Review: Nocturne by Harrison Gradwell Slater

Hey everyone! I swear, I am not slacking, it's only taking me forever to finish books because of school, so I apologize for my lack of reviews as of late. But I finally have one ready to go!

I just finished reading Harrison Gradwell Slater's latest novel, Nocturne. This was a pretty unique book.

Summary: Artemisia, a photographer, has just been hired to travel to Paris to photograph many of the things and places that were a part of Chopin's life, for a magazine story about the famous musician and composer. She is relieved for this opportunity to leave New York for a while because she has just broken things off with her fiance, Clifton, who has proven to be both unstable and violent, and not very happy about the break up. While in Paris, she meets Matthew, a Chopin expert, who will be writing the story to accompany her photographs, and with whom she seems to share an instant connection. While their relationship grows, Clifton lurks in the shadows, and begins sending disturbing letters to Artemisia, alerting her to the fact that he has followed her there. Soon, Matthew and Artemisia travel to Warsaw for Matthew to study an old diary that was found, which reveals much of Chopin's past. Has Clifton followed her there too, or is she finally safe from his grasp?

My Thoughts: This is certainly a very unqiue premise for a novel, unlike anything else I have ever read. Two stories run parallel with one another - that of Artemisa, Matthew and Clifton, and that which is revealed in the old diary, written by a former lover and almost wife of Chopin. Another cool aspect is that this book comes with a CD of Chopin's music performed by the author. Throughout the book, there are cues when he recommends you play a certain song to go along with the story. I did not play the CD at all because I am not a fan of classical music, but still enjoyed the story just the same. I liked the suspense factor in this novel. Clifton was a very creepy character, and the letters he sent to Artemisia left her feeling very unsettled. He always seemed to be lurking in the shadows nearby. I also liked the touch of romance that this novel included, between Artemisia and Matthew. It was not over the top and did not dominate the story, but merely added to it. The book also had a lot of historical information, mostly about Chopin, which many people would find interesting. This book was rather short though, and the ending seemed rushed to me. I feel that the author could have improved this book by expanding it. The characters also did not seem that realistic to me, and I did not see the chemistry between Matthew and Artemisia. Again, these problems could have been remedied if the book had been longer.

The Bottom Line: Overall, this was an interesting read with some minor setbacks regarding characterization. I think this would be very appealing to history buffs, and fans of classical musical, particularly Chopin. This book was suspenseful and slightly romantic, but unrealistic.

Rating: 3.5/5

Disclaimer: Though I received this book free of charge for review, these are my honest opinions.