Out of the books we have read this year, I find that The Soloist by Steve Lopez somewhat boring. Although, it was depressing to read that Nathaniel Ayers was a prodigy at Juilliard but his life was destroyed by schizophrenia. He has done his best throughout his life, especially playing the bass at Juilliard. Everything was taken away from him during the fall semester of his third year at Juilliard. Ayers was twenty-one when this all happened. He had received medication, counseling and shock therapy, but none of them help for long. Ayers lost his fiancée, his musical career, and he slowly drifted away from his family. It’s sad to read that an extremely talented person has lost everything because of a mental disorder. It reminded me of the story The Story of the Good Little Boy by Mark Twain of how a good boy did everything he was supposed to, but bad things ended up happening to him. Ironic, is it?
Even though Ayers was homeless, that didn’t stop him from continuing to play music. He still had a deep passion for classical music and a dream to succeed. He learned how to play the violin and the cello. Steve Lopez noticed that Ayers was playing a two-stringed violin at a professional level. He finds out that all Ayers wants to do is play music. Ever since then, Lopez and Ayers form a connection as Lopez tries to learn about Ayers’s life before he became homeless. From the reading, it’s easy to tell that Lopez has a great interest in helping Ayers get his life back and continue making beautiful music. Music companies even gave Ayers a violin and cello to play.
Reading about how Ayers has a deep passion for music reminded me of many people I know, including myself. I used to have a strong passion for the violin, but over the years, I developed a stronger passion for singing. Many passionate musicians chase after their dreams of becoming famous and expressing their love for music through their instruments or voice. I admire those people because they always give their best to become who they want to be and let nothing stop them.
Focus Points
- Grammar and Mechanical Errors
- Organization of ideas and how clear it is expressed
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5 comments:
Louise, I was surprised that you didn't like the book thus far. I do understand how Nathaniel's story can be depressing though. The ending doesn't quite seem tied it. I feel like I'm dangling on the edge of something great, it you had continued with your thoughts. It's like an excited ramble when someone says something completely off topic, and you never quite get back on topic. It's great that you brought into the blog your own feelings on music, with can influence opinions when it comes to this particular piece of literature. The only thing you could have done was a sentence or two bring your opinion on music back to the point of what you are writing about.
Overall, very fine work. I couldn't find any grammar or mechanical errors, but then again I wouldn't be able to pick them out anyway. Your ideas were very organized and flowed nicely together. You just have to remember to tie ideas back to the main point with a sentence or two concluded you opinions or the like.
=)
Your organization of thoughts and ideas is great and easy to follow. The only error I see is in the second sentence, where you could consider using 'however' in pace of 'although'. Good post though =]
Louise, you start off with a really strong reaction to Lopez's book, calling it "somewhat boring" and then digress from that statement! I wanted to know more about why you felt this way, especially since others have expressed a deep interest in it. (Basically, I agree with Chrissy.)
I agree with you on the fact that the Soloist is boring,at times. I've gotten used to the book now, and I find that I like it better. Nice post.
Louise, I wanted to hear why you thought the story was boring. Yes, it is sad that this condition and it's effects happened to Nathaniel, but he makes an excellent case to study. Without people like Nathaniel, every story we read would be happy and redundant. Also, I enjoyed the fact that this was someone's life I was reading about and not just some ficticious character that a bored author cmae up with. I hope that you enjoyed the book more as you read on.
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