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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 55 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
The Rhythm is gonna get you Jan 31, 2008
By Amanda Richards
This is a beautifully written excerpt, alive with the sound of drums and various percussion instruments, yet expressively and tenderly telling the tale of a girl who lost her mother in a tragic accident, but who continues to feel the rhythm in her life.
Music was always a part of Jane's world, compliments of her mother Helen, "a hard playing, heavy-hitting Latin-jazz conguera" and her grandmother Isabella, "a sizzling singer in a Cuban mambo band" back in the day.
The story so far focuses on Jane, her relationship with her family, and her life following the passing of her mother, but also takes the time to develop the other characters, and provide an excellent backdrop for the story yet to come.
Regardless of the outcome of the ABNA competition, this one truly deserves a book contract, if only for my selfish reason of wanting to read the rest of it.
Note: This review is based on the excerpt submitted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and awarded a place in the semi-finals.
Amanda Richards, January 30, 2008
October 12, 2008
Just a note to say that the review above was based on a short excerpt, and not the entire book. I've now had the honor and privilege of reading this book, and I consider it one of the best books I've read this year.
I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down, and by the end I was sobbing like a baby.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
"Rhythm is a dancer,
it's a soul's companion,
you can feel it everywhere"
(Snap)
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Music Therapy Jan 31, 2008
By R. Kyle
Jane's a fifteen year old girl still grieving from the loss of her Mom. Truth be told, she will grieve that loss all her life.
"These days, memories of Mom sneak up on me." Time doesn't heal the grief, current events just capture your attention and then the grief comes fresh when you see a photo or hear a scrap of music that reminds you of a time you spent together. "There's no rhythm more hollow than a broken heart..."
She and her father have made a 'museum' of their home, where her Mother's pictures are everywhere. She conjures images of the sparkle of drum kits with silver framed photos next to them--that faery shine holding her Mother's memory.
The story is beautifully written with strong emotional language. The author keeps hold of the musical theme clear through the piece and it's so strong, you can hear scraps of her playlist in your head as you're reading. Each chapter ends with a line that engraves itself on your mind.
This is another excerpt that I believe is ready for publication and should go straight to the finals. It's beautifully done and well worth the read--and listen.
Good luck to you, Robin Melody Goldsby. You have an amazing gift and I hope that I will hear from you soon.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Another Winner from Robin Meloy Goldsby Jan 17, 2008
By Ann C. Rawsthorne
"Ann Rawsthorne"
Being an avid reader and having read Goldsby's Memoir, Piano Girl, I have been looking forward to another book. Ms. Goldsby's writing is not only refreshing and honest but also totally captivating. My priority for reading a book is good characterization. Already, Jane Bowman, who tells her story in Rhythm, has consumed me with the need to see how her life evolves while encountering different people and experiences. Everything in life seems to fall into varying categories. In the first pages of Rhythm, Jane Bowman has shown how she tries to handle read life while dealing with her frailties. I look forward to more and know that I will not be disappointed.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Goldsby's a Great Girl Feb 08, 2008
By Kristin Kovacic
I love when novels take me on an insider's tour of a new world, and "Rhythms" is one of those great reads that opens up the world of professional musicians in a way I've never seen before. It also reimagines the traditional musical "Bildungsroman" as a girl's story--something my teenage daughter and I can groove on. Go Piano Girl!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Not a False Note Jan 24, 2008
By silverfish
I liked everything about this excerpt. The prose itself had a rhythm that made me think the author must herself be a drummer. The narrator's voice managed to be fresh and colloquial at once. The narrator described wanting to dive headfirst into a photograph. I wanted to dive headfirst into this prose. I liked the peek into the world of nightclub musicians. Here's a description of the protagonist's mother: "She was also a wicked tambourine player, which sounds like a joke if you never got a chance to hear her play the tambourine, but she could make that thing speak, I swear." Fabulous stuff.
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