Customer Reviews

Sleeping with Schubert: A Novel

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SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT is easily a five-star effort and I was going to write a glowing review until I picked up the paper this morning and read Ms. Eugenia Zuckerman's review of SCHUBERT in the Washington Post Book Work. Since it is so much more elegant than anything I would have written, I suggest that you read her beautiful words which are a direct reflection of how I feel about Ms. Marson's wonderful novel:

Reviewed by Eugenia Zukerman
Sunday, July 4, 2004; Page BW08

SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT

By Bonnie Marson. Random House. 382 pp. $21.95

Someone said that writing about music is like dancing about architecture, so wouldn't it be ironic if a visual artist, attempting her first novel, could not only skillfully describe creating and playing music, but also fashion characters and a story about it that are utterly enchanting? Well, say Hat's Off! to Bonnie Marson. Sleeping with Schubert is a dazzling, touching, funny and original tale. Marson's tone is pitch perfect, her storytelling is both polished and surprising, and her ability to make her characters as zany as they are lovable is alchemic.

While visiting her parents in California, Marson's heroine, a lawyer named Liza Durbin, suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to play the baby grand she spots near the shoe department at a local Nordstrom's. Having had only a few lessons in grade school, she gives a performance that is nothing short of miraculous. "I watched my fingers hurling, twisting, and dancing wildly, amazed they didn't pretzel up on me," Liza recalls. "Then came a light and lilting part pulling on strands of melody remembered from the beginning. The ending left me tear-drenched." Luckily her father witnesses the astonishing event, at the end of which his daughter passes out and a doctor is summoned. Back at their home, her father shares the news with his wife, and Liza attempts another performance for both parents. The miracle, like lightning, strikes again. Her father says he's shocked, to which her mother replies, "Our daughter does something brilliant and you're shocked? What's wrong with you?"

Back in Brooklyn, Liza hopes for normalcy, but she is aware that "something was inside me that didn't belong, phasing in and out unpredictably." That something turns out to be Franz Schubert, who can't communicate with words, but whose panic is palpable to his host, confronted as he is by a new century and new technology, not to mention having to share a body with another being. Liza struggles to stay in control, but soon she is turning up at work in bedroom slippers. Liza tells us that Franz's "thoughts were colliding with mine, and my attempts at solid thinking crumbled like cake." She takes a leave of absence from her law firm and retreats to the bosom of her quirky family, all of whom by now know of Schubert's invasion and not only believe it, but completely embrace it. Liza's parents begin to think of themselves as Joseph and Mary. Her sister Cassie, who once worked in PR, sees her as a media event yearning to happen. As Cassie puts it, "Liza is the genius from nowhere, a late-blooming wonder. She represents hope for millions of people who believe they've got great stuff inside them."

Marson's portrayal of the relationship between inhabiter and host is both hilarious and moving. Franz is no passive phantom. He gets his own postscript at the end of each chapter, such as "ein fantasticher Traum! . . . A fantastic dream!. . . . When I reached for the keyboard -- Dear Lord! -- my hands had sprouted red fingernails. I am mired within this frightened creature. Can she even hear when I scream my name?"

It seems that Schubert has returned because he has unfinished work to do. And when he begins to write a new sonata, Liza, his moving hand, rebels. "One stack of pages filled up with new music," she reports. "Franz soared on, energized and ecstatic. Exhaustion crept into my bones, but he ignored it. The experience was too seductive. We could get lost in it. I suddenly realized that I had to make it end. . . . I screamed in our head to drown out the music. No response. I tried to put down the pen . . . . Franz showed no mercy." Neither, once the word leaks out, do TV and newspaper journalists, but there are family, friends and fans to support Liza during a debut concert and over the bumps of the ensuing joy ride.

Marson's writing is delectable, with endless original descriptions such as, "Ilsa Shales resembled a mother in the way topiary might remind you of an animal." And this redolent image of a rainy New York: "The city resembled a flushing toilet." Her plot takes many twists and turns, weaving triumphs and betrayals, surprises and suspicions through concerts, recordings and travels. There is much high comedy and even a satisfying soupçon of gravitas. But to write too much about a delicious book is to risk compromising its flavor. Suffice it to say that Sleeping with Schubert is a complete delight. *

Eugenia Zukerman is a flutist, writer, arts correspondent for CBS TV's "Sunday Morning" and the artistic director of the Vail Valley Music Festival in Vail, Colo.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy this fantastic novel!!!

