Customer Reviews

The Mozart Season

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I picked up this book in middle school, just a year or two after starting to play the violin. (I believe the version I have is out of print now; it's the beige cover with a painted portrait of Allegra playing the violin.) I'm several years into college now and still adore this book. It's not just aimed for a younger audience--it's a very well-written book that anybody, especially music-lovers and musicians (but most especially violinists and string players), can enjoy and get something out of. Each time I reread it, it still manages to surprise me and make me smile--Wolff's writing is incredibly intricate and precise, and she brings Allegra's world to life--there's much more to this book than just music, but it's amazing how wonderfully it all ties together. I highly recommend this book to anybody who's interested--this is definitely one of my favorite books that I've come across.

We picked The Mozart Season by Virginia Euwer Wolff at my mother-daughter book discussion group kind of blindly. Someone had heard good things about it, and we decided to read it. From the moment I read the first sentence, I knew I was going to love this book.
The Mozart Season tells the incredible story of Allegra Shapiro, a twelve-year-old violinist. Her mother plays violin in the Symphony, and her father is an accomplished cellist. Naturally, Allegra picks up her parents' love for music. And she is quite good. She is picked to play Mozart's fourth concerto for violin at the Bloch Competition for young violinists in Oregon. The main plot of the story revolves around Allegra's struggles to master the piece before the Labor Day competition.
But this book is so much more. It also tells of Deirdre, a wonderful but troubled singer who happens to be a friend of Mrs. Shapiro. It talks about Mr. Trouble, a mentally retarded man who is searching for his lost song. It tells of Allegra's struggles to cope with the horror of her great-grandmother's death. But most of all, The Mozart Season tells about Allegra. Allegra's triumphs, Allegra's failures. Allegra's laughs and her tears. And Allegra is one of the most inspiring people I have ever read about.

Uh-huh . . . I don't CARE what anyone else says about this book. This is a book that belongs on your bookshelf. Actually, it shouldn't even be on your bookshelf. It should be by your bed (or where ever you keep books that you read all the time) and not sit in one place long enough to gather dust. I mean it. IT IS NOT BORING, unless you happen to be one of those blond cheerleaders (if so, you have my utmost and deepest sympathy) who is either illiterate or just can't comprehend such a concept as hard work and hard thinking. The Mozart Season is not only funny . . . it's real, smart, and um . . . soulfully staggering. It is definitely on my all-time-top-ten-books-list. You may not want to buy it just right now. Go to your library (you know, that building with all the shelves and shelves of books) and check it out. After you read it a few times, you may just happen to find some meaning in it. Try it . . . please. It is a good book, I promise.

When the book opens with a scene at the symphony where they watch Allegra's mother perform, I got a little lost. But I kept reading and have since fallen in love with The Mozart Season. I first read The Mozart Season when I was fourteen at US Swim meet. It strange--I thought I would go through the book so fast that I brought other books, too, but the Mozart wound up taking all day. Not that I minded. It was the attention to details that got me. There is this image I have of the magnificent rose gardens of Oregon, Allegra's mother's eccentric friend, and Allegra's Bro David. The touch of romance is what did it in for me. In the Mozart Season, I was encapsulated by Euwer Wolff's tone--sheer innocence. It is something I hope to find in my own writing. Ezra, the 14-year-old Allegra meets at the violin competition, was the sweetest thing. His radio dedication to Allegra was the sweetest thing imaginable. Allegra and Ezra made me become a great fan of those radio call-in shows.

Euwer Wolff's syntax made Allegra's personality appropriately precocious. She was only 12, but was going onto 30!!!

I read The Mozart Season at least once a summer. It helps me refocus on the past summer and serves as the structure where I ask myself, what have I learned this summer, as far as I'M concerned. What have I done for myself or others lately? I never clicked with the violin (but rather, a flute), but it is that bond that Allegra shares with her instrument that I once had with my flute and now have with my writing.

