Title: Virtuosity
Author: Jessica Martinez
Genre: young-adult, contemporary
Series: N/A
Pages: 304 (uncorrected ARC)
Published: October 2011
Source: publishers via S&S Galley Grab
Source: publishers via S&S Galley Grab
Rating: 4/5
Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?
Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....
First-person perspective young-adult novels and I have a tricky but pretty reliable relationship etched out: if they are handled well and maturely I can legitimately love them, but if the author doesn't have the panache to pass their voice as a believable teen it's a lost cause with no hope. Happily for me, Jessica Martinez shines in her debut novel in the voice, mind and world of Carmen Bianchi, world-class violinist. Believable without trying too hard, without sounding too-mature for her years, Carmen is a great character in a more-than-good-but-not-great novel. Carmen shines in this vehicle, elevating a somewhat overused general plot, infusing it with personality and vitality. This is definitely a case of a character making the book better than it should be, on its own.
Carmen is a great character because she's real and grounded. She's anal, insecure, sarcastic, funny, kind and a complete pushover. I liked the multi-faceted and even conflicting aspects of her personality: by no means is this "Medusa-haired" heroine a Mary Sue. Like many teen girls, she constantly searches for approval, to be thought "normal" - usual teen emotions that keep her relatable amid the Grammys, and $1.2 million dollar instruments. She's unabashedly great at said violin as well: winner of a Grammy and world acclaim, she should be arrogant, cocky. . . but she remains herself throughout. I did find a couple of her actions to be pretty annoying and downright silly (her assumptions about Jeremy's email are immediate and judgmental) but I don't have to love everything the character does to love the character herself. She's just so human in an outrageous, extremely pressured position. Under ridiculous strain of her stage-mom's expectations and transferred dreams, Carmen has little to no control over her life. Day-to-day or even what her dreams are is dictated by her mother with "an iron fist with a french manicure." Carmen, sadly, though world-class and immensely talented, never plays for herself or her own pleasure. She plays for her mother to vicariously live a failed career, for a teacher to extend his own impact on the musical world and that is sadly representative for Carmen's entire life. As music is so personal with an almost tangible impact upon Carmen, it's incredibly easy to commiserate and mourn with her as her joy in violin is turned into something else.
great review, did not expect the end2,
ReplyDeleteRight?! I was completely surprised at the direction Martinez took, but nice job for her!
ReplyDeleteI have not read this yet, but sounds interesting. Great post, and great review. I love this genre already, so it's an easy choice to add this to my must read list. Thanks for sharing your awesome review. Happy to have found you through book blogs :) Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteCynthia
The Wytch's Mirror
Hi, Jessie!
ReplyDeleteI have seen your review postings on BookBlogs, but I think this is the first time I have snooped around your Blog! There certainly is alot to snoop through!
Your review of "Virtuosity" reads like a book in and of itself. You certainly got to know the characters. Very impressive.
And your review does make me want to read this book - which I guess is the whole point!
I am also impressed that you have different pictures of yourself on all your links - BookBlogs, Goodreads, Twitter.
I will try to keep up with your blog. I usually use the "Subscribe by Email" feature because it pops up in my face as a reminder! Hopefully following you on Twitter will do the same thing!
Off I go, adding "Virtuosity" to my TBR List...
Happy reading!
Patricia
Thanks so much for stopping by my blog, Patricia! I'm glad you left me such kind comments! It's always nice to hear someone liked my reviews, lengthy and goofy as they are. If you end up getting around to this, I think you'll enjoy it. I'll have to head over and see what your sure-to-be-awesome blog looks like!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for stopping by and the kind comments. Such nice bloggers out there in the world.