I hesitate to use too many superlatives for fear of not being credible, but here goes anyway: This book is the funniest, most entertaining, gripping, exciting, and pleasurable story I've read in ions. My only criticism is that it wasn't longer as I didn't want the pleasure to end. While at first the story might seem somewhat contrived, Marson's creative brillance brings it off seamlessly. I didn't find any great spiritual lessons or philosophical insights here; rather, enjoyment was what I gained. I can't remember anything I've ever read that made me laugh out loud as much, somewhat embassingly when I was reading the book in public. The protagonist's sister is a stitch, as are all other members of her family. I was thinking how the novel would end, and I was expecting some humdrum denourement, but even there I was rewarded with a surprisingly touching and emotional close. Here's my hope: I hope that Bonnie Marson is not a one-time wonder. I'll buy whatever she writes next, but this book is a tough act to follow.

Sleeping with Schubert is one of those rare books that takes you to a new place in your thinking . . . and helps you see potential where you didn't know it exists. Every time I would start to feel like the book was about to fail me, Ms. Marson would kick in with just what I was looking for. I suspect that Sleeping with Schubert is just the beginning of a very successful career for someone of such original talents.

On the surface, the book may not sound special. A woman suddenly finds herself sharing her body and mind with Franz Schubert, and able to write music and play the piano like him. Naturally, there are complications. How is she to explain this to others? How should she run her own life? How does she share more intimate and embarrassing moments with a man who has been dead for many years? Those complications are treated in as humorous a way as you can imagine. I find myself often reminded of the better moments in the Stephanie Plum novels, except with the setting being among the upper crust in the world's great concert halls and conservatories.

The book evolves naturally into how Schubert would see today's world, and what he would think of our music since then. Also, what musical tasks would he want to pursue? As a music fan, I found this part of the book to be especially delightful.

The book is both goofy and endearing. That's a hard combination to achieve, and I was most impressed by the results.

At the end I was left with the thought that I probably have unfinished business in my life. Why don't I just get on with it and finish that business? After all, one never knows what tomorrow will bring!

This book is not some simple light "possession" tale. Nor would I call it "Chick Lit". This is a completely original story that is both charming, amusing, probing and romantic about a woman who suddenly finds herself to be someone other than herself. "Inhabited" by Franz Schubert, she struggles with the awkward and often comic intrusion of his brilliant talent, but also the realization that her own uniqueness may be getting short shrift in the equation. The scenes are powerful and often funny. The balancing between personas is cleverly managed.

Through this bizarre relationship with Schubert, our heroine, reevaluates relationships with her boyfriend, parents, sister, old friends, at the same time she and Franz are coping with some of his unfulfilled passions and needs. There are some great surprises, and some very emotional moments.

There's much to be learned about music and those who live in that rarified world.

There are some awesome scenes towards the end that will translate into a very powerful movie. This book was pure joy.

I am a singer, have sung Schubert leider and his choral masses. A fellow singer recommended this book to me and I was eager to read it. Because my son attended Juilliard and performed in Carnegie Hall, I enjoyed the descriptions of the protagonist's experiences there. This book is a complete fantasy, and as such, should have been a novella, not a 300-page novel. About 2/3 of the way through I began to get tired of the premise of the story and the characters themselves. I haven't finished reading it yet, so don't know the outcome, what is going to happen to Liza, and I'm not sure that I care much. The book is just too long, and the fantasy, charming at first, has worn thin for me.

