The Mozart Season is a surprisingly brief book concerning a young and marvelous violinist, Allegra Leah Shapiro, who is quite outstanding and skillful at music. By virtue of possessing these impressive skills, she was selected from a field of eighty-five to engage in the Ernest Bloch Competition for Young Musicians of Oregon and play a Mozart concerto. But great honor comes with great sacrifice. Allegra must spend the rest of her summer in the company of this concerto, attempting to play its most accurate version, as to honor the former writer of this composition; the eccentric, troubled, and young Mozart. Throughout this peculiar summer, young Allegra will evolve not only into a more respected musician, but also into a more sophisticated, mature, and confident individual. Far and wide this novel Shapiro will experience the repercussions of her ancestry and its legacy to her, the struggle of commemorating a piece and its compositor instead of overpowering him, the encounter of an odd woman who’ll help her initiate in her endless journey of finding herself, a lost man restlessly seeking his lost song, among other miscellaneous yet innovating undertakings. I’m going to say right off the bat that I found this book thought-provoking yet tedious, dull, and monotonous. I couldn't stand Allegra and the slow progress made in both her music and the development of her reflections or thoughts. This book was hard to grasp without being easily distracted or falling asleep, in behalf of how the author lacks the strength and will to hook or engage the reader into the story or the evolution of its plot and characters. I take my hat off for the clever way in which she plays with words, and the way she Capitalizes Some Words is rather amusing. And also the proper use of italic is absolutely relishing. Despite the fact of having a witty word choice, and a great message to the reader in the surface, the author didn't manage to thread these fine ideas into neither captivating words or plot. Although of the things afore mentioned, I must give credit to the author for taking her time in describing and defining musical terms to help the reader understand and keep up with Allegra’s advanced music knowledge. This gave the story a polished impression. My verdict? A fine, thought-provoking book, but undeniably not one of my favorites.[This review was published on my Teen Ink account. To visit this page, and check my review on this Teen magazine with Editor's Choice award, please click here.]As to avoid comments claiming I didn't write this! Thanks. :)
Though this novel begins slowly, it is a beautifully written effort that really wows. Allegra Shapiro looks forward to the summer after 7th grade, since softball is over and she can get back to concentrating on violin. Then her music teacher tells her that she is a finalist (and the youngest one) in the Bloch competition for young musicians, which will be held in September. This staggering news colors Allegra's life from then on, and the transformations she goes through during the summer, in response to a variety of events, are marvelously voiced in her clear, intelligent way. Everything she experiences that summer feeds into her final interpretation of the piece she must play for the competition (Mozart's Fourth Concerto in D). She is only 12, and brilliant, but also very normal, and kids should warm to her. I loved the way Wolff writes about music, despite some technicality, and about life, and family, and the people who have gone before. This is an extraordinary, masterful novel and I don't know why it was skipped for any Newbery mention back in 1992. Junior high, up.
What do You think about The Mozart Season (2007)?
I picked this book up from a sale at my elementary school when I was eleven, mostly because I was a musician and it was a book about a girl who was a musician. Since then, I've read it at least once a year. I don't even know if I've told anyone about it, just because it has come to be so special to me, and I'm kind of afraid if I start talking about it with someone else it will change the book. But there you have it; a little book for young adults, written beautifully, with all kinds of little nuggets of wisdom in its pages. If I had to get rid of my whole collection, I'd find a way to keep this somehow.
—Ruhee
This would most likely appeal to those who study the violin - so a small subset of readers. I've studied music a long time, so it was somewhat interesting to me - but not sure how much it would appeal to most middle school girls. Not for ELL students - vocabulary too specialized- not high enough interest. However there were some great lines - more to do with the mindset of how one recreates a piece of music to make it individualized to the player while acknowledging the writer/creator of the piece. That was completely fascinating to me."How to move so close to it that there would be just that edge Mr. Kaplan talked about - How to get something strung just right in me so I'd be balancing right exactly on that edge - How to remember everything I know and forget it at the same time and invent a new thing. And that would be the way to let music out of me." (92)"Daddy, is everything a matter of life or death?"..."The evidence is right here, right now. Suffering and joy. That's all there is. There isn't anything else. And they're so close together...it strikes terror in the human soul." (p. 152). Actually - I disagree - for many people life is more like T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men". Still it made me think."This piece (by Sibelius- which one?)...has a profound yearning and a profound lament - at the same time. Like life. Let's play." (156)"Well, what do you think pain's supposed to mean?"..."Oh, I don't know...I do know it connects the whole human species...I just don't know why." (It also is a part of animals' lives...obviously- but I don't think it connects them - Don't mind me, I'm just arguing with the text).
—Krista Stevens
The Mozart Season was a fantastic book for me and I absolutely loved it!!!! First, the author wrote characters that I could relate with like the main character. We both are musicians and we both know a lot about music. Second, I really liked the plot of the story. The main character had to practice to get a spot for her spotlight symphony solo. Thirdly, the supporting characters was a great part to the story. The parents and the private lesson teacher gave interesting points about music and interesting points that affected the main character. Finally, I loved the resolution of the story. The main character had was stressed out about her solution (which most young musicians are) and was able to get through and achieved.
—Jared Jaggi
