A book for the music lover {#BHBC Review: A Good American}

Ah, music.

It got me through high school and continues to carry me through tough times.

I was a marching band and choir geek in school and, though I didn’t pursue music in college, my love for it never subsided.  I just prefer to hear it than participate, as it was never something that came all that easily to me.

The novel “A Good American” by Alex George hooked me from the first line, “Always there was music.”  Then, as the narrator went on to discuss his grandparents romantic beginnings in their home country of Germany, there was no turning back.  I love stories about family heritage to begin with, but when the roots go back to Germany, the country of my own grandparents, I’m always intrigued.

The story unfolds in Hamburg, Germany where Frederick and Jette’s romance changes the course of their lives and drives them to America in search of a fresh start.  There the story follows them as they start a family and plant deep roots in Missouri, where one small decision after another irreversibly changes the course of their lives and their future family’s.  The story begins before the first world war and covers pretty much every significant historical detail since, from the perspective of one small town in Middle America.

I loved everything about this book.  I loved the history, the fullness in which I got to really know each character, and more than anything, how MUSIC tied it all together.  Music is a powerful, soul changing experience and I loved watching it tie generations together and heal torn hearts and relationships.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to pretty much everyone I know.  Both men and woman a like.  I will be passing the book along to my husband and parents and beyond.

To read more, check out the discussion going on over on BlogHer: https://www.blogher.com/bookclub/now-reading-good-american

*This is a paid review for BlogHer Book Club but the opinions expressed are my own.