Franz Schubert returns...don't miss him! [Reviewed June 24, 2004]
I highly recommend SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT, a first novel by Bonnie Marson, as a well-written, thought-provoking, humorous and intelligent work of fiction that leaves the reader with goosebumps and an irresistable urge to go out and buy some Schubert CDs. Basically, Liza Durbin, a spirited young lawyer, becomes inhabited by the spirit and talent of Franz Schubert. Although the intriguing idea of having Franz Schubert as a second identity sounds like a bit of a stretch, Marson's inspiration to extend and nurture this surrealistic notion works because she presents a story replete with wit, fascinating plot lines and wonderful characters. Having Schubert as an alter ego may sound exciting, but consider: you are never alone! Never! Intimacy is only possible if you don't consider three a crowd.
The protagonist's voice is genuine, funny, vulnerable and sharp. Initially light-hearted in its examination of sudden musical talent, the novel's tone gradually shifts as the double-edged blade of fame impacts Liza's life.
The power of music to unite is a moving subtext. Coupled with Liza's evolving sensibilities, there is enough here to lift this work far above the customary summer offerings. Again - highly recommended! Hard to believe this is Marson's first!
Reviewed by Burgess Needle;
Former Co-Director Southern Arizona Writing Project

Others have analyzed the story line in detail, so I will not bother to repeat. As a fellow first time author (Secrets Are Anonymous--a comic mystery)I search out other first time authors. Sleeping With Schubert blew me away. Bonnie Marson took treamendous risk with a concept truly unimaginable--and pulled it off! Challenge the reader to contemplate the incomprehensible--and then pull them in until they are part of the celebration--fully engaged, cheering, and fearing the ending. But, as she does throughout, Marson gently challenges, and then let you down gently, but surprised. I only hope that Sleeping With Schubert receives the acclaim that of The Lovely Bones received. Both authors took a risk in introducing and examining an inner spititual relationship/experience--but only Marson convinced me.

There should be a set of reading instructions: Buy the CD of Sleeping With Schubert and play it while reading the novel the first time. Then, buy the CDs of the pure piano renditions and play them while you read the book the second and third times (it's worth it). Then, make a list of your five best friends, and send them the book and CDs. They will love you forever.

Frederick Cullen

I loved this book -- couldn't put it down. The descriptions of the music, how she and Franz come to terms with each other, and how she learns to embrace creativity and see the world through new eyes are well worth reading. I was sorry to have it end, and I look forward to more from this author.

I was completely captivated by this book from the beginning until its end. The author's wit and intelligence are apparent throughout. The storyline is imaginative and the storytelling is couldn't get much better. It has been a long time since I had as much fun reading a book. Order this book for yourself and, while you're at it, order additional copies for your friends.

Congratulations to Bonnie Marson on a superb first novel.

Make no mistake, this is classic "Chick Lit", with the requisite wise-cracking heroine, Liza, a thirty-something Jewish lawyer from Brooklyn Heights. In addition there is the required on again, off again boyfriend, a male best friend (no, not gay this time around), a yenta mother, a shallow but gorgeous competitive sister who wears size 11 shoes (the only thing taking away from her perfection),and a rather happy-handed brother-in-law, who Liza's sister stole away from her.To complete the a la Bridget Jones picture, instead of daily reports on cigarettes consumed, and pounds lost and gained, at the beginning of each chapter, we get weekly reports written by Liza's psychiatrist. One day, while hitting the shoe department in Nordstrom on a visit to her parents in California, Liza discovers she is inhabited by the ghost of Franz Schubert. Suddenly her world is turned upside down. She quits her lawyering job and has her debut at Carnegie Hall. She is a wunderkind who has never had piano lessons beyond tinkering in the second grade. But now she is the grand interpreter of the music of the great Schubert. The classical music world is taken by storm. Is Liza the real thing, or an imposter? The author skewers modern life - the talk show, advertising, music critics, Juilliard music professors - as we wonder has Schubert, perhaps returned to finish the Unfinished Symphony? Along the way we learn virtually nothing about Schubert's life and music. In fact, until half way through the book(page 200 or so), not one word is said regarding his background at all. In a series of dreams Liza shares with Franz, we get the tiniest glimpse of his life. But if you are reading this book, hoping to learn something along the way, forget it. The writing can be quite pedestrian at times, e.g. "The Hotel Imperial is a huge, ornate pastry. The exterior is held up by more columns than there are pigeons to poop on them". But there are some laughs between it's covers, so give it a try if you are in need of a good beach read this summer. But if you should miss it, don't despair. It's apparently been optioned by those cultural whiz-kids in Hollywood.