Mozart’s Sister by Rita Charbonnier
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
When the name Mozart comes up, you probably immediately think of the legendary composer who died much too young, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Many forget that Wolfgang was not the only talented child in the Mozart family.
Charbonnier’s novel Mozart’s Sister tells the story of dear Nannerl, also known as Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Mozart, who found her talent being pushed aside so her younger brother could learn and grow as a musician and composer. The story itself is shaped as a retelling from Nannerl in letters exchanged with her student Victoria’s father, Armand d’Ippold, who develops a romantic relationship with Nannerl. From her eyes, you see the joyful and loving connection Nannerl and Wolfgang had as young children. And you also see how their relationship grew strained and ultimately nonexistent. It was horribly sad to see their love for one another be poisoned by their father, Leopold Mozart’s ambition for his son.
I hated that this young, talented women’s dream of being a professional musician and composer was stamped out by her father. It was excruciating to see Nannerl give up her love for music and composing and let this sense of bitterness and depression take over her being. But thankfully, the author did a beautiful job of showing how Nannerl’s love for music came back to her later in life.
I didn’t much care for the romance between Armand and Nannerl. And I was delighted to see the romance between her and Baptist blossom later in the book. I wished the author had given more moments between those two. We get pages and pages of Armand, but once he is out of the picture, we are so close to the end of the book that Baptist doesn’t get the attention he rightfully deserves.
I loved the ending of the book! I completely adored the amount of humor and content Nannerl experiences in those final pages after having years of unhappiness in the first half of her life. I couldn’t put Mozart’s Sister down, and I would recommend it to anyone with a love for music and historical fiction.
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