I had a whimsical and intriguing time with this novel. Though I didn’t expect the route it was going to take at all, which I think was both a positive and negative for me.
Nannerl is the older sister of Wolfgang Mozart, and this follows her journey as a young women trying to comprehend the fact that she can never do what her brother will, compose and play. She dreams of composing, personally, but alas, she is restricted because of her gender.
Meanwhile Nannerl and Wolfgang create a world called the Kingdom of Back during their childhood, and it slowly starts to become a reality in their lives. Along with this revelation Nannerl meets a faerie who sends her on missions with the prospect that he can help her not be forgotten.
KOB is a story about family, dreams, and the strifes of societal expectations. Society has suppressed a great talent, Nannerl, all because of her gender. Marie does a good job trying to rectify this injustice on Nannerl, and I enjoyed Nannerl having a realistic desire to be more. She wanted her dreams so badly that she was willing to overlook obstacles and outcomes that would be less favorable if she wasn't so focused on what she wants. She was very real in that way.
In my opinion, KOB writing seemed to be more simplistic than her other books. There’s definitely a lyrical tone to the sentences, but the style felt different to me.
Nannerl was the only truly developed character, and I wish we could’ve gotten more from the outer characters. Wolfgang is obviously very important, but a part of me wishes the story focused more on their older years as teens rather than younger since they’re five years in age difference. Wolfgang was a child 90% of the book, and I just wanted more from their relationship. Marie and a lot of scholars discuss the impact of their relationship when they were sending letters to one another, and I guess maybe I hoped that would come into play. Relationships are so different between childhood and adulthood, and I wanted both. Maybe it’s not even this but just a desire for more overall. I feel as if something was missing cause the story is short, and I can’t quite put my finger on what.
TW: Child abuse (it isn't anything too intense/ brutal with violence but the Mozart children are overworked severely by their father)
Nannerl is the older sister of Wolfgang Mozart, and this follows her journey as a young women trying to comprehend the fact that she can never do what her brother will, compose and play. She dreams of composing, personally, but alas, she is restricted because of her gender.
Meanwhile Nannerl and Wolfgang create a world called the Kingdom of Back during their childhood, and it slowly starts to become a reality in their lives. Along with this revelation Nannerl meets a faerie who sends her on missions with the prospect that he can help her not be forgotten.
KOB is a story about family, dreams, and the strifes of societal expectations. Society has suppressed a great talent, Nannerl, all because of her gender. Marie does a good job trying to rectify this injustice on Nannerl, and I enjoyed Nannerl having a realistic desire to be more. She wanted her dreams so badly that she was willing to overlook obstacles and outcomes that would be less favorable if she wasn't so focused on what she wants. She was very real in that way.
In my opinion, KOB writing seemed to be more simplistic than her other books. There’s definitely a lyrical tone to the sentences, but the style felt different to me.
Nannerl was the only truly developed character, and I wish we could’ve gotten more from the outer characters. Wolfgang is obviously very important, but a part of me wishes the story focused more on their older years as teens rather than younger since they’re five years in age difference. Wolfgang was a child 90% of the book, and I just wanted more from their relationship. Marie and a lot of scholars discuss the impact of their relationship when they were sending letters to one another, and I guess maybe I hoped that would come into play. Relationships are so different between childhood and adulthood, and I wanted both. Maybe it’s not even this but just a desire for more overall. I feel as if something was missing cause the story is short, and I can’t quite put my finger on what.
TW: Child abuse (it isn't anything too intense/ brutal with violence but the Mozart children are overworked severely by their father)