Book Review: Symphony by Jude Morgan.
Symphony. Jude Morgan. St. Martin's Press. 2006. 375 pages.
This is a revised version of a post I originally wrote in 2012.I have to say, this book was a doozy. I liked it but not enough to read it again. It was dense and sort of lengthy (tiny font!). Symphony is a historical novel about the life of composer Hector Berlioz and his wife, actress Harriet Smithson. I was originally attracted to this book by its title, because I am an amateur violinist. Harriet becomes an actress somewhat against her will. She turns out to be a brilliant performer and becomes quite famous. Hector Berlioz sees her perform and becomes obsessed with her. He composes a symphony about her, Symphonie Fantastique. Eventually they meet. At first, she thinks he is a lunatic, but soon they become fond of each other and get married. However, their lives do not have a fairy tale ending... This was not a cheerful book. The characters (are they really characters if they were real people?) started out unhappy and ended up even more so. Harriet's family and the people in her acting company seem as if truly they are unhappy as well. Although, in the case of Harriet's sister Anne, it is very obvious. The author does well with foreshadowing (and literary devices in general). I find this interesting because the story is based on actual events. This book is clever and witty. As a musician, I could identify with Hector when the people around him were against his passion for music. I was totally rooting for him during that part of the book. I would definitely recommend this book but let me warn you, it will not brighten your day.
