Rich in romance and peril, this explores the intersection of art, gender and politics in the turbulent 1930s, from Germany, Austria and Italy, to the United States.
Second in a trilogy, Roma Calatayud-Stocks’s A Symphony of Rivals is suffused in the author’s passion for music, and her belief in the powerful persistence of art.
The novel traverses 1930’s Germany, Austria, Italy and the United States as it tells the tale of Alejandra Morrison, a woman who aspires to become a symphony conductor in a man’s world, at a time when culture is increasingly coming under the crippling, censoring grip of Nazism. With a keen eye for detail and spritely dialogue, the author is clearly immersed in her subject as we follow Alejandra’s determined journey, first training with celebrated conductors in Berlin, later attracting the unwelcome attention of a high-ranking German officer. At times, this has the page-turning pace and drama of a literary thriller, replete with terrifying peril as Alejandra must make agonising, life-changing decisions, and domestic strife playing out alongside tangled political troubles. Musicophiles will no doubt appreciate the appendix that details works to accompany each chapter, among them Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca, Hubfeld’s As Time Goes By, and Verdi’s Nabucco.
Joanne Owen, A LoveReading Ambassador
| Primary Genre | Indie Author Books |
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Also Available in eBook on Amazon.
A Symphony of Rivals, the second book in a trilogy, is a compelling historical novel set in 1930’s Germany, Austria, Italy, and the United States. Alejandra Morrison pursues her dream of becoming a symphony conductor at an unfortunate time when culture and the arts are falling under the influence of Nazism, but through her devotion to music and Beethoven’s legacy, she finds a measure of hope and strength. In Berlin, she trains with renowned European conductors, and through her friends Ben and Hannah Adelman, she meets art dealer Anton Everhardt, who falls in love with her. Alejandra’s musical talent is a double-edged sword which places her at the center of a dangerous political world, where she attracts the unwanted attention of a high ranking German officer. Alejandra confronts harrowing situations, which challenge her principles; and when the violence and upheaval of the Nazi ascendancy spread to Vienna, Alejandra must choose between staying in America with her family or risking everything by returning to Europe in search of her dearest friends.
A Symphony of Rivals features in the following genres: Indie Author Books, Historical Fiction, Indie Books We Love, General Fiction, Recommendations, Fiction
A Symphony of Rivals is available in Hardback
A Symphony of Rivals was written by Roma Calatayud-Stocks and published by Calumet Editions, LLC
