Customer Reviews

Second Fiddle: Or How to Tell a Blackbird from a Sausage

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Second Fiddle is told from the point of view of Mags Clarke, aspiring writer. Mags comes across a girl playing a violin in the woods one day - a girl with remarkable musical talent. Her name is Gillian, and soon Mags takes it upon herself to help Gillian along with her quest to go to a famous (and expensive) school for musicians. But as Mags writes in the beginning, "This story is mainly about me. It was going to be mainly about Gillian, but I have to admit that, when it comes down to it, I find me more interesting."

This was the best book I read in all of June. What captured me from the very beginning of this book was the voice the author gave to Mags as the narrator. Mags was smart, honest, and she felt completely real. It seemed as if the story was actually being written by this imaginative young girl. With its lovely descriptions and witty humor, Second Fiddle was an altogether delightful read.

As a mother who screens everything her 11-year-old American daughter reads, I always get a kick out of books that reference Enid Blyton. It's a shame Ms. Blyton is not more widely read in the United States, but "Second Fiddle or How to Tell a Blackbird from a Sausage" by Siobhan Parkinson was just going to be another-girl-finds-best-friend-who's-very-different-from-her book until it was obvious that Ms. Parkinson enjoyed the same books I did growing up! The book is written to have been written by Mags, speaking alternatively as Gillian - so the set-up of the book is pretty intriguing already. Some parts of the book reminded me of Maeve Binchy and Franck McCourt, which is hardly surprising, since the author is Irish and the story set in Ireland. What I really liked about it is how this is not just that this book stands alone - but that the ending is not exactly predictable, and not exactly joy-in-the-air happy. It's a little like Irish lager, actually: bitter-sweet yet smooth! Said daughter, in her sunny way, enjoyed the book on a completely different level:

"The book, 'Second Fiddle or How to Tell a Blackbird from a Sausage' by Siobhan Parkinson was a funny story about Project Manhunt, a project like no other. I thought that the book (Mags in particular) was also very original.

"Mags is new to the neighborhood and already she's made her mark. Gillian is not new at all and yet she and her brother live in a tree house when they are not at home with their opera-singing mother. But when Gillian needs money for her audition in England, the two join forces to find Gillian's father. But will Mags and Mira...I mean Gillian, find her father? Or will Gillian miss her one and only chance to get into the Yehudi Menuhin school in England?

My favorite part was when Mags decided not to get a ride from the bus driver who was driving a car because she wanted to please her mom. But when she got home soaked in sweat from running all the way home, her mom said she *could* take rides from bus drivers! I thought that was very funny and ironic because Mags went through all that trouble, and, then her mom said she could have taken the ride.

"I would definitely give the book five stars: one for being a book everyone can laugh at, two for the funny way Mags wrote the book, and two for the plot of unexpected friendship and trust."

I love this book! The voice is strong; the internal dialogue is hilarious. I definitely recommend it.

Bartosz Chodor NEST+m 08E
Second Fiddle by Siobhan Parkinson is not a very good fiction book. The plot, although it has some twists, is cliché and barely keeps the reader interested. The writing style is decent, and it makes up for the bad plot.
The book starts when Mags Clarke meets Gillian Regan in a forest in rural Ireland, and Gillian invites Mags to drink tea. This meeting allows the rest of the story to flow through. As their friendship progresses, Gillian invites Mags over to her house and tells Mags her dream: to audition and study in the Yehudi Menuhin school, a world famous music school. Because the school is in England, however, funding for the flight is a problem. The two children come up with the idea of asking Gillian's father for money, and there the plot takes a twist. Once Mags locates Gillian's father, who is living in a different town, she asks him for funding. Sadly, Gillian's father refuses, saying that it is too much money. Gillian is left without a way to get to England, and Mags cannot help her. This "cliffhanger" barely interests the reader enough to continue reading.
Ms. Parkinson's writing style makes up for the cliché plot and allows the book to be passed off as "alright." She describes most details in sensory language, and clearly lets the reader know what is happening. Through her writing, the events and characters come alive and seem very realistic; nothing in this book is awkward. The language she uses in her writing makes the book interesting; expressive words such as vital, porridge-faced, and strategy get the main character's opinions out in a laughable and fitting way. Finally, none of the events go too quickly or too slowly; the book flows smoothly.
Overall, I rate this book three out of five stars. The plot is cliché and for the most part uninteresting, although it does have a few twists. The writing style saves this book from a one out of five stars rating, and improves the story by a great deal. Still, I would not recommend this book for anyone to read, as I barely stayed interested myself.

Mags has moved with her mother to a new area after the death of her father and is walking through a strange woods when she comes across a girl practicing the violin. The two become friends and Mags convinces Gillian to help find her absent father to travel to England to audition to a prestigious music school. The friendship evolves even as control issues arise in this moving story of music, loss, and getting along.