Written by Barbara Kingsolver | Narrated by Megan Tusing | Piano performances by Han Chen
Barbara Kingsolver is a formidable writer. After Demon Copperhead, expectations for her new novel, Partita, were understandably high. But although I found plenty to admire in the writing, I also found myself increasingly frustrated by a story that seemed determined to wander away from itself.
The audiobook offers something unusual: specially recorded piano performances woven into a novel in which music plays a central role. It’s an intriguing idea, and one of the things I enjoyed most.
Unfortunately, the music wasn’t always enough to rescue the storytelling.
The Story
At the heart of Partita is Livia Bohusz, a gifted young pianist whose musical ambitions offer the possibility of escape from her rural upbringing.
The novel moves between different periods of Livia’s life, exploring grief, love, ambition, class and the choices that determine the course of a life.
There’s a compelling story here, and Kingsolver can still produce sentences of remarkable beauty. Her descriptions of music, in particular, often capture something that’s difficult to express in words.
But too frequently, I felt the narrative was interrupted by lengthy passages of social and political commentary. Some of it is interesting; some of it feels unnecessarily instructive.
I wanted to spend more time with Livia and less time being told what I ought to think.
The Narrator
Megan Tusing delivers a capable, assured narration. She’s clear and easy to listen to, and handles the shifts in time and character competently.
But I never quite felt that she became Livia in the way the very best audiobook narrators can become their characters.
The real treat, for me, was the inclusion of six specially recorded piano performances by Han Chen.
These musical interludes give the audiobook something that the printed novel cannot offer in quite the same way. Chopin’s Raindrop Prelude was a particular pleasure.
I also listened to the BBC Radio 4 abridgement, prepared by Rosemary Goring and read by Laurel Lefkow. I enjoyed it considerably more than I expected. The shorter version felt more concentrated, allowing the central story to emerge without so many distractions.
The Waffleometer
This is where Partita ran into serious difficulty.
Kingsolver has important things to say, but I found the frequency and length of her digressions increasingly wearing. At times, the novel seemed more interested in delivering a lesson than developing its characters.
The BBC abridgement rather strengthened my suspicion that there’s an absorbing story buried beneath all that commentary.
And, rather wonderfully, I don’t recall hearing the word pedagogy once in the entire Radio 4 adaptation.
Rosemary Goring, I think we could become very good friends.
Waffleometer: 4/5
Scores
Story & Writing: 3 / 5
Narration: 3.5 / 5
Waffleometer: 4/ 5
On the Waffleometer, lower is better.
The Verdict
Partita is an ambitious novel by an exceptionally talented writer, and there are moments of genuine beauty within it.
I admired the musical elements, appreciated much of the prose and enjoyed Han Chen’s piano performances. But I struggled with the pacing and the persistent interruptions to the narrative.
Perhaps my expectations were too high after Demon Copperhead. Or perhaps I simply wanted Kingsolver to trust her story — and her readers — a little more.
Worth listening to for the writing and the music, but not one of my favourite Kingsolver novels.
Watch the Video Review
Watch my full review of Partita on Bertie’s Books:
I’d be interested to know whether you found Kingsolver’s commentary illuminating or, like me, wished she’d occasionally let the story get on with it.
Image credits: Partita cover courtesy of Faber & Faber. Barbara Kingsolver photograph © Evan Kafka, courtesy of Faber & Faber.
Music credit (video): Chopin, Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28 No. 15 (Raindrop Prelude). CC0 recording sourced from Musopen via Wikimedia Commons.