Virtuosity

by Jessica Martinez

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

Young Adult

Fiction

Collection

Your library

Publication

Simon Pulse (2011), Hardcover, 304 pages

Description

Just before the most important violin competition of her career, seventeen-year-old prodigy Carmen faces critical decisions about her anti-anxiety drug addiction, her controlling mother, and a potential romance with her most talented rival.

User reviews

LibraryThing member nlsobon

To be honest, I wasn't sure I would like "Virtuosity" as much as I did...but the first few pages were able to pull me in almost instantly. The way Jessica Martinez described that entire scene, it'd be hard to not want to keep reading.

"Virtuosity" is the story of Carmen,a 17 year old violin prodigy.

Her mother, Diana, is constantly pushing her to do better so that she'll be able to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. But things don't go as planned. When she meets Jeremy, her competition, she begins to fall for him. Martinez could've easily taken the easy way out with the story, but she didn't. As the relationship begins to unravel between Carmen and her mother, you don't find yourself feeling bad for Diana what so ever. Its the growth that Carmen experiences that makes the entire story.

"Virtuosity" is a beautifully crafted story of a young girl finding out who she is and the struggles she faces along the way. I would definitely recommend picking this up when its released in October.

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LibraryThing member breakingdownslowly

This was a really beautifully written story.

I loved how real Carmen was. I've been a violinist and while I never went pro or anything (obviously), the way she behaved with her violin and her dedication was realistic and genuine. It was clear how important the violin was, but also how important her

independence became.

I know a lot of people complain about how parents seem to disappear in YA, but Carmen's mom and step-dad were there with her all the time. They really cared about Carmen and her career, even if they didn't always makes the best decisions. They stayed involved. It was different and refreshing.

Jeremy...oh Jeremy. Sometimes he pissed me off, other times he had me melting along with Carmen. I was so torn on his true motivation, but I think in the end I liked him. I liked him for Carmen and I liked what he did for her in the long run.

I really loved the whole plot of this book. The love story and the violin and the anxiety problems. I like that it was something that could genuinely happen to a young violinist. And I liked that it wasn't predictable. There were things that happened that I didn't see coming and things that made me gasp and things that I still think about and shake my head. And the ending was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

The writing was beautiful, really. It was gorgeous and flowed well and kept me hooked for the whole story. I'm hoping that all of Jessica's books are like this, because if they are, I will insist on getting all of them.

I really, really, really recommend this book. It's absolutely fantastic, especially if you've ever been a performer.

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LibraryThing member booktwirps

Carmen Bianchi has accomplished more in eighteen years than most teens her age do in a lifetime. She’s a Grammy award-winning, violin prodigy and in the fall she will attend Julliard. There’s just one more thing she has to do – win the prestigious Guarneri competition which will give her

career a final boost. The only person standing in her way is Jeremy King, a British violin prodigy, and her biggest competition. When Carmen spies on Jeremy one day, she doesn’t expect to get caught, nor does she expect him to contact her afterward. As the competition draws closer, Carmen finds herself attracted to Jeremy, despite the warnings from her overbearing mother. Is Jeremy really into her, or is he just trying to throw her off before the competition? Should Carmen follow her mind, or her heart?

I was surprised by this book. Typically I’m weary of romance books, mainly because the main character falls in love too quickly. That wasn’t the case here. Ms. Martinez does a great job of pacing the romance aspect to make it feel believable. I also liked that the attraction between Carmen and Jeremy wasn’t the main focus. Ms. Martinez does a wonderful job of portraying the life of a competitive musician. I felt the pressure that Carmen’s mother and teacher put on her, and I sympathized with her and was able to understand her reluctance to take the anxiety medication her mother forced on her before performances. The writing is electric, and the story is engaging, my only problem was with the last couple of chapters. While I was happy with the outcome, I wasn’t sure I totally believed it. Still, this is a great read and one I would recommend.

(Review based on an Advanced Reader’s Copy courtesy of the publisher via Simon & Schuster’s GalleyGrab)

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LibraryThing member yabotd

When I decided to read Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez, I knew almost nothing about it. I had a picture of the cover and a one sentence summary from Simon & Schuster. That's it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out this book is about music. As a former band geek, it always excites me to read about

music. Since I no longer play an instrument, reading about characters who are so intensely drawn to and involved in music reminds me how much I loved it when I did play. It brings me back to the music in a comforting way.

