Body & Soul

Written by Frank Conroy

Narrated by Eric Jason Martin

As a boy, Claude Rawlings looks up through the grated window of his basement apartment to watch the world go by. Poor, lonely, supported by a taxi-driver mother whose eccentricities spin more and more out of control, he faces the terrible task of growing up on the margins of life, destined to be a spectator of that great world always hurrying out of reach. But there is an out-of-tune piano in the small apartment, and in unlocking the secrets of its keys, as if by magic, Claude discovers himself. He is a musical prodigy.

Body Soul is the story of a young man whose life is transformed by a gift. The gift is not without price-the work is relentless, the teachers exacting-but the reward is a journey that takes him to the drawing rooms of the rich and powerful, private schools, a gilt-edged marriage, and Carnegie Hall. Claude moves through this life as if he were playing a difficult composition, swept up in its drama and tension, surprised by its grace notes. Music, here, becomes a character in its own right, equaled in strength only by the music of Frank Conroy's own unmistakable and true voice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jun 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977343758

Reviews for Body & Soul

[Thomas delfosse · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

There's enough music theory to last a lifetime. Unique writing style though. A book this long devoted to one character gets tiresome. Unfortunately this is the only book from Conroy on scribed. I'd be interested to read another of his books

[bruce_deming_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this story. A child prodigy pianist brought up in a New York basement
whose mother is a cab driving leftist and former chorus girl.

It's great how this musician grows up and finds teachers. His love of music and rather curious and chaotic surroundings at times. It really is a nice read.

[catspec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books I have ever read. I love my piano, and this story is all about music in the soul....about what music means, about what it means to have music...if you have music in your soul you will love this book..if you are an expert pianist but don't have the soul of music., you might not. It isn't how well you play....it's that playing is sacred, special and something so personal...there really is no way to convey this book's meaning to me - read it please.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great insight into the mind of musicians--how they develop their skills, how they interpret the music, how they prepare for a performance etc.

[maliora · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favorite books ever.

[amaryann21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a beautiful, beautiful book. Claude is a musical prodigy and is nurtured by some of the best teachers in the world, though he has little understanding of his talent or that he has happened into some remarkable luck. He comes from nothing- his mother is a cab driver and he has no knowledge of who his father might be, and his talent takes him into worlds that wouldn't be accessible to him otherwise. He experiences the world with innocence and learns quickly that his life isn't necessarily like others, but he adapts and isn't held back by the social isolation. The story of his life is a song, full of emotion, connection, love, heartbreak, and, most of all, music. This story is well written and very well researched. Most of the music talk goes over my head, but it wasn't frustrating or boring. The passion for the music comes through. Claude and the other characters are vivid and it's easy to become invested in them. There's a line in the book about a review of a concert Claude played in, about words being insufficient to describe music. Well played, Conroy- you did an amazing job.

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Conroy's debut novel, although he was already well-known for his brilliant memoir Stop-Time, Body and Soul is the exploration of the life of a child prodigy, raised in poverty and neglect but achieving fame and fortune through his incredible musical gift. The saga chronicles his struggles with himself, his environment, his family, his ambition, and ultimately with the talent that has given him everything. In part it is a bildungsroman and reminded me of favorites like Great Expectations and Of Human Bondage. It is, as Conroy himself put it, “a real old-fashioned novel—a big fat book with a lot of people and a lot of plot.” Body and Soul encompasses not only the hopes and dreams of its protagonist, but of readers who are Frank Conroy fans as well.It tells the story of Claude Rawlings’ passage in life from the age of six, when he discovers an old console piano in the rear room of the Manhattan tenement he occupies with his 6-foot, 300-pound taxi-driving mother, to fulfillment as a piano virtuoso. Conroy parallels Claude’s professional growth with his spiritual. Claude uses his absorption in music to deaden the shock of personal crises. This long novel opens in 1945, with the end of World War II, and concludes at some indeterminate point in the 1970’s, with Claude about to perform his first piano concerto in London. It is a beautiful symphony of a novel that had me under its spell.

[luli81_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of Claude, a young boy who becomes the greatest pianist of all times. If you enjoyed "An equal music" by Seth, you won't regret reading this book.

