Maestro

by Peter Goldsworthy

Book Overview

Against the backdrop of Darwin, that small, tropical hothouse of a port, half-outback, half-oriental, lying at the tip of northern Australia, a young and newly arrived southerner encounters the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 0207189323
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publishers: Angus &amp, Robertson
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Beauty and ignorance

This story begins in 1967 and is set in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, in Australia. Darwin hangs on the edge of Australia, far from the `cultured' society of the south. It is not much more than a country, `Outback' town. The influence of Asia looms strong. Its inhabitants swelter in the moist, blazing temperatures. The locals pride themselves on how much beer they can drink. It is a place that readily accepts the rejects and fugitives of society. To this town, at the ends of civilization, comes the Crabbe family: Paul, a year eleven student; his mother, a housewife and ex-librarian; and Mr. Crabbe, a doctor who has been forced to this place in order to accept a promotion. The Crabbes are all interested in music and all play the piano. His parents have much hope for Paul's musical talents. They enroll their son for classes with the only piano instructor in town: Eduard Keller. Keller lives in a room above the local bar, and, frequently accompanied by a bottle of schnapps, gives the impression of being as hopeless as any other looser that has drifted into town. But Paul quickly learns that Keller is no ordinary drunk. The lessons seem unconventional, but Keller lets it slip that none other than the great composer Liszt taught his own teacher. Keller is indeed a `maestro' and has much to teach Paul. But how did Keller reach this paltry life? How did he come to be in so obscure a place as Darwin? This is a book about perfection sought for and never achieved. It is about culture's highest achievements. It is also about the arrogance and pettiness of man, about how even the best of us are flawed. Primarily this novel is about how a man, through indifference, or willful blindness, can loose his way, can throw away his life. Last, but not lest, this is a novel exploring the love/hate relationship of pupil and teacher. There is much to think about in this book and it will indeed stay in your mind long after you have read it. In part this is a turning-of-age novel and the character of Paul changes and grows. Much of the book covers the years 1967 and 1968, but we also briefly see Paul in 1974, 1975 and 1977. The character of Keller remains static, but the novel slowly reveals the mystery of how he came to be as he is. Mr. And Mrs. Crabbe are minor but ably drawn creations. Their amiable bantering and strong, shared passion for music adds color to the book. The novel is written in the style of a memoir and reads very smoothly. Though the themes are deep, this is not a difficult book to read and it indeed charms the reader admirably. There is considerably humor in the text, though ultimately it is quite serious in tone. Goldsworthy began his career as a poet, then published three collections of short stories and this is his first novel. was first published in 1989. The book gives some of the flavor of life in `outback' Australia, but the reader does not need to know anything of the culture of that society to understan

Mentorship at the end of the world

The far-north Australian town of Darwin used to be, more or less literally, at the end of the world. Cut off from normal communication by road for the three or four months of the annual wet season, Darwin used to go into a winter hibernation unlike anything known to North Americans or Europeans. This is the tropical setting of a fine novel by the writer Peter Goldsworthy. I used to think that Darwin was the sort of place in which anything might happen. With its transient population of seasonal workers and government servants on 2-year postings, its tropical growing season which can transform a vacant block into a jungle-like garden in under two years, it is not your typical Australian town. So it is the perfect setting in some ways for a meeting of minds, a crossing of roads, which require a certain fecundity of spirit to infuse them. This is a story about mentorship, about discovery, about the old world and the new. It is a short novel, but an extremely satisfactory one.

The maestro writes a masterpiece

Prior to this excellent work, Peter Goldsworthy was most known in Australia as a poet. With his first novel, Maestro, he brings a poet's love of words, their economy, and what one can achieve by underplaying and sensitively using words, rather than serving up a stodgy porridge of a tome. Maestro is a short novel, (almost a novella), but it makes up for in excellence what some may feel it lacks in words, for Goldsworthy has a respect for words. He also tells a poignant coming-of-age story with both understanding and insight. The narrative voice is never so intrusive that we feel that our contempt for the young arrogant Paul is being orchestrated by the author. Similarly we are led to develop a respect for the Maestro Eduard Keller, after our initial suspicions that he may be merely an aging dipsomaniac in a town (Darwin, capital of Australia's Northern Territory), where alcohol consumption is higher than in any other Australian capital city. Goldsworthy paints his minor characters well, from Paul's parents who exist as partners in opposition, to the sexual predatory, DJ,Rick Whitely. Maestro is a rich novel, allowing the reader to continually revisit it, and never be disappointed. It is difficult to praise this work too highly and any review will inevitably be lacking. Quite simply, and as last words, buy it, read it, and love the pleasure in reading a finely crafted work of literature!

Brilliant in it's exploration of the failings of human kind.

Maestro left me marvelling at the beauty and disenchantment in life. The consciously reflective tone inspires a person to wonder at the beauty that life holds while simultaneously leaving a feeling of sorrow. The novel promotes the reader to reflect on the past failings of human kind and by reflecting learn from them. Maestro reveals to the reader that there is beauty in all of nature, (no matter how oppressive the climate may seem) and that it is through experiencing all of nature (through being away from cities) that we can attempt to know and fulfill our innermost dreams. "Maestro" is brilliant in it's exploration of human nature. It simply and succintly shows the failings of human kind as we judge, ridicule and ignore the plight of others in our self centredness, searching for our whole lives for the meaning of life. It shows that we often don't realise how wonderful things are at the time and that it is only by later reflection that we may believe we have wasted the opportunities in our lives. It is through this concept that "Maestro" promotes the reader to enjoy and experience life while we have the opportunity giving us little time to regret what we have or have not done. All in all "Maestro" is a wonderful book that shows the reader that life holds both beauty and sadness.

Supurbly written to drag in ones attention

To tell the Truth, Maestro would have to be the best novel that the VCE system has picked for the students to analyze. From the moment you pick it up, until you finish, Goldsworthy has you in his hands with his ability to write reflectively.