Ansay alternates between the story of a academic and writer struggling with her own divorce and the story of the long-term relationship between Clara Schumann, a celebrated pianist and the wife of the composer Robert Schumann, and her husband's protege, the handsome young composer Johannes Brahms. Each is a compelling story, each with its own mysteries and intrigues, its uncertainties and questions. In the end, the reader will know more about each and still be left wondering "what if?"
As in so many novels that tell a story-within-a-story, the historic part of the book is much more interesting than the present day tale.
Can a man and a woman be just friends?
This is the question approached in this book - and even though the answer, at first glance, is a simple one - the actions that lead to that answer are not quite so clear.
In Good Things I Wish You the story switches between that of Jeanette and Hart, a man and woman living in today's world, and the story between Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann. Jeanette is researching for a book written on these two famous composers/pianists and, in learning about her own relationships, stumbles across her own interpretation of what must have occurred between Brahms and Clara years ago.
This was not a cheerful read, but the musician and artist in me loved the story. Through times of grief and sorrow some of the best works can be done - whether it's writing that perfect book, or composing that perfect piece of music .. or, in my own experience, performing a piece with every ounce of your heart put into it.
Have you listened to Brahms' music? What about Schumann's, Clara or Roberts? So much passion is contained, so much heartbreak and this story does a beautiful job with quotes and pictures and a fictionalized story that inspires my imagination to soar when I listen again to my favorites.
Part of me thinks that I appreciated this book more because of my background in music, but I think any lover of history or of the arts would enjoy the story put down here and the inspiration it causes to seek out more on the lives of these extraordinary people.
This is the question approached in this book - and even though the answer, at first glance, is a simple one - the actions that lead to that answer are not quite so clear.
In Good Things I Wish You the story switches between that of Jeanette and Hart, a man and woman living in today's world, and the story between Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann. Jeanette is researching for a book written on these two famous composers/pianists and, in learning about her own relationships, stumbles across her own interpretation of what must have occurred between Brahms and Clara years ago.
This was not a cheerful read, but the musician and artist in me loved the story. Through times of grief and sorrow some of the best works can be done - whether it's writing that perfect book, or composing that perfect piece of music .. or, in my own experience, performing a piece with every ounce of your heart put into it.
Have you listened to Brahms' music? What about Schumann's, Clara or Roberts? So much passion is contained, so much heartbreak and this story does a beautiful job with quotes and pictures and a fictionalized story that inspires my imagination to soar when I listen again to my favorites.
Part of me thinks that I appreciated this book more because of my background in music, but I think any lover of history or of the arts would enjoy the story put down here and the inspiration it causes to seek out more on the lives of these extraordinary people.