[samfsmith_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Now this is a good novel. It has everything: fully developed characters, an interesting setting, enough plot to keep the novel moving forward, and music. It’s the story of Claude Rawlings, from his earliest memories to the premier of his piano concerto with the London Symphony. Claude grows up in post World War II New York – he is a war baby. His mother is a 300 pound, taxi-driving, army-boot-wearing, communist sympathizer who locks him in their basement apartment while she drives her cab. Hidden in the back room is a small 66 key piano, and Claude teaches himself to pick out the songs he hears on the radio.In a lucky break (one of many in the novel) Claude befriends a music store owner down the street who recognizes the young boys talent and gives him his first piano lessons. Only later do we find out he music store owner is a Polish refugee who also happens to have been the premier composer of his generation. The lucky breaks continue for Claude throughout his career, as he makes friends with people who can teach and help him.Readers who have shared the experience of piano lessons as a child or teenager will find much to identify with. Readers who are musicians on any instrument will recognize their own struggles in Claude’s journey.Only after some emotional stress enters Claude’s life, and his too-easy road becomes uncertain does his music really soar. Several small mysteries keep the novel moving forward. Who is Claude’s unknown father? What will happen to his mother and his old friend, his first piano teacher. Will he find love?The novel is a complete package, a very satisfying read, and an accurate portrait of a young musician. I highly recommend it.

[japaul22 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I did not like this book. I read it because my mom thought I would really like it. It's about a poor kid in NYC who discovers he has a musical talent for playing the piano. I am a professional musician and I really didn't like the idea of reading a book of fiction about music. It's usually so over-emotional and silly. Surprisingly, the best moments in the book (of which there were few!!!) were the sections about the main character's discovery of his musical talent. On the other hand, the way the author describes the rest of his life (his sexual relationships, student/teacher relationships, mother/son relationship) were so predictable and ridiculous. It seemed like Conroy, who is not a musician, spent so much time figuring out how to write convincingly about music that he neglected any kind of real character and relationship development in the rest of the story. I'd definitely recommend avoiding this book!

[rcooper3589 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I would've ever had picked up this book had my dad not bought it for me, however, I'm glad he did. I found this to be a beautifully told story. While the book is full of music theory, which I didn't understand, I didn't find it clouded the novel- in fact, I felt it enhanced it. It made Claude's ability seem that much more intense and marvelous. I enjoyed how every character, no matter how small (such as Claude's father, Mr. Fisk and Miss Sanchez), played an important role at some point in the story. There were two major things that Conroy doesn't do that I highly appreciate: first, while the reader finds out who Claude's father is, Claude doesn't. I like this because at that point in Claude's life that part is over for him- he doesn't need to know who is father is and to have introduced the two would have been cliche and un-necessary. I also appreciated how Conroy dealt with Weisfeld's involvement in WWII- he doesn't say anything! From his actions and way of life, Claude understands what happened- and it isn't until Weisfeld needs to tell Claude that Conroy reveals the truth. My one major criticisms of the novel is Claude himself. I feel he is a blank character. He does nothing and everything happens to him. He's born with a wonderful gift, people die and leave him things, famous people find out about him and introduce him to others. These things happen and Claude just shrugs and goes along with it. There are, however, a couple of small times where Claude does act and I find those moments to be a lot of fun. I actually find it interesting at how flat Claude is when his mother, Emma, is anything but! I loved this woman and wanted to learn so much more! You start by thinking she is a selfish, fat, drunk, un-caring mother only to find she is anything but. She was a lot of fun. If you're looking for a good, heart-warming novel, I highly recommend this one!FAVORITE QUOTES: Music will never run out. It'll never disappear. // How strange people were, he thought, subject to all kinds of invisible forces, dealing with hidden devils and all the while keeping up appearances. He wonderer if he was capable of that kind of bravery. // "This is fate," he said, "as impersonal as the stars." // He wanted to press his head against hers, to put skull to skull and press until the bones melted and their brains flowed together. He wanted to look out from her eyes.

[astrida22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting story about a musical prodigy and his training to be a concert pianist.