Author: Steve Lopez
Start Date: 26 May 2010
End Date: 2 June 2010
What I Liked About It: All the talk about music. Each reference to a specific orchestra piece or string quartet held specific meaning and, often, nostalgia for me. The descriptions of Mr. Ayers' life as a "youngster," studying music in high school and college all felt especially relevant to me, as I am and was the same.
What I Didn't Like About It: Author Steve Lopez's tired cliches and apparent self-righteousness about "what [he has] done" for Mr. Ayers. He constantly refers to how much money he has spent on instruments and sheet music, etc., for the man.
Somebody asked me, while I was reading the book, whether it was sad. But, in fact, until that point I never would have thought of it as sad. To me, it portrayed the simplicity in Mr. Ayers' life, living in a tunnel on Skid Row, playing violin all day everyday. In reality, of course, life in such a situation would not be so simple but all he needed was his music, and he could forget about everything else.
Would I recommend it? Honestly, what I liked about it mostly was that it was about a musician to whom I could relate, at least in terms of how he feels about music. But I don't know that I would have appreciated it otherwise. It's an easy read, so if you're looking for a story that is purely told for the story's sake, then go ahead, give it a shot.
-A.
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