The Violin Conspiracy: A Novel [B0692]

2022 PB in nice clean condition. Ray McMillian is a Black classical musician on the rise-undeterred by the pressure and prejudice of the classical music world-when a shocking theft sends him on a desperate quest to recover his great-great-grandfather's heirloom violin on the eve of the most prestigious musical competition in the world. "I loved The Violin Conspiracy for exactly the same reasons I loved The Queen's Gambit: a surprising, beautifully rendered underdog hero I cared about deeply and a fascinating, cutthroat world I knew nothing about-in this case, classical music." -Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant and Hour of the Witch Growing up Black in rural North Carolina, Ray McMillian's life is already mapped out. But Ray has a gift and a dream-he's determined to become a world-class professional violinist, and nothing will stand in his way. Not his mother, who wants him to stop making such a racket; not the fact that he can't afford a violin suitable to his talents; not even the racism inherent in the world of classical music. When he discovers that his beat-up, family fiddle is actually a priceless Stradivarius, all his dreams suddenly seem within reach, and together, Ray and his violin take the world by storm. But on the eve of the renowned and cutthroat Tchaikovsky Competition-the Olympics of classical music-the violin is stolen, a ransom note for five million dollars left in its place. Without it, Ray feels like he's lost a piece of himself. As the competition approaches, Ray must not only reclaim his precious violin, but prove to himself-and the world-that no matter the outcome, there has always been a truly great musician within him.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "As a musician in a former life and an aspiring anti-racist, I cannot believe I have never read this book before. It's about music, but it's about life and social issues and perception and relationships and strength and pride and respect and dignity. Absolutely could not put it down. Bonus: You can find a playlist on Apple Music with all the songs mentioned in the book and it is fire."; "I enjoyed this book so much. I gasped, I cried, I felt happy with Ray's victories, felt angry at the treatment of the young man and so many more emotions. This book is more than just a violin that goes missing. The protagonist is a charming young man who teaches you resilience and courage. It goes to show you just need just one person on your side to change the trajectory of one's life. Ray could have given up so many times but he didn't and part of it was due to kindness shown to him just by couple of people."