The Game of Opposites Hardcover - 2009

Summary

Media reviews

Praise for The Game of Opposites

“Ambitious. . . . A thought-provoking and complex look at one man’s Hamlet-like moral dilemma.”
—Gordon Weaver, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Norman Lebrecht is an original writer concerned with large moral questions, and admirably skeptical of accepted truths about human behavior and motivation. The Game of Opposites pushes the reader beyond the simplistic safety zone of moral category (good, evil; moral, immoral) into complex, dramatically compelling terrain. Reading this novel is like hearing a familiar song in a startling new voice.”
—John Burnham Schwartz, author of The Commoner and Reservation Road

“A compelling and deeply human novel of ideas that examines the toll of World War II, fascism, and the Holocaust. It is a tale of simple survival and, more importantly, a meditation on good, evil, guilt, love, rage, and the panoply of emotions that roil the lives of survivors. Unforgettable.”
—Booklist (starred review)

Praise for The Song of Names

“Delightful. . . . Reveals an author full of knowledge, invention and passion. . . . A lovely book.”
—The Telegraph (London)

“Touching. . . . A good read.”
—St Louis Post-Dispatch

“The Song of Names has many virtues. Lebrecht can write beautifully. He invokes large issues: virtuosity, the Holocaust, and tribalism.”
—The New York Times Book Review

“Lebrecht’s writing soars.”
—The Economist

“Conjured with exceptional vividness. . . . Musical influences and imagery run like a watermark through the prose.”
—Evening Standard (London)

“Two insular worlds—classical music and Hasidic Judaism—are put under the microscope in this lively novel. . . . [Lebrecht writes] with the calm and steady touch of a concert pianist.”
—Entertainment Weekly