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The Lucy Variations, by Sara Zarr
Ebook The Lucy Variations, by Sara Zarr
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Lucy Beck-Moreau once had a promising future as a concert pianist. The right people knew her name, her performances were booked months in advance, and her future seemed certain.
That was all before she turned fourteen.
Now, at sixteen, it's over. A death, and a betrayal, led her to walk away. That leaves her talented ten-year-old brother, Gus, to shoulder the full weight of the Beck-Moreau family expectations. Then Gus gets a new piano teacher who is young, kind, and interested in helping Lucy rekindle her love of piano -- on her own terms. But when you're used to performing for sold-out audiences and world-famous critics, can you ever learn to play just for yourself?
National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr takes readers inside one girl's struggle to reclaim her love of music and herself. To find joy again, even when things don't go according to plan. Because life isn't a performance, and everyone deserves the chance to make a few mistakes along the way.
- Sales Rank: #1375329 in Books
- Published on: 2013-05-07
- Released on: 2013-05-07
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.75" h x 1.25" w x 6.00" l, .95 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 320 pages
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Pressure, expectation, the responsibility of “proving to the world and yourself that you weren’t just taking up space.” This has been privileged San Franciscan Lucy Beck-Moreau’s childhood as a renowned concert pianist. But after a family betrayal eight months ago, the 16-year-old walked off the stage in Prague, and her controlling grandfather’s words haunt her: “I take this as your final decision, Lucy.” Now, though, Lucy’s talented pianist brother, Gus, has a new teacher, Will, and he has taken a special interest in Lucy, asking her questions such as “What do you love?” and encouraging her to find the fun in music again. As she and Will grow closer, their relationship begins to cross lines, and she eventually wonders if Will has her best intentions at heart—a question that’s perhaps not fleshed out enough in the novel’s end. But Zarr (Story of a Girl, 2007) does what she does best. Writing in the third person, she really, truly gets inside her characters’ minds and shows us what makes them complex human beings—their faults, fears, and hopes. The supporting characters, from best friend Reyna to English teacher Mr. Charles, are also deeply drawn, and each provides insight as Lucy searches for her own sense of self. The novel itself is structured like a musical composition with three movements of varying tempos and the occasional intermezzo. This is a mellifluous novel about rekindling joy—in music, in the everyday, and in the beauty around us. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Zarr’s Story of a Girl was a National Book Award finalist, and her books are consistently met with multiple starred reviews. A national author tour kicks off the publication of her latest. Grades 9-12. --Ann Kelley
Review
"An elegant novel...Zarr vividly develops the title character, illuminating Lucy's teenage insecurities, her close and fractious friendships and the coming-of-age realization that she can pursue her dreams on her own terms...A rewarding journey for readers."―The New York Times Book Review
"This book has so much depth and character that it stays with you like actual memories. I love how Sara Zarr can make you laugh and cry on the same page, and I think this is her best book yet."―James Dashner, New York Times bestselling author of The Maze Runner (Metro New York)
* "[Zarr] really, truly gets inside her characters' minds and shows us what makes them complex human beings -- their faults, fears, and hopes...This is a mellifluous novel about rekindling joy -- in music, in the everyday, and in the beauty around us."―Booklist, starred review
* "Zarr doesn't waste a word in this superb study of a young musical prodigy trying to reclaim her life....[Lucy is] a deeply real and sympathetic character, and that dimensionality extends to the rest of the cast. The pressures Lucy is under feels powerful, immediate, and true -- her journey of self-discovery will strike a profound chord with readers."―Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "The combination of sympathetic main character and unusual social and cultural world makes this satisfying coming-of-age story stand out."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Exploring relationships is where Zarr soars . . . This strong coming-of-age story about music, passion, and the search for identity will appeal to longtime fans of Zarr's work and newcomers alike."―SLJ, starred review
"A satisfying coming-of-age story and a thoughtful treatise on art, identity, and personal fulfillment."―The Horn Book
"[A] gripping YA novel about a 16-year-old music prodigy trying to survive the cutthroat world of piano competitions."―InStyle
About the Author
Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, California, and now lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the author of How to Save a Life, What We Lost, Sweethearts, and the National Book Award finalist Story of a Girl.
Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Another outstanding story from Sara Zarr
By K. Sowa
When we meet Lucy she is trying to save her brother's piano teacher. Madame Temnikova's death was a new beginning of sorts for Lucy and for her brother. Lucy's break-up with piano was like any other break-up. She was basically ok, but music was her very soul and something was missing without it. Lucy is adjusting to life back in mainstream school, seemingly happy to let her brother take the reigns as the resident piano prodigy while Lucy gets on with her life without the rigorous schedule, competitions, and constant examination of her career by her grandfather and mother. One of the most wonderful things about this book was the way that adults were written. Even through Lucy's teenage lens, they are complex and real, with complicated feelings and motivations that Lucy must struggle to understand or relate to. It was as if stepping out of the performing spotlight allowed her to see her family as individuals rather than a cog in the wheel that turned her career.