Someone wrote that Steve Landauers are non-existent. Well, I've met Steve Landauer-wannabees, which has to be about three times worse!

Unfortunately, the book is now out of print and I'm in the pursuit of a good used copy!!! I NEED one for my nightstand at college!

And a final shout-out to any and all interested males--they can DEFINITELY take a hint or two from Ezra. He's got his act down right.

This book is a must-read.

Allegra Schapiro is the youngest person to be a finalist in a youth violin competition. She spends her summer practicing Mozart's fourth violin concerto, playing in her orchestra, searching for a lost song, and turning pages for other misicians. Getting to know the concerto leads her to thinking about herself. She wonders about religion, her history, why people do certain little things, how can she make the concerto hers? Allegra is a girl you will love, and the people she knows and meets make her summer even more interesting. This is a must read!

I love this book. I play the piano and the violin, and whenever I start a new Mozart, I read this book. The first time I read it I was 12 years old, now I'm 15 and I'm still reading it. Allegra's teacher is amazing, I've learned so much from him. You can't help but get excited about music when you read it. The story is intriguing and beautiful. Allegra is incredible. You can almost hear her play. Her relationship with and feelings about her concerto are very thought provoking. From the very first page, you see the world through the eyes of an incredibly sensitive and gifted young musician. The people she meets and the friends she makes are unforgetable. I recomend this book to everyone, musician or not. I love it.

Omg, this book is DA BOMB. It's my favorite book in the world. It relates to me so well. I am a violinist, and working on Mozart concerto #4, even though I am not planning to enter any compitions. If you are a violinist, it is a MUST read book. Even a musician. It will totally relate to you. It is such an inspiration. I read it every day, so I almost have the book memorized. And I don't ever get sick of it because there are all these details that Ms. Wolff put in there that you didn't read before. It is definitly, (in my opinion) the best book ever written.

I first got this book when I was in grade 6. Now I'm in grade 11 but it is still my favourite book! I think the book is just so beautifully written. It's so young and innocent, yet mature. It's one of the only books I could read day after day. I play the piano and I feel like Allegra sometimes. I loved reading about Allegra's friends. THe "Mr. Trouble" sub-plot is magnificant! I love how Allegra is portrayed as a magnificant musician, yet a down-to-earth normal kid. She's the best of both worlds!

I think this book is interesting because it's about a normal teenage girl who is in a competition and also has other things in life to worry about. She makes the finalist and practices everyday and she meet Mr. Trouble who lost his song for several years and she tries to help him find it. It's a good book and I encourage others to read it.

You dont have to play the violin to love and read this wonderful 249 paged book. As long as music intrests you the slightest bit, you'll enjoy reading this. The story is about a girl named Allegra Leah Shapiro. Thats funny, because AllegrO is a musical tempo and her name is AllegrA. Shapiro, sharp (dont let your instrument be sharp!). This book will grab any reader.

Allegra has many things going on this summer. She has to learn how to play a Mozart concerto perfectly. One day her mother announces that a singer named Deirdre, who's ability to sing is a very good one. Allegra wants to understand her, understand why she gets upset at the littlest things. Her father asks Allegra to turn pages for him one breezy day. She does, and soon after that she gets many calls from other people asking her to turn pages for them. She even gets paid for it! She was turning pages for someone at a concert, and sees a strange man. Deirdre starts to dance with the man. At another concert, Allegra is there with her friends Sarah and Jessica, and Sarah then starts dancin with the man. She asks him his name, and he replies by saying his name is Mr. Trouble. He tells Allegra, Sarah, and Jessica that he has lost his song, called Waltz in Three, Waltz Three, or Waltz Tree. He is determind to find it, and he asks Allegra to help as well.

Along with a letter from her Bubbe Raisa about her Elter Bubbe Leah, Allegra recieves a purse and an explanation to her families history. What is it? Will Mr. Trouble ever find his song? Will Allegra win the Bloch finals? Read this book to find out!