Subway Sonata [Library Binding]

Patricia Lakin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2001

The New York City subway provides inspiration for a writer, a composer, a choreographer, and a painter, taking them in four different artistic directions.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-Lakin's ambitious effort produces somewhat spotty results. During their Monday-morning commute, a writer, a composer, a choreographer, and a painter all converge in a crowded subway car and are inspired by the sights and sounds that fill it. The different works of art that result reflect unique interpretations of the same scene. In the end, each artist's creative vision reaches the others-the painter reads the writer's book, the choreographer attends the composer's concert, etc. Maione's lively color illustrations suit the setting; her New York subway car is crowded and dirty, and produces an almost audible din. Her passengers travel with dialogue balloons overhead, which add to the raucous mishmash of activity. Seasoned users of public transit will recognize a lot of what they see here, from harried businesspeople to a brazen nose-picker. The book's message-that inspiration is everywhere-is a good one, marred only by some text that is a little weak; Lakin encapsulates each artist's progress in short, unsubstantial declarations such as "I just have to keep believing in myself" and "This artist-is very talented." Overall, though, this creative collaboration makes a nice statement.

Catherine Threadgill, DeKalb County Public Library, Atlanta, GA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (September 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761314644
• ISBN-13: 978-0761314646
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,903,529 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Real New York City Book, May 21, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Subway Sonata (Library Binding)

This book has a real New York City feel. The author knows why artistic types are drawn to the city as a place to live and to be inspired by, and she knows the subway: who rides it, what it smells like, the noises it makes. The illustrator, too, "gets" the subway, the way people sit or stand, what they carry and wear. On the train, the riders' thoughts are in little balloons above their heads. I liked the juxtaposition of lofty thoughts, of a composer hearing sounds or an artist taken by a particular face, and mundane musings like, "I think I forgot to brush my teeth." The surprise of the book, for me, was the way the author brought the four disparate characters, an artist, a composer, a dancer and a writer, together at the end. The dancer goes to a concert and happens to hear the composer's new piece (Sonata for the Seventh Avenue IRT); the artist reads the writer's book to her daughter, etc. Only the reader knows these four were riding the subway together at the beginning of the book. This clever conceit makes New York seem like a small town, which in some ways it is.