Where would you
go if you needed a top-notch thief to steal a key before it ended up in the
wrong hands, and the person you suspect holds the key is a famous master
violinist? If you’re Mr. V, you go to London and find Willa Forsythe – “one of
London’s best pickpockets.” She is also a violin prodigy. She poses as a family
friend of the wealthy Davies sisters of Aberystwyth, Wales, where they are
patrons for the Belgian Symphony Orchestra, which is made up of Belgian
refugees. World-renowned violinist Lukas De Wilde is one of these refugees. He
is Willa’s target, but he’s also the target of others, who would do him harm
and already have, if his healing shoulder is any indication. He wants nothing
more than to continue the search for his mother and sister. But with Germany
invaders in Belgium, it is too dangerous to travel freely there. His only
distraction is the amazingly gifted Willa and his newfound faith. But what will
happen when her secret crosses his path? No cipher key will help him then.
As I would expect from White, she
has created a captivating, historical fiction novel with another strong-willed
and savvy woman. Willa also has street smarts. But whereas Lukas’ faith grew
throughout the story, Willa struggled longer. Because she has been as broken as
a destroyed violin for a long time. Incorporating that into the plot, along
with points-of-view from Lukas and his sister, Margot, provided extra elements.
Instead of one layer like a piece of music for violins only, there were
multiple layers like music for an entire orchestra. And White orchestrated
well. My attention was kept, and I expect an encore when we are next introduced
to Barclay’s story!
Quotable: “Can a man compose a
symphony without paying attention to each individual note? Can he put together
an orchestra without caring about each musician in it? It’s ridiculous to posit
a Creator who stands back, unconcerned. If we grant a God, we have to grant a complete God.” -- Margot, in a
reminiscence by Lukas when he tried to challenge her faith (p. 126).
Shadows
Over England: Book One: A Name Unknown