Then there's Will. Will, the youngish piano teacher who comes to teach her brother but ends up drawing Lucy out of her self-imposed musical dry spell seems to be a prayer answered. Lucy's belief that Will could bring her back to the thing she loved was perhaps naive, but also heart breaking to read. Lucy's search for herself and search for the approval that she used to get from playing, taught her some hard lessons. I got a real sense from the story that even though lessons can be painful, there is value in them. The bubble that Lucy has put herself in since the day she walked off that stage in Prague has protected her, but it has also cut her off from the people that love her. If anything, this story is about her journey to reconnect with her life on her terms, with or without music.
I never thought that a book about a wealthy former piano prodigy in San Fransisco would speak to me so deeply, but that is the magic of Sara Zarr. She takes a main character that 99% of her readers will have very little in common with and creates a story that is about anyone who ever asked themselves "What do I love?"
Das wird sich alles finde.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
An interesting meditation on how to overcome loss.
By Celeste Pewter
Two-second recap: The Lucy Variations is an intriguing look at how someone can endure and find their own way, even after they feel like they've lost everything.
***
Full review
Like every other Asian kid out there, I grew up playing the piano. While I never played well enough to compete, I did my fair share of recitals and showcases with people who were that good. I spent a lot of time wondering what their day-to-day lives were like (eight hours of piano playing a day? Yeesh), and how they had "normal" lives.
So when I heard that Sara Zarr was writing a book about a piano prodigy, I was intrigued enough to want to check out the book.
***
Plot overview
Lucy Beck-Moreau is from one of those families - a rich, elite and musically-inclined San Francisco family, where they are expected to be extraordinary from an early age.
For Lucy, her talents manifested itself in her piano playing. Before the age of fourteen, she was a fixture on the competition circuit. People came to her concerts, and knew her name. Her future seemed definite.
However, after a tragedy provokes her into walking away and giving it all up, Lucy is now adrift in her day-to-day life. She doesn't quite fit in as an ordinary student in her regular high school, but she doesn't quite know how to get back everything that she's lost, either.
Enter Will - a new piano teacher hired to teach Lucy's little brother, Gus. A former prodigy himself, Will wants to help Lucy regain her lost faith. But can she overcome the fears of her past?
***
Things that worked :
* The characterizations.
I've seen a lot of reviews criticize the characters of The Lucy Variations for being unlikable, and I agree. None of the characters are likable.
Lucy's neurotic and disrespectful; her grandfather's demanding and unforgiving; Lucy's mom is too easily influenced by Lucy's grandfather, and Lucy's father is just...there. However, this is also what I loved about the Beck-Moreau family. They're neurotic. They're imperfect. But they're real.
All of the Beck-Moreaus - especially Lucy - fight, worry and obsess over their lives in a way that I think the average reader can genuinely relate to. They're not perfect, and they recognize that they're not perfect. But it doesn't stop them from continuing to wanting to strive for that elusive perfection.
I think this is one of those situations where readers will start off by thinking that the grass is definitely greener on the Beck-Moreau's side of the fence, before realizing - hey, they're actually just like us.
***
* The plotting.
The book jumps back and forth in time to some degree, incorporating flashbacks from the final moments before the end of Lucy's musical career.
Zarr incorporates these flashbacks well - slowly peeling back the background behind Lucy's decision to walk away from the piano, in an interesting, inquisitive manner. Because we don't get the story immediately, Lucy's depression and hesitation at getting back into the world of competitive playing, becomes all the more effective.
***
* The world building .
The setting:
A lot of books take place in San Francisco, and Zarr does an excellent job of incorporating actual elements of the region into the book, to make it seem more authentic.
I loved the smaller details that she thought to include - e.g. the drive up to Half Moon Bay; the snarking about Daly City, etc. They really helped make the book feel authentically Northern California, verses someone who just looked up the city on a map, and added details accordingly.
***
The world of competitive piano:
As someone who used to play the piano herself, I know how complex the world of competitive piano playing can be. I also know that it's almost impossible to describe that world to someone who's not actively a part of it.
However, Zarr does an excellent job of adding enough detail and background in The Lucy Variations to make Lucy's world seem authentic, without drowning readers in unnecessary details. Her descriptions of musicians, composers, and the musical world, are so detailed and rich, I wouldn't be surprised if non-musical readers went looking up these musicians and musical arrangements out of curiosity.
***
* The relationship between Lucy and Will .
Okay, okay - I know that a lot of people thought the relationship between the two of them was gross. From a physical level, I absolutely agree. However, I've also seen this type of relationship play out in real life.
