Mountain Solo

Sixteen-year-old Tess's life has been shaped by her violin. From the moment she picked up the instrument, it's been clear she isn't like other kids. She is a prodigy, and her life is that of a virtuoso-to-be: constant training, special schools, and a big debut before an audience of thousands. But when she blows her moment in the spotlight, she throws it all away, moves away from New York City to join her father in Montana, and tries to lead a normal life—whatever that is. Tess has hardly arrived when she is drawn into a mystery: a hunt for the wilderness homestead of a lost pioneer who played violin himself. Maybe, through his story, Tess will find the strength to pick up her violin again.

the Love Of Music Links Two Young People—one A Modern Teen, The Other A Long-dead Pioneer From The Turn Of The Century.

publishers Weekly

ingold (the Big Burn; The Window) Offers A Perceptive Study Of A Prodigy Violinist Undergoing A Painful Transition. The Story Begins Shortly After 16-year-old Tess Is Devastated By Her First Failure, On Stage During Her First Major Performance With A Professional Orchestra. As She Faces An Uncertain Future, She Reconsiders Her Past. She Returns To Her Childhood Home In Montana To Spend Time With Her Recently Remarried Father, And Begins To Rethink Her Goals And Priorities. Tess's Story Emerges Through A Series Of Flashbacks Depicting Her First Violin Lessons As A Four-year-old, Her First Formal Recital At Age Nine And Her Experiences At A Prestigious New York City School For Gifted Performers. Her Growth As A Musician Is Interwoven-not Always Smoothly-with The History Of Another Violinist From Montana, Who Walked The Same Path That Tess Follows During The Hiking Trip With Her Father, Her New Stepmother (an Archeologist Researching That Violinist) And Nine-year-old Stepsister. While Reliving The Turning Points In Her Childhood And Pondering The Fate Of The Other Violinist, Tess Achieves Some Important Insights Into Herself, Her Domineering Mother And The Options Still Open To Her. Tess's Fears And Uncertainties Are Convincing, But Readers Will Be Most Strongly Moved By Her Unfaltering Love Of Music. Ages 12-up. (sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

After a disastrous concert, a teenage musical prodigy who's sick of the stress heads to Montana to figure out her next step... From the moment Tess picked up the violin as a child, it was clear she wasn't like other kids. She was a prodigy, and at sixteen her life is that of a virtuoso-to-be: constant training, special schools, and a big debut before an audience of thousands. But when she blows her moment in the spotlight, she throws it all away, moves from New York City to join her father and his new family in Montana, and tries to lead a normal life—whatever that is. But she's hardly arrived when she is drawn into a mystery: a hunt for the wilderness homestead of a lost pioneer who played violin himself. Maybe, through his story, Tess will figure out how to handle the expectations of others, and what she really wants for herself... “The characters are likeable, and their love of music shines through... For anyone fascinated by the power of music and its effects on individuals'lives.” —School Library Journal Back at her childhood home in Missoula, Montana, after a disastrous concert in Germany, a teenage violin prodigy contemplates giving up music and - life with her mother in New York City. She, her father, stepmother, and stepsister hike to a pioneer homesite in Montana. Here another violinist once faced difficult decisions of his own Back At Her Childhood Home In Missoula, Montana, After A Disastrous Concert In Germany, A Teenage Violin Prodigy Contemplates Giving Up Life With Her Mother In New York City And Her Music As She, Her Father, Stepmother, And Stepsister Hike To A Pioneer Homesite Where Another Violinist Once Faced Difficult Decisions Of His Own. Tess, a violin prodigy who has been playing since age three, throws away all her training and talent to start a new life with her father in Montana, where she realizes having a normal life isn't always so normal.