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The Piano Tuner
The Piano Tuner
Author: Daniel Mason
In 1886, a shy, middle-aged piano tuner named Edgar Drake receives an unusual commission from the British War Office: to travel to the remote jungles of northeast Burma and there repair a rare piano belonging to an eccentric army surgeon who has proven mysteriously indispensable to the imperial design. — From this irresistible beginning, The Pian...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9781400030385
ISBN-10: 1400030382
Publication Date: 8/19/2003
Pages: 317
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 155

3.7 stars, based on 155 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

paigu avatar reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
A thoughtful book. Though there was a hint of the rather annoying "exotic Asian" stereotype, it didn't detract from the good story. The main character is Mr. Everyday Man and you really do feel his excitement and fears as he goes off on an unimaginable adventure. Great book!
reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
The descriptions are beautiful, the story one of contrast-that of a very ordinary man entering in on something extraordinary by which he is then caught. One feels as if they are in the midst of the jungle with the Shan terrain all around them. And if you appreciate music, you will love being caught in the midst of this musical story.
traveller avatar reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 80 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
This is the enthralling story of an Englishman who travels out to the jungles of Burma, and his subsequent adventures in a different world from what he has known. You will not be able to put this book down!
VivaLaVole avatar reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 119 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
A rather melancholy but beautifully written and surprising novel. A pleasure to read.
reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 30 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
I loved this one. Couldn't post it, had to pass it to my friends. About music and the senselessness of war, about beauty and children. Written by a medical student - hope he writes again.
Read All 31 Book Reviews of "The Piano Tuner"

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reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 168 more book reviews
This audiobook was narrated by Graeme Malcolm. He did a really good job. I thought his voice fit prefectly with the drama presented in this story
hardtack avatar reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 2701 more book reviews
For the first few chapters I wondered why I was reading this novel, as there was little, if any, dialogue. I just couldn't get into it. But I hung on and I'm glad I did.

However, there is no happy ending here. Instead, the end reveals how British government officials used immoral manipulation to further Britain's imperial expansion toward those people and countries it wishes to control for its own profit. I might not have felt this way if I had not also been reading "The Immortal Irishman" by Timothy Egan. That book opens with a description of the seven hundred year "holocaust" England inflicted upon Ireland.
boomerbooklover avatar reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 441 more book reviews
British government hires a piano tuner to travel to Burma to repair a military doctor's piano.
reviewed The Piano Tuner on + 15 more book reviews
I absolutely LOVED this book! Dark, dramatic, and a wonderful story about corruption and humanity, much in the spirit of Conrad's "Heart of Darkness." While reading the story, I felt drawn into the jungle and could almost feel the dark and oppressive atmosphere that the characters experienced. This is not a happy feel-good book, and definitely not light reading, but overall a worthwhile read that I highly recommend.
reviewed The Piano Tuner on
This book was great for the person wanting to know about the Berma History and the people that live there. I loved it and think everyone should have to read it before they move on out of high school.
One of the wonders in the book world.
:)zuphoto


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