A younger, seeking girl becomes attracted to the wiser, older (and likely married) guy, because he's wise and seems to have the answers to the world's problems. Conversely. the older guy becomes attracted to the younger girl, because he likes the attention, and feels like he's reliving his youth to some degree.
It's not right, but it's a type of intellectual affair which *does* happen. So I applaud Zarr for being willing to take a risk, and write that type of attraction. She does a good job of balancing their motive and desire for each other, with the consistent feeling that yes - the relationship is wrong, and they are venturing into forbidden territory.
I was also impressed with Lucy's ability to suss out Will's external motives in the end, while also maintaining a degree of civility with him, for the benefit of the bigger picture. She has essentially used their "relationship" as a motivator to grow up.
***
* The relationship between Lucy and Gus .
I've read quite a few YA books which have included elements of sibling rivalry, but nothing quite as well written as the relationship between Lucy and Gus.
Though it's never expressly stated, Zarr does a good job of showing just how Lucy's decision to walkaway from piano playing elevated Gus in the eyes of their parents and grandfather, and why he may be afraid of losing that type of focus, should Lucy choose to come back to the piano.
***
Things that didn't work:
* The lack of a concrete arc.
I may be in the minority here, but I felt like Zarr couldn't quite figure out the direction that she wanted the book to go, until the latter chapters.
In the earlier sections of the book, Lucy seems to just spend a lot of time being depressed by her life, drifting through interactions (and confrontations) with family and friends, and debating whether or not she wants to get near the piano again.
While Lucy's feeling of aimlessness and lack of purpose are true to a person suffering from depression, it's also not interesting to read. The reader, much like Lucy, ends up just feeling aimless and adrift in the chapters. As a result, I would say that we arguably end up caring far less about Lucy than we could, largely because we're not given a reason to want to cheer for her as we're getting to her.
The focus gets slightly better as Lucy begins to prepare for the showcase, but I think by then, it's too late to make that strong connection between Lucy and the reader.
Based on reviews from other readers, I have a feeling that the lack of an arc may have to do with...
* The writing.
This is my first Zarr book, so I don't a Zarr-specific frame of reference to judge The Lucy Variations by. However, it sounds like this is her first time using third person in her writing.
While her writing is still quite crisp, there was a noticeable lack of depth to her character's thoughts and interactions - which likely also influenced the arc.
* The ending .
There's not enough of a concrete resolution for Lucy.
We know that she ultimately achieves what she wants, by going to the academy on her own terms. But how did she get there? Is she finally confident now? What is she going to do? Will she let the doubt overwhelm her, and quit again?
I think my questions stem back to the fact that we simply didn't get to know her well enough in the book. As a result, I was left feeling really unsatisfied by the resolution. Ultimately, I still felt like I was reading the exploits of a stranger vs. a character I had gotten to know really well throughout the course of the book.
***
Final verdict:
The Lucy Variations is an thoughtful meditation on what it's like to have lost an essential part of yourself, long before most people have even begun to live.
Zarr's decision to incorporate a taboo relationship, intermixed in the world of competitive piano playing, makes a story that is alternately smart, touching and memorable. Despite some weaknesses in writing and plotting, I recommend this book for fans of Sarah Ockler, Sarah Dessen and Huntley Fitzpatrick.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful.
The Lucy Variations
By Christine
My first Sara Zarr novel, The Lucy Variations is a messy coming-of-age story, one that seemed to be just my kind of read. And sometimes it was. At parts, The Lucy Variations was beautifully written, deeply moving, and heartbreakingly realistic. Although we're not all music prodigies like the main character, Lucy, was, I think we can all relate to her story in some way or another, the loss and confusion and uncertainty.
However, for the most part I found the third person POV to be disjointed, the characters - especially Lucy, whom I found to be bratty and whiny - too distant, and not as relatable as I would've hoped. A lot of things, too, like Lucy's inappropriate attraction to older men, her best friends, and Lucy's relationship with Will's wife, didn't quite seem to fit into the overall story, and ended up as just scattered, unnecessary scenes adding to the page count.
I did enjoy the themes of family and felt that the relationships Lucy had with her own family were really well-built, her relationship with Gus and her grandfather in particular. While the romance wasn't really a romance and definitely not something you should pick up this book expecting a lot of (actually, don't expect much at all), the family themes were there and strong, and added dynamic change to the story.
The Lucy Variations was an interesting novel to read, and wonderful at times, but just not nearly enough. I did like it, but it did have it's faults. I think, perhaps, I'll go try another Sara Zarr novel - I've heard wonderful things about the ones written in first person POV, so perhaps this was a challenge for her that didn't quite work out?
(And, I just have to add, WILL. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?)
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