Friday 19 March 2010

Soundtrack Saturday - Going with Gabriel

Soundtrack Saturday is hosted by Rating Reads. Anyone can participate. Here are the instructions:
  • Take your current read or recently finished book.
  • Find at least one song that fits the story, characters, whatever.
  • Post the book title and song(s) on your blog with a brief explanation.
  • Don't forget to mention who started it.
  • Linking/embedding a song or video in your post is not necessary to participate.
  • Head over to Rating Reads and add your post to the Mr. Linky.

Song: Unknown tune by unknown musician

Why: The main character of this book, Gabriel, is a wandering musician desperately trying to stay unknown and invisible. He plays the tin whistle moves from town to town busking with friends. The young man in my YouTube music video not only is living a similar lifestyle to Gabriel - he's dressed like him too. He's also playing the kind of tune I know Gabriel would probably have enjoyed playing. I liked that and I liked the fact that this music video was filmed in a town in South Africa I know, even though the book story plays out in the UK and Europe.

Going with Gabriel is a new book, published this year. I was very kindly sent a copy by the author, Bryan, who also lives in the Highlands of Scotland. I found it an entertaining thought-provoking story. I'm pasting some of my review of the book (for Amazon) here:

Gabriel's survival may lie in staying invisible, but his magical musical talent makes that near impossible. As he weaves the people he meets into his songs, he tries to keep them from being woven into his heart, but is that possible? Gabriel seems to be hiding from his past, but is he actually trying to run away from his future... How long before the secrets he is running from finally catch up with him? Where is Gabriel really going and does he have any choice?

Gabriel's secret fears are not the stuff of fantasy, they are based on genuine concerns facing this planet as we sit here reading. That's what makes this book more than merely an enjoyable adventure story - the research that Bryan Islip has used to place his fiction upon a foundation of fact.

Whether you agree with Gabriel's choices or are appalled by his decisions this book is bound to change the way you look at the world... and that, in my opinion, is the sign of a really good story.


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3 comments:

  1. EXCELLENT pick for the book description, M! :-D

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  2. Yay for Buskers! I went to my first Busker Festival last year in Halifax and thought it was awesome (even though while we were there it was raining a lot and some of the buskers couldn't perform). The book sounds interesting too. I'll have to look for it!

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  3. Hi Amel
    You must give the meme a try. It was good fun hunting down the right song. :-)

    Hi Carin
    A buskers festival sounds great fun. I've known a few who were really amazing. There's a Peruvian group who play around our area - pan pipes, drums etc. I could stand and listen to them all day. :-)

    The book is really interesting and I enjoyed it. I liked the main characters and the idea behind the story is one that really makes you stop and think, which I do enjoy in a book.

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