Partita

Barbara Kingsolver's eleventh novel follows Livia Bohusz, a gifted pianist whose life is forever shaped by the death of her older brother and a mother who could, in the most generous terms, be described as devoid of warmth. At just ten years old, music becomes both Livia's refuge and her purpose, carrying her from rural Appalachia to college and into a love that will echo across the decades.

I couldn't help but take my time with this gorgeous book. Even with my expectations sky-high, it completely knocked my socks off and made my heart soar.

When a phone call from her past arrives in midlife, Livia is forced to reckon with the life she has lived and the life that might have been. Thoughtful, expansive, and full of compassion, Partita asks what we owe one another, what we sacrifice in pursuit of our calling, and who gets the privilege of making art.

Kingsolver's greatest gift has always been her people. They are achingly real, and she continues the important work of giving voice to hardworking Appalachian families and communities that have too often been overlooked, misunderstood, or reduced to stereotypes in American literature. You'll fall in love with more than one of these characters, and by the final page, you'll close the book with a fuller heart and a clearer sense of what truly matters.

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