RaveJewish Book CouncilDelightful ... Obituary-writing is a serious occupation but, surprisingly, it also has its lighter moments. Roberts captures these and pays warm-hearted tribute to his fellow obituarists as well as their deserving (and sometimes undeserving) subjects. He is a genial, if sometimes repetitious, guide through the complexities of the genre.
Lea Singer, Trans. by Elisabeth Lauffer
MixedJewish Book CouncilThe novel draws out many themes that resonate in today’s world on the nature of sexual identity and art, especially the relationship between passion and art and suffering and creativity. Nico provides a moving analysis of Horowitz’s struggle ... While the novel presents its themes with sensitivity and restraint, the blending of documentary and fiction doesn’t always work effectively ... Horowitz remains somewhat opaque as a character. The novel’s construction seems contrived in its travelogue structure and the underdeveloped thread about Donati. At its best, however, The Piano Student illuminates the sacrifices artists make for their art. It also, as Nico tells his companion at the end, shows us \'the possibilities\' of life.
