'The King of Violins' is an extremely interesting portrait of the life, and achievements, of virtuoso violinist Ma Sicong. I found it an absolutely fascinating insight into musical genius, but also the political history of China. I'm so glad that this brilliant man's life has been documented by M. G. Crisci and Cheng Ken Chi.

Unfortunately, I just didn't retain interest in this book. As a classical violinist myself, I love to read and historical reads I can on violinists or violin playing. This book was more dry than I expected, mostly giving facts in first person and failed to keep me wanting to continue. I did not finish this novel, as I knew that I could keep my interest if I picked up another book. Even though I have my master's in violin performance, I've never even heard of this violinist before, so that was enlightening for me to learn about.