June 5, 2023
Hoffman’s comic debut portrays two pianists who try to recover their artistic aspirations after selling out. Once a famous piano prodigy, Prudence Childs grew disillusioned from her time in the spotlight (as a child, she was paraded onto The Dick Cavett Show) and quit at 18 after striking it rich with a jingle for a soda commercial. Thirty-one years later, Prudence is an empty nester, and she frets to her husband that she’ll be remembered as nothing more than a “circus act.” In a parallel narrative, the 22-year-old host of Alexei Petrov’s Dueling Piano Wars! would rather be playing in conservatories than on a reality competition TV show. When a producer approaches Prudence to join the program, she signs on to be Alexei’s competitor. As Prudence tries to keep some secrets pertaining to the jingle, Alexei resists adding a rock category to the competition, a genre he claims to be “constitutionally incapable” of performing. Though the final piano duel feels a bit rushed, Hoffman makes up for it with snappy dialogue and a pair of offbeat characters worth rooting for. This feel-good story hits all the right notes. Agent: Stefanie Liberman, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.
November 1, 2023
Music was once a balm to Prudence Childs's soul. Though she used to be a child musical prodigy, now, at 48 years old, she wants nothing to do with it. Her supportive husband tries to encourage her to play by bringing her childhood piano to their home, but she petulantly offers it for a celebrity auction. Then, just when the piano is about to be sold, she realizes she might not be done with music after all. Meanwhile, Russian piano prodigy Alexei Petrov, the frustrated host of the popular reality show Dueling Piano Wars, longs to play real music rather than crowd-pleasing inanities. When the show's producer pits Prudence and Alexei against each other, blackmail, revenge, and heartfelt considerations of self-agency ensue, concluding with an ending where everyone gets what they want. Gabra Zackman capably narrates Hoffman's satisfying debut. Her voicing of Prudence is particularly skillful, successfully embodying the pianist's self-pity, recaptured love of music, and determination to let the little things go. Zackman provides a variety of character voices and makes each of them easily distinguishable. VERDICT Though listeners may want to ignore the pat ending, the novel's focus on the characters and insights into music, success, and fate do not disappoint.--B. Allison Gray
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