Andromeda Romano-Lax, Spanish Bow

Spanish Bow

Andromeda Romano-Lax

Harcourt, Sep 2007, $25.00

ISBN: 9780151015429

In 1892 their father worked as a customs officer in Cuba until he died due to rebels setting off an explosion that burned down the building he and nine other men worked. Several months later, his remains in a coffin arrive by train in Campo Seco where the Delargo family lives. His widow and five children, four boys and a girl, struggle to survive yet the matriarch refuses to consider any suitors.

One of the offspring, Feliu shows musical talent so when he turned fourteen his mother escorts him to Barcelona so that he can be properly taught. Surprisingly, a cello tutor accepts Feliu as a student. Over the next few decades Feliu affirms his promise of being a child prodigy as he becomes a favorite. He also meets temperamental but talented pianist Justo Al-Cerra. They begin to tour the top halls together. Soon afterward Jewish Italian violinist Aviva changes the duet to a trio as the Spanish Civil War explodes and stopping Hitler by appeasement fails.

This interesting historical fiction provides readers with an enjoyable look at Europe through much of the first half of the twentieth century. In some ways Feliu Delargo comes across as a Forest Gump type figure who happens to be performing at key during pivotal historical moments rather than an autobiographical fiction. Yet Andromeda Romano-Lax captures the essence of the renowned cellist's life as the role of the arts in influencing the ethics of society is an underlying theme.

Harriet Klausner