Author: Jessica Martinez
Published: October 18, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
304 pages (galley)
I really didn’t expect to enjoy this book. I mean, I thought I might like it, but I never expected myself to get so hooked on it. I got it from the Simon & Schuster Galley Grab (thanks so much!), and originally downloaded it as a “test run” to see if my membership was working correctly. Anyway, I ended up reading it and I loved it! It’s refreshing to read some contemporary (as I have been reading a lot of everything but contemporary these days). I think Virtuosity is a really well written, well plotted YA novel.
Virtuosity is about 17 year old violin prodigy, Carmen Bianchi. She’s got loads of trophies, plaques, music albums and even a Grammy, but her big goal is the Guarneri violin competition, one of the most prestigious in the world. There seems to be nothing in her way, except Jeremy King; in Carmen’s words, “The male version of me.” Unlike Carmen, who is so anxious and nervous about the competition, Jeremy seems so cocky and sure of himself that it makes her dislike him. Hoping to scout the competition, her path directly crosses with Jeremy, and they strike up a romance — but it’s going to be hard to deal with when they are also each other’s biggest rivals.
While the YA romance is certainly a large component of the story, I think the actual focus of this novel is actually Carmen and her relationship with her mom (who she calls Diana … not really sure why she calls her mom by her first name, I don’t think it was explained). You see, Diana used to be quite a singer, a rising star in the classical music world. Until she came down with a throat disease. She had surgery, and while she can still talk, her singing career was over before it really bloomed. So Diana fulfills her classical dreams by living her life through Carmen’s a lot. It’s really the best aspect of this book, in my opinion — super interesting to read about. Kind of reminds me of that mom from the movie, Black Swan. (Or the moms from Toddlers and Tiaras). I really couldn’t stand Diana after a while though, haha — but I take that to mean she is a well written character. I was like, “Can’t you see that you’re trying to live your life through your daughter?! You’re making her miserable!”
Carmen as a protagonist, is not that different from other YA female leads, she’s pretty average, but I guess I liked her more than others because it was easy for me to feel sympathetic to her situation. This story is more character driven than it is plot driven, and as the reader, you watch Carmen grow from being this … pet thing of her mother’s, into her own person. Another thing I love about Carmen is how utterly devoted she is to the violin — despite the fact that at one point, upon realizing how much her mother controls her violin career, she asks herself why does she even bother playing the violin? She’s so passionate about the violin. Kind of makes me wish I took my piano and flute more seriously when I was a kid. (Still love classical music though … but probably not on the same level as Carmen, haha).
Like I mentioned earlier, there is a romance component to this novel (what YA novel doesn’t these days?) It’s kind of a cliche romance, but I think it’s cute. It’s adorable. That’s really all the romance had, but at least it wasn’t insta-love and full of descriptions about how hot the male lead is.
I definitely recommend checking this book out, I think most people will like it. Virtuosity is a shining example of what a YA novel should be like. I can’t wait for it to be released!!
My Rating: 5/5
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