity also offered a fair bit of thought. Jeremy brought up the difference in judging between female and male competitors. Females can be quiet and withdrawn which makes them look demure and sweet but the same attitude in males makes them look weak. Such interspersed commentary helped break up the varying parts of the book and slow things down a little for me to savour.
I wanted to protest. I was a musician, not an actress. Smiling on command made me feel like a pageant contestant, and I wasn't vying for Miss Illinois.Such internal monologues showed the feisty side of Carmen who didn't just want to accept everything at face value. They also conveyed humour to lighten some of the heavier aspects of the plot. Also, to me, they portrayed the difficult side of Carmen's position, where she had to always put on an act to please others, no matter how much or how little she was into her performances. Overall, that is why I absolutely adored Virtuosity: the heart and soul that sprung out of it.
This review is also available on dudettereads.com.