Helena AttleeLev's Violin

Helena Attlee is a talented writer who take her readers on a beautiful journey of music-making. Rich with historical anecdotes, I have found even a deeper appreciation this amazing instrument.I was also very impressed with her other book, "The Land Where Lemons Grow." Either book (or both books) is great reading, especially if one is going to Italy !

I loved Helena Attlee since I first read The Land Where Lemons Grow. Lev's Violin is an incredible journey around Italy and beyond. So much detail, information, and history. It never crossed my mind to learn about violins but Helena writes so beautifully and so diligently, I'd read anything she writes about. If you love historical facts and beautiful storytelling, give it a go. The story of Lev's violin is one that needed to be told and Helena had to be the one to tell it.

I have heard other rare violins in concert, so can only imagine how Helena became transfixed! A beautiful journey that speaks to the power of physical objects in our digital times.

The life and times of an instrument whose sound seduced author Helena Attlee. It's not that she's a musician herself, just a curious enthusiast who throws her own skills as a writer into discovering why this particular violin is so damn good.The wood, the design, the construction, the maker's talent (and who was that anyway?) are all exhaustively explored as Attlee educates herself in the techniques and raw materials involved. Did it emerge from that most hallowed of violin birthplaces, Cremona in Northern Italy? And were any of the greatest violin-making names involved: Amati, Stradivari, Guarneri, for example? Attlee consults today's top luthiers and takes us everywhere, including Russia and the rest of Europe, as she covers the centuries from the 16th to the 21st. How were the great instruments first made, and how are things done now? Most important of all, is Lev's fiddle worthy of Attlee's enthusiasm?The investigation is fascinating, and the incidental touristy colour is just as engaging because it humanises the entire venture. Nor will you be excluded from the search if you aren't a life-long musician. After all, it was on day one and quite by chance, that Attlee first heard Lev's instrument as a casual audience member at a gig. Never had she heard anything like it, and that's all it took. The subsequent journey should angage us all. It's as entertaining as it is exhaustive.

The writer takes us on a journey both physical and in the imagination triggered by hearing the magical tones of an old violin.We discover numerous possibilities of how the violin came to end up with its custodian.A fascinating journey that encompasses history , diverse musical genres , and emotional connection to an intriguing object.Thoroughly recommended.