Customer Reviews

Frozen Music: A Novel

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I loved this book, even though when I had finished reading it I realized it was kind of a glorified romance novel. I was stunned to read on Amazon.com that even though she wrote the novel in English, the author's native language is Swedish. I never would have guessed. I feel fortunate that she did decide to write it in English; had she written it in Swedish, who knows if it would ever have gotten translated and published here.

The story follows two characters, Esther Fisher and Linus Stendal, in parallel, from their childhoods until they finally meet in their thirties. Esther is a headstrong child who grows into a headstrong adult, until she is bewildered by a chain of catastrophic events and has a mental breakdown. Linus is a dreamy child who grows into a brilliant architect. I found myself caring about Esther more than I have cared about a literary character in a long time. I think this is due to a certain realism in the novel; Cobbold has a way with dialogue, and with portraying the way people think and what their motivations are in a very convincing way. She also sets the stage clearly; we spend a good deal of time in the beginning of the novel getting to know who the two main characters are as children, which lends a foundation to their actions later in life. Also, I was able to clearly picture the characters and the settings--the author's love for Sweden shines through and makes the island where major parts of the story unfold seem like a magical place.

I disagree with the readers who said the ending of this book was rushed or not well crafted. On the contrary, this book kept me in suspense until the very end, which in my view is one mark of a good storyteller.

This book shines for its humor and sympathy. I was so engaged in it, and cared about the characters so much, that by the end of it I was crying. It's not a "great" book, or a classic, but it is definitely a worthwhile read.

This is my first book by Cobbold. I love her writing style and her characters - I miss them now that I'm finished the book. The story would have been perfect if the author had spent as much time on the ending as she did in the earlier development. Still a terrifc read.

Really compelling book about two people who hear about each other but don't meet until adulthood, then, of course, fall in love. However, the ending is rushed and unrealistically melodramatic.