So, the one-liner from Simon & Schuster made me think this would be a quick romance from a debut author. This is an extremely biased view (and I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it), but I assumed this would be a decent love story with enough plot to get buy on and decent enough writing, but nothing stellar.

Man, do I love it when I'm wrong.

The writing was great. Definitely made me envious while I was reading. :D The story was very interesting and different than I expected. There was a romantic thread throughout the book, but it wasn't a head-over-heels, falling-madly-in-love type of book. Honestly, if I were to pick the strongest theme in the book, I'd say it was self-discovery. Carmen has to figure out how to manage music in her life and if her future career, goals, and lifestyle are what she wants or are what others expect of her.

The romance was nice too. It was a very realistic portrayal, which I think has become unusual in young adult books. There was a steady back-and-forth between Carmen and Jeremy. Also, they weren't meeting one minute, then trying to desperately claw each other's clothes off the next. I like that type of book too sometimes, but this was a nice, healthy change. :D

Overall, a nice change from the paranormal/fantasy/romance-y type books I'd been reading lately. You don't have to be a big contemporary book fan to like Virtuosity, but it might help if you're into music or like romance (again, not the hot and heavy stuff though).

Final thoughts: Worth a read. Borrow or buy (depending on your preference for contemporary books).

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LibraryThing member TheBookLife

This is one of the best books, I've read recently, about figuring out who you want to be and standing up for it. When we first meet Carmen she is, first and foremost, a musician and a really amazing one. Her whole life has been about the violin and it's all lead up to the Guarneri competition, a

very prestigious event amonst violin players, and she is set to win it. The one problem is Jeremy King, her only competition, as far as Carmen is concerned. Against her better judgement and her mothers advice, Carmen starts spending time with Jeremy and they grow closer, things start to get a little hairy when feelings start getting involved.

I really liked Carmen. As a character she was very naive, at least in the beginning of the book, but that is normal considering the life she has led. She is home schooled and spends most of her free time with her mother and stepfather. The only person we can consider a friend in Carmen's life would he Heidi, her tutor. When your world revolves so wholly around one thing and your dreams aren't just your own, it's hard to have a specific identity. Carmen's mother was a former opera singer, but her career ended early due to health issues, so she now lives vicariously through her daughter's music career. I didn't like Diana, Carmen's mother, she was pushy, controlling and there were plenty of times it didn't seem like she really loved her daughter unless she was a successful violinist. I can understand parents doing things that go way above and beyond, for the good of their children, but I didn't feel like anything she did was for anyone but herself. And her lack of faith in her daughter made me cringe. Clark, Carmen's stepfather, was one of my favorite characters. He was also a sort of prisoner in the life of Diana, but he was so caring and sweet when it came to Carmen. I wish we would have gotten to know more of him. Jeremy King. Well I didn't really care for him at first, except for the accent, but I think that was kind of the point. He was arrogant and a little rude, but as it goes in most stories, people aren't always exactly as they seem. He definitely grew on me and I wound up really caring what happened to him and how things would end up for him and Carmen.

I don't know much about the violin, practically nothing, but that didn't really matter. You don't have to be a musician to appreciate the characters or what is going on in their world. It's a really well written story and gives you just enough information about the musical aspect, without getting overdone and boring. I enjoyed reading about Carmen and her world and experiencing love and tragedy with her. This is a great contemporary and I think it will appeal to many.

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LibraryThing member l_manning

Carmen is a child prodigy on the violin. She's had world tour, CDs, even a Grammy. The last thing she needs to really make it is the prestigious Guarneri prize. She really only has one person to worry about beating her, and when she hears him play she becomes quite worried. However, when Jeremy,

the other violin player, e-mails her out of nowhere, things take an interesting twist. Soon Carmen and Jeremy are spending more time together, and Carmen's mom is not pleased. Carmen will have to decide who she's playing for and why she plays. Her decisions could change her life forever.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I found the contrast between Carmen and Jeremy fascinating. Who has it better? The one who has more natural talent but has everything handed to them? Or the one who has to fight for everything because of their passion for music? Somewhere in the middle of becoming violin famous, Carmen has forgotten about her love of music. I wanted so much for her to be able to rediscover her passion for playing. Although Jeremy was competitive, he was still very nice. Not perfect by any means, but someone who will certainly have readers swooning.

I was honestly surprised with where the plot ended up going. There were some twists and turns that made the book even more exciting. Through it all you really feel the author's passion for music. This was translated so well throughout the book. I highly recommend this book. It's an interesting study on music, competition, romance, and true motivations.

