It's 18th century in Vienna, Austria. Theresa Maria's father is a violinist and, on Christmas Eve, he is brought home and has been murdered. Although her mother would like to get her married (with the help of her rich uncle, who disowned his sister - Theresa Maria's mother), Theresa Maria insists on trying to find out who killed her father. This brings her into contact with gypsies, rich unscrupulous men, other musicians, and more, and sends her on a bit of an “adventure” (without giving too much away!).

I really enjoyed this. It moved fast and there was plenty going on to keep me interested. I read another novel a number of years back where gypsies were featured prominently, and I'd hoped to read more on them, but really haven't, so this was fun from that aspect, as well. ( )

In eighteenth-century Vienna, Austria, fifteen-year-old Theresa seeks a way to help her mother and brother financially while investigating the murder of her father, a renowned violinist in Haydn's orchestra at the court of Prince Esterhazy, after his body is found near a gypsy camp.

Fifteen-year-old Theresa has just received the worst news of her life: her father, a musician in Haydn's orchestra in 18th century Vienna, is dead and his most valuable possession, his violin, is missing. Theresa is sure that her father has been the victim of foul play, and despite her mother's determination that their next step must be to marry Theresa off, Theresa starts unraveling the mystery as best she can. But as Theresa investigates she learns some unsettling facts about her father and his involvement with a camp of Gypsies and she finds herself drawn into more and more dangerous situations. She also finds herself employed by Haydn as a music scribe; Haydn's failing vision makes it impossible for him to record the music in his head accurately, Theresa has the musical training from her father that qualifies her for the job, and Haydn knows her family needs the money. Caught up in a whirl of intrigue and court politics that expands to include members of Theresa's family and even Haydn himself, Theresa must find a way to keep everyone safe. If she's lucky, maybe she'll also find a little romance along the way and, more importantly, maybe she'll find the strength to determine her own path rather than following the one set out by her mother.

I think Dunlap was a little over-ambitious here - there's just a lot she's trying to squeeze in and the mish-mosh is less than successful. You've got romance, mystery, historical fiction, multiple social issues, music, and court politics. I felt like I never really got a good read on the intended tone of the book - if this was supposed to be realistic style historical fiction, it's awfully far-fetched, if it was supposed to be the type of book where you just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride, the serious tone in places and the emphasis on the social issues seem a little out of place. The descriptions of the brutal justice system of 18th century Vienna as well as the depiction of Theresa's lecherous uncle keep this at junior high level or above. The ending is clearly set up for at least one sequel, possibly more - since this is Dunlap's first book for younger readers, maybe she's still learning how to adjust and her next one will strike a better balance. ( )

I read "The Musician's Daughter" by Susanne Dunlap. This book is an absolutely amazing book! It's full of adventure and romance and of course, music. I suggest this book to anyone who plays a musical instrument, especially string players. It shows that no matter what your background is, we can all find one thing in common... music. Some people truly may not be who you expect them to be, they could be murderers or incredible musicians, you can’t always be sure they are who they say they are. Theresa learns this by finding out horrible things about her uncle, who her mother praises, and then finding out that Gypsies aren’t as bad as everyone thinks. Theresa, who wishes to be a violinist like her father, is stuck with a low viola, but doesn't mind because music is music, no matter what instrument it comes from. I guess I loved this book so much because of the fact that I've played viola for about 5 years, and I understand what she talks about when she explains how she feels when she practices. There is so much action and drama I found it hard to put the book down from the moment I started reading it.

-DeAnna Patrisha Ballou ( )

I heartily recommend this YA novel. The historical and musical information are clearly well-researched and add to the depth of the story. The pace of the plot, the twists and turns, the mystery and the (slight) romance are ultimately secondary to the emotional center of Theresa, the plucky teenage heroine. Amidst a glut of YA novels that are overly dark, or angsty, or fluffy, or contrived, "The Musician's Daughter" is an enjoyable,engaging,and enlightening read.