4.5*
Told from multiple POV as a loosely entwined story of characters from an orchestra (most members of said orchestra). Each character is unique with vivid imagery of their own. The story starts off with Warren (be warned this opening is tragic) and then follows with characters vignettes - each tangential to the other. It was so well told - even if unconventional and sometimes disjointed temporarily. Piotr, was my favourite character - all other things being equal - he had just the kind of humour that I appreciate - and in every chapter that was his, he made me laugh (whatever that says about me).
I do think that to appreciate this, you need to have some knowledge of the musical world (i.e. musicians, not necessarily first hand) and not expect a single plot line/development.
Also this has cured whatever was left of any romantic notions that I had of a musicians life (which somehow survived years of band in middle school and high school, an adult community class/amateur guitar orchestra, and amateur early music ensemble playing). It really is real world work colleagues but in closer quarters who have to occasionally travel together. And we all know that travelling together brings out everyone's worst (and best occasionally).

A story of what it's like to work in the hothouse environment of an orchestra, where colleagues see you more than your family do and where egos get in the way of everything. I felt the author knew this world but, for me, the characters were two-dimensional, with no nuance at all. I found this quite irritating. The plot itself also felt quite insubstantial and I really couldn't feel any empathy for the characters. Just not my cup of tea on any level.

4/5 ⭐️
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the arc

“Stories don’t ever really end. Instead, they carry on and on, with ramifications and echoes that only clarify after the passage of years. They overlap and interweave. Stars of one story only receive walk-on roles in another, and almost nothing is ever completely finished.”

‘While the Music Lasts’ is one of the most resonating books I’ve come across in a while—and the irony isn’t lost on me.

From the multiple povs to the brutal highs, lows and plot twists, Alice McVeigh expertly captures the intricacies of life within an orchestra.

And yet, among all of this, what struck me most were those raw conversations. It was those times that Alice truly brought us to each character’s level—when the artist was human, just like the rest of us.

Rewritten from its initial publishing in the 1990s, the story follows multiple povs who are all connected through the Orchestra of London: Isabel, who is a viola player with a knack for getting her heart broken; Mirabel, a horn player who is the orchestra’s compass; William, a cellist who’s heart and mind start misaligning; Piotr, another cellist who grapples with personal concerns; as well as many other characters.

The interesting thing about this book is that it doesn’t follow a district plot, instead demonstrating that no story ever ends. At its core, ‘While the Music Lasts’ reveals how the line between the artist and the human is much the same. And for this reason, their relationships, their passions, and their careers intersect, often messily.

And that’s what resonated. That despite how enigmatic, how isolated, how mysterious the world of music is, you realise that being an artist is maybe one of the most human things. That we are all, in one way or another, unable to voice what is inside of us. And that our life can sometimes crash around us, picking up the resonance of those we know most intimately.