Book Review: The Silver Swan by Elena Deblanco

Author: Elena Delbanco
Series: N/A
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: May 19th 2015
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A debut novel about a daughter grappling with the legacy of her famous and imposing cellist father, the secrets he has hidden from her, and the fate of his great Stradivarius cello.

Alexander Feldmann is a revered and sought-after performer whose prodigious talent, striking good looks and worldly charm prove irresistible to all who hear and encounter him. After years of searching, he acquires a glorious cello, the Silver Swan, a rare Stradivarius masterpiece long lost to the world of music.

Mariana is Alexander’s only child and the maestro has large ambitions for her. By the age of nineteen she emerges as a star cellist in her own right, and is seen as the inheritor of her father's genius. There are whispers that her career might well outpace his. Mariana believes the Silver Swan will one day be hers, until a stunning secret from her father’s past entwines her fate and that of the Silver Swan in ways she could never have imagined.

*Disclaimer: I received this e-galley from Netgalley and Other Press in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing that appealed to me about the book was that it had nothing to do with what I normally read. I haven't read many books about musicians so far. And when I read an excerpt of this book something about the tone of the story and the narrative appealed to me.

There's a cinematic feel to this book. The way the scenes are put together, with the past and present mingling gave me the feeling of not only reading, but also watching a movie. I thought the way the author wrote the flashback scenes was very well done. I did, however, get confused at some point. This was because, although I felt that they explained a lot about Mariana and Claude's personalities, some of the flashbacks were introduced with no warning whatsoever. So it took a while to realize I was reading a memory.

Man, I felt for Mariana the entire time I read the book. She was ignored by her mother, treated like a soon-to-be clone by her father while she was growing up, then as a maid while he was old, her ex was a creep, and her love interest is...well, he's not that good either. Oh, and let's not forget the big hits her father delivered after he died, with his will and the "after I die" letter. I kept wondering how is it that she was sane, poor woman.

The novel is told from both Mariana and Claude's POVs. There were some aspects of the story that make more sense when told this way. It also helped me tolerate Claude more than I would've had there been only one POV. Claude wasn't the easiest character to like, but getting his side of the story made me understand why he was acting a certain way.

I liked this novel. I would've wanted a bit more time spent in the present time and less in the flashbacks, which were at times distracting. It was a quick read and if you're in the mood for something new, this might be the read for you.

Final Rating: 3.5 cups

Because the story was different from what I normally read, I'll give it 2 Jolly Rogers.

Book review - Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

Blurb (from Goodreads):


 "Being a Greek god is not all it once was. Yes, the twelve gods of Olympus are alive and well in the twenty-first century, but they are crammed together in a London townhouse—and none too happy about it. And they've had to get day jobs: Artemis as a dog-walker, Apollo as a TV psychic, Aphrodite as a phone sex operator, Dionysus as a DJ.

Even more disturbingly, their powers are waning, and even turning mortals into trees—a favorite pastime of Apollo's—is sapping their vital reserves of strength.

Soon, what begins as a minor squabble between Aphrodite and Apollo escalates into an epic battle of wills. Two perplexed humans, Alice and Neil, who are caught in the crossfire, must fear not only for their own lives, but for the survival of humankind. Nothing less than a true act of heroism is needed—but can these two decidedly ordinary people replicate the feats of the mythical heroes and save the world?"

I love ancient myths and religions. I love reading about it, the originals and the modern versions of them. So when I went at a book store about 6 months ago and saw Gods Behaving Badly I as very curious about it and I bought it.

The book was interesting. It's about how the ancient Greek gods are struggling to survive and keep the planet from disappearing in nowadays London.


In the middle of all the problems that the gods have stumbles Alice, their cleaner. Alice is not a people person. She's very shy and introverted, hence her job. She's in love with Neil but she's scared of revealing her feelings for him. Alice is quite smart, she won various awards playing Scrabble. But when it comes to social skills, she lacks most of them, if not entirely.

Neil isn't what I might call a hero. He's just your average man, a so-called beta. He's afraid of scaring Alice if he tells her he's in love with her, but he tries to act like her friend and helps her when she needs him. At the end of the book though, I realized that he might actually be a hero, an unusual way. Somewhat like an unpolished diamond. He just needs a little push and Artemis gives it.

The book is funny, easy to read. But it's not what I expected. I kept wishing for Alice to overcome her shyness or for Neil to grab the girl he loves and make her his.

I liked how the gods were depicted. It's different from what I expected but in a good way. My...you could call it obsession with a certain series has colored the view I had about the Greek gods. So when I saw how arrogant Apollo was, how unable was Athena to make herself understood, or how offended Artemis was when something sexual was going on around her it was a good surprise. Also, I think it was a good interpretation, because if you would be a god, you'd definitely be arrogant and act like the world was yours.

All in all, it was a fun read and entertaining.

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