Zoe Morrison

This is a great work of literature and an intriguing exploration of a violent marriage, showing how even a talented and intelligent woman can be overpowered and disempowered by a controlling man. In Alice's case, her sensitivity and intelligence probably worked against her when she encountered the selfish, calculating, twisted Edward.
I was surprised to see that one of the recommendations on the book's cover spoke of its gentle humour: I didn't find anything to smile about in this book. It made me very sad, and at times very frustrated with Alice as a character. Even when released from the toils of the domestic abuse, I was sorry to see that her entire sense of self and happiness still depended entirely on the actions of others. I guess the abuse rendered her unable to fully recover her sense of self.
Brilliantly written and certainly a book to revisit. I might like Alice more the second time around, as I continue to process her helplessness.
Highly recommended.… (más)

(8.5)This is a remarkable debut novel. I experienced a full range of emotions reading this book. The subject matter caused me to lose sleep and a I ad to keep going back to it until there was a more positive tone.
Alice Murray is taught to play the piano at 3 years of age by her mother. At 7 she is sent to boarding school in England from her home in Australia. Her goal is to return home as a concert pianist but opportunities have her deferring this decision until it is too late. With little alternative she marries an admirer Richard Hayward and her life begins to fall apart.
The story becomes disturbing in its portrayal of domestic abuse and violence however Alice manages to survive and eventually her beloved music helps her forge a new friendship and a brighter future.
i hope to sleep better tonight.… (más)

Music and Freedom is the debut novel of Melbourne author Zoë Morrison, and it’s been shortlisted for the Readings Prize. It tackles the grim subject of domestic violence, but is surprisingly uplifting.

Written in first person narrative in two time frames, it tells the story of Alice Murray, a child prodigy taught to play the piano by her mother, who is herself trapped in domestic violence on a failing orange orchard in rural NSW in the 1930s. The father drinks, and is increasingly violent, but people tolerate him because they remember what he was like before the war.

After a particularly frightening incident, Alice is sent to boarding school in Whitby, in the UK, where she endures a bleak boarding school existence except for lessons with her piano teacher, Miss May. She learns an extensive repertoire, and wins a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in London.

It is when she is at a summer school in Oxford playing with a trio that she meets Edward, an economics professor, and, disastrously, she falls for him. He is a sour and bitter man whose economic philosophy does not find fertile ground until the Thatcher Years, and in the early days of their marriage he is demanding and unreasonable in his expectations that Alice focus on his needs at the expense of her music.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2016/09/05/music-and-freedom-by-zoe-morrison/… (más)