Ingold, Jeanette. Mountain Solo.INGOLD, Jeanette. Mountain solo. Harcourt. 309p. bibliog. c2003. 0-15-205358-1. $6.95. JS To quote the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, July 2003: Tess is a child prodigy Noun 1. child prodigy - a prodigy whose talents are recognized at an early age; "Mozart was a child prodigy" infant prodigy, wonder child child, kid, minor, nipper, tiddler, youngster, tike, shaver, small fry, nestling, fry, tyke - a young person of either on the violin violin, family of stringed musical instruments having wooden bodies whose backs and fronts are slightly convex, the fronts pierced by two f-hole-shaped resonance holes. , unusual since she is growing up far away from cultural centers--she lives near Missoula, Montana Missoula is a city in and the county seat of Missoula CountyGR6 in western Montana, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the population was 57,053, with more than 100,000 in the metropolitan area making it the second-largest city in , where her father is a veterinarian veterinarian /vet·er·i·nar·i·an/ (vet?er-i-nar´e-an) a person trained and authorized to practice veterinary medicine and surgery; a doctor of veterinary medicine. vet·er·i·nar·i·an n. . Tess's mother recognizes her little girl's talent early on and pushes for all the right teachers, even to the point of taking Tess to live in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , where she can attend special schools, even though this means destroying their little family. The story focuses (and begins) at a point in Tess's life when she is realizing her dreams, performing at 17 with a German symphony; she plays poorly and then faces a kind of emotional breakdown. The subsequent story unfolds, telling how Tess got to this place in her life and her career as a musician, and where she will go from this failure. She leaves her mother and goes to live with her father in Montana, with his new family, and enjoys a "normal" life for a change, without spending hours every day practicing her violin. Her stepmother is a historian who is interested in early homesteads in Montana, and this links to a story about a violin player, Frederick, who homesteaded there in the early part of the 20th century. Hiking hiking Walking, often among hills or mountains, as recreational sport. It represents an activity in its own right and also figures in backpacking, camping, hunting, mountaineering, and orienteering. in the mountains, uncovering some facts about Frederick's life, helps Tess understand what she wants for herself--she chooses to continue as a musician, back in New York City. but on her own terms. The strength of the story is the development of Tess's character, her love of music, the choices she is forced to make because of her talent. The bibliography lists books about music and musicians and also books about Montana history and archaeology archaeology (ärkēŏl`əjē) [Gr.,=study of beginnings], a branch of anthropology that seeks to document and explain continuity and change and similarities and differences among human cultures. . Claire Rosser, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. S--Recommended for senior high school students. |
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