- Grace Notes
"Grace Notes" is a novel by
Bernard MacLaverty , first published in 1997.Plot summary
The book centers around the
postpartum depression of its female protagonist, Catherine McKenna, a Northern Irish music teacher and composer living inScotland . She faces preparations for her father's funeral, endures disturbing visions regarding her recently born daughter, Anna, and suffers restrictions imposed by the Catholic Church on her family and her childhood. She engages her depression through the cathartic and intuitive composition of music; later in the book, she begins to craft a master symphony. The novel ends with a powerful live radio broadcast of her symphony.The title is an explicit reference to
grace note s, which a character in the novel terms as "the notes between the notes". The redeeming power of art is indeed a prominent theme. In addition, critics have considered the concept of fleeting and minute musical notes as descriptive of the novel's style (Donath).Reception
In 1997, "Grace Notes" was shortlisted for the prestigious
Man Booker Prize for Fiction.References
* [http://www.richmondreview.co.uk/books/gracenot.html The Richmond Review]
*Harte, Liam. [http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4901 Literary Encyclopedia]
*Donath, Reinhard. [http://www.englisch.schule.de/cal/Laverty.htm#Novels Bernard MacLaverty] - Grace Notes (1997)
* [http://www.themanbookerprize.com/about/previous/1997 The Man Booker Prize 2007]
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