Fiddler's Dream: A Novel [Hardcover]

Gregory Spatz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2006

In deceptively simple prose mirroring the understatement of bluegrass music, Fiddler's Dream tells the story of a young musician of prodigious talent who pursues his dream of becoming one of Bill Monroe's Bluegrass Boys as he tracks the whereabouts of his missing musician father.

"Spatz renews the timeless odyssey of a gifted young man seeking his fortune and his father. With its sure-fingered rhythms and long, gorgeous passages of prose, Fiddler's Dream contains some of the best writing I've ever read about music."-Lan Samantha Chang

"A lovely and evocative story, told with precision and infinite care. This is the best writing about making music since Frank Conroy's Body and Soul."-Mark Childress

"Spatz's control of language and metaphor is masterful. An outstanding work. Read this one!"-Gordon Weaver

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The dream of becoming a Bluegrass Boy in Bill Monroe's band prompts a 19-year-old Vermont fiddler to head to Nashville in Spatz's limpid, earnest second novel (after No One but Us), set in the near past. Jesse Alison was eight when his father, an itinerant guitar player and songwriter, left for the last time and headed South. Gifted and determined as a boy, Jesse excelled at the fiddle (as well as guitar and mandolin), encouraged by Genny, the owner of a local violin repair shop who eventually moved the place to Nashville. When Jesse arrives in Nashville, he looks up Genny, a lesbian now in her late 30s, but is crushed by the news that Monroe is in the hospital (he died in real life in 1996), his best playing behind him. Jesse stays at Genny's house, helps her in the shop and jams at the local Station Inn in the evenings with older and better players. But unfinished family business drives Jesse to seek out his father, now born again with a new wife and daughter, and it is their poignant reunion—set to music—that redeems this folksy narrative from a deliberative lassitude. (Aug.)
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Review

"If you care about music, you'll love this book." -- David Huddle

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Southern Methodist University Press; aFirst Edition First Printing edition (March 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870745085
• ISBN-13: 978-0870745089
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,205,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

GREGORY SPATZ is the author of the novels Fiddler's Dream and No One But Us, and of a story collection, Wonderful Tricks. His stories have appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker, Iowa Review, Shenandoah, and New England Review. The recipient of a Michener Fellowship, an Iowa Arts Fellowship, and a Washington State Book Award, he teaches at Eastern Washington University in Spokane. Spatz plays the fiddle in the JUNO-nominated bluegrass band John Reischman and the Jaybirds. For more info visit: www.gregoryspatz.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A story that transcends music, April 14, 2006

By 

JL Bear (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiddler's Dream: A Novel (Hardcover)

Fiddler's Dream is beautifully written, with wonderfully real and engaging characters, and for some of us, a good introduction to bluegrass music. However, the story goes beyond music. It delves into a young man's recollection of the past, his search for his father, his friendship with an older woman, and ultimately, the search for his own identity.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of the best writing about music, ever, March 26, 2006

By 

Kevvboy "Kevv" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fiddler's Dream: A Novel (Hardcover)

It's very rare that an accomplished novelist is an accomplished musician, but in Greg Spatz we have both. Fiddler's Dream is some of the best writing about the act of making music I've ever read. The story of a young man's search for his father is leavened with the healing power and magic of music. Recommended for all fans of sensitively written, finely observed fiction.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!, August 29, 2006

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Captain S (Gig Harbor, WA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fiddler's Dream: A Novel (Hardcover)

Wonderful book for those who love music and those who play music. Great story and an easy read.