Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser

From the Publisher

Young Nannerl Mozart's life seems to be the stuff of fairy tales--traveling far and wide, performing with little brother Wolfgang before kings and queens. But behind the glamour lurk hardships, illness, and constant financial worries. Their father, Leopold, is driven to bring his son's genius to the attention of the world. But what of Nannerl's talent and aspirations? And what of the man she loves? Readers will be captivated by the sometimes heartrending--and ultimately inspiring--story of a woman who struggles with her dreams and her faith in a world where a woman's place was at home.

onceuponaromance.net - Lori Graham

Nancy Moser has chosen to write Mozart’s Sister in the first person and I often felt as if I was sitting and talking with Nannerl as opposed to simply reading about her life. Nancy is very clear in the book that she has attempted to use fact wherever possible but where there were blank spots she took some liberty to fill that portion in while trying to think as Nannerl would. I believe she has captured the essence of this young woman who for most of her life felt she lived in the background and was virtually unseen. However, in the end, Nannerl does realize she made a difference - one that only she could make.

I love historical books along this vein. ... when you take history in the vein of a person’s perspective, it comes to life and teaches. I found her historical references to be right on the mark and while this is so, I also found the words to be full of life. The emotions expressed in this remarkable story were real and could be felt by the reader just as if they were walking alongside Nannerl.

romancejunkies.com - Sherri Myers

Realistic to the point of feeling as if I was almost living with the family, Mozart's Sister highlights the life of Baroness Maria Anna Walburga Ignatia Berchtold zu Sonnenburg who preferred to be known simply as Nannerl Mozart. Written entirely in first person style from Nannerl’s point of view, Mozart's Sister is a fascinating story that takes readers on a behind-the-scenes journey into the life of the Mozart family. An emotionally-charged read, this inspiring historical novel will be sure to please, especially the music lovers in the audience.

blogcritics.com - Violet Nesdoly

...the seamless tale Moser tells and the compelling characters she sustains, even when blending fact with fiction, is a credit to her storytelling skill and ability to get inside the heads of her characters.

faithwebbin.net - Lynn Worley

...As with other historical novels that I’ve read it was fascinating to get a view of what life was like back then. The author didn’t pull any punches. She included facts that were hard to read, including the death of so many children. Women had many babies at that time but so many didn’t make it until their first birthday.

Nannerl was a complicated person. She was blessed with so many gifts. It was really a pleasure getting to know her. She had a long life but as she looked back on it shortly before her death, she could see how the Lord had been working the whole way through. She had expected her life to go in a much different direction, but admitted that the Lord did indeed know what He was doing and could see His Hand in everything and totally accepted His Will.

I would highly recommend this book.

athomewithchristianfiction.com - April Gardner

Every fan of classical music will find this book enlightening, a wonderful collection to their library. Mozart's Sister is a heart-warming story of triumph through broken dreams, which will captivate the heart of even the most musically illiterate. This one is a treasure.

Publishers Weekly

In the shadow of her famous sibling, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, older sister Nannerl was perhaps no less talented but devoid of the opportunities of the time because of her sex and a controlling parent. At least this is the argument presented in this historical novel by Moser, author of numerous inspirational novels, including the Sister Circle series. As told by Nannerl in the first person, a demanding father channels his love and energies into his young son. Although Nannerl performs, her father denies her a chance at fame-and perhaps more important, the lion's share of his attention and love. He relentlessly tours Europe with his children, lying about their ages to make them seem like younger prodigies and exploiting them for large sums of money. Nannerl adores her father, but as she ages from a young adolescent into a woman, she seems numbingly resigned to a life of disappointment and frustration. As she moves into adulthood, more unhappy events occur, which are not quite satisfactorily developed in the novel's latter half. Moser's writing is smooth, and there are some fascinating historical details, but the story loses steam toward the end. That Nannerl's sad life is portrayed as the will of God will be difficult for many readers to accept. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Susan Higginbotham

As the story of a woman cheated of the opportunities enjoyed by her brother, Mozart's Sister, narrated by Nannerl, could have made for depressing reading. Instead, it's a moving story of a woman who must cope with often difficult circumstances while doing her best to build a satisfactory life for herself. (Susan Higginbotham, Historical Novels Review)

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