Review of The Music of My Heart

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Susan Kihleng
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Review of The Music of My Heart

Post by Susan Kihleng »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Music of My Heart" by Jayne M Simon.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The Music of My Heart by Jayne M. Simon is a story to tug at the heartstrings for sure. The novel begins by alternating between two similar traumatic events that occur in the lives of two young girls in Ireland twenty years apart. The first event, in 1946, was a violent attack on young Minerva O’Shea, resulting in a complete upheaval of her life and ultimately her mental break, leaving her with the mind of a child unable to cope with the reality of her horrors. The second event, which occurred two decades later, was an almost identical attack on Minerva’s niece, Claire. After her attack, however, Claire was treated with love and dignity by those in her life and guided through a path of recovery, leading her to a new life in America where she finds true love. The story concludes in the year 2009 as the three generations of the family seek closure to the traumatic events of the past.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Music of My Heart. Ms. Simon’s style of writing was captivating and beautifully done. This book contained moments that made me laugh, moments that made me cry, tender romance, and even included a bit of a mystery with a twist thrown in. I also loved the aspects of Irish culture brought to the forefront of the storyline and even a bit of Italian culture as the author introduced the Sabella family.

The only complaint I could possibly have about this novel is that at times the dialogue seemed to get a bit wordy and repetitive. It seemed like some of the same conversations were had repeatedly, though this really did not take away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

I wholeheartedly give this book 4 out of 4 stars. The book was beautifully written and contained such an endearing story that I think it’s one I will read again and again. I certainly look forward to reading more by this author.

I would recommend this novel to readers who enjoy sweet, heartwarming love stories. However, I would imagine that this book could be a bit of a trigger to those who may have suffered past trauma, particularly from sexual assault. The book was obviously professionally edited as I found very few errors. There was very little profanity and no erotic scenes, but due to the sensitive nature of the sexual assault aspect, this book may not be suitable for younger readers.

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The Music of My Heart
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Chinaza Nnabuenyi
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Post by Chinaza Nnabuenyi »

The title of the book sounded like Music in my heart. The story about Claire seems like kind.
Ntombifuthi Londi
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Post by Ntombifuthi Londi »

Romantic novels have always been my favorites, and this one appears to be full of them. However, I would avoid this one due to the sexual content. Great review
Nkgchidimma080
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Post by Nkgchidimma080 »

Am a lover of romance and love stories,am glad I came across this book,nice review.
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Post by Edit_or »

Awwwwnnnnn😊. Story sounds lovely. Good review!
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Mbenma Esther 080
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Post by Mbenma Esther 080 »

Solace from past trauma can be found in this story. Thanks for the review
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Luchris_michael
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Post by Luchris_michael »

The comparison between the traumatic events on the girls is striking. I love the title. Good review.
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