Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #889289 in Books
• Published on: 1996-10-10
• Original language: German
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Synopsis
Elias Johannes Alder, a musical genius who practices his talents during secret midnight sessions at a church organ in the nineteenth-century Alpines, curses a God who prevents Elias' gift from being recognized by those who surround him.

Customer Reviews

a fantastic book for everybody who loves wicked mystic drama
Having read the book in German and English i can truly say it is a must, even in the English version, for everybody who is fascinated by mystic dramas. As an early warning, this story has not got a happy end, it ends as dramatic as it commences and reads, page by page up until the end. it is a tragedy all the way through.

The English translation of the story of this musically gifted and somewhat handicapped boy, growing up in an environment full of distrust, envy and treacherus community, sealed off in their inbred community, has not lost an ounce in tension, fascination, page-turning quality.

It is based on a real story that took place in the same geographical area, the Western Austrian Mountains with a simillarly gifted young man who dissapeared under obscure circumstances.

Legal reasons have forced the Author and the publisher to rename and relocate the characters and the story.

If you get a chance and if you speak German, read both versions; the German one called "Schlafes Bruder".

If you like Ken Follet, Bernahrd Cromwell etc., then you will love this one. I promise.

best book ever
this book is one of the best books i've ever read. since i've just read the german editon, i will soon order the english one. there is also a movie to this book, but the movie just destroies your whole imagination of this wonderful book. so, don't watch the movie, but read the book.

Excellent
This book was recommended to me by a friend. At first I wondered why and almost put it down, but after the initial pages it begs to be read as quickly as possible. Once finished, I re-read the initial pages and the relevance of them made sense. Strongly recommended if the English version is a good translation (I read this in its original German version). Amazing descriptions of music - so precise you can really hear it in your head. A must for musicians, especially organists!