Galley provided for review.

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LibraryThing member BookDivasReads

Carmen Bianchi is not a typical teenager. She is a virtuoso violinist and her entire life revolves around the violin. She is preparing to compete in the most prestigious violin competition in the world. But at age seventeen, Carmen has always been a "good girl" and done exactly as told, until now.

At the top there is nowhere to go but down. Will Carmen crash and burn? Will she find herself and uncover love in the most unlikely person? These questions are asked and answered in Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez.

Carmen's mother used to sing opera before a botched surgery scarred her vocal cords. She now functions as Carmen's manager. Carmen has never known her father other than an occasional phone call or birthday/holiday card and gift. Her father's parents are also mysteriously absent from her life until she becomes a violin virtuoso. Her grandparents then invest in her future by purchasing a Stradivarius violin for her to use. Carmen feels pulled and torn. She loves music and the violin but she has also become anxious about performing, especially after her disastrous performance in Japan. Of course her mother has the solution and promptly takes Carmen to a doctor for a prescription for pills to help with performance anxiety. The pills work, but Carmen finds herself taking more than one to ease her anxiety. The doctor says they aren't addictive but she thinks he may be wrong.

Enter Carmen's only true competition, a teenage male violin virtuoso. Jeremy King appears to be everything that Carmen isn't, self-assured and totally independent. Jeremy and Carmen begin as enemies and become friends. Can they ever be more than friends? Needless to say Carmen's mother feels that Jeremy is out to sabotage Carmen's chances in the competition. It is a cruel thing for her to say but is it possible she's right? And what is going on with the secretive phone calls in the middle of the night? Carmen knows that there is more going on than meets the eye with her mother. When she uncovers the truth, will she be able to take a stance for what is right? Is it possible that Jeremy only wants to throw her off-guard so he can win the competition?

Carmen goes through a lot of self-discovery in a very short period of time. This isn't a story of typical teenage rebellion, nor is a typical coming-of-age story, although these are components to Virtuosity. Ms. Martinez has provided a heartfelt story about doing what is right no matter what and standing up for yourself despite the consequences. Carmen doesn't want to disappoint her mother, her stepfather, her grandparents or her violin teacher, but she ultimately must not disappoint herself and her sense of integrity. Although Virtuosity is classified as a YA book, I feel it can be read and appreciated by readers of all ages.

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LibraryThing member katiedoll

A book about competing violinists? *yawn* How entertaining and engrossing could that possibly be? The answer: Immensely. I devoured Virtuosity in one sitting. With such a fast pace and high intensity, it was very easy to become so absorbed with the story.

I love how Jessica Martinez manages to twist

my feelings on certain characters throughout the whole story. I started off loving characters who I hated in the beginning and absolutely loathing characters who I didn't mind so much when I first started reading. And I have to mention how the two main characters and violinists, Carmen and Jeremy, seem to express their personalities most when they're onstage. The scenes where they were actually playing were so beautiful and I wish this book had come with some sort of soundtrack to make the experience that much better.

I've read a lot of reviews prior to reading that talked about not being able to relate to Carmen's character, but that didn't apply to me at all. Maybe it was just me, but Carmen's anxiety and anguish over the competition and her feelings for Jeremy just leaped right off the page and into my head. And the way she transformed and rebelled from under her mother's thumb was done really appropriate, I think, that someone who has ever been pressured would understand what Carmen is going through.

Overall, Virtuosity is one of the more fabulous contemporary novels released this year, full of drama and romance and struggles between right and wrong and attempting to find yourself through everything. Carmen's battle with the violin, the pills and her relationship with Jeremy had me on the edge of my seat. I definitely recommend you check Virtuosity out!

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LibraryThing member DamarisGCR

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about Virtuosity, and to be honest, it did sort of turn me off. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read it or not. So for a while I would look at it sitting on my bookshelf and just keep pushing it to the side. Of course now I am little upset at myself for

waiting so long to read it. I loved it! I have learned that reading reviews before reading a book is probably not such a good idea for me. I am easily turned off, and I would have missed out on a great story.Carmen basically has it all, but the one thing she loves the most is her music career. It means everything to her and more. There is a new competition coming up and only the best will win, and Carmen will do anything to win. She starts off by pretty much stalking her opponents and learning every little thing about them. What she didn't count on was how one meeting with Jeremy would turn her world upside down. They are both after the same thing, but only one will be left standing. You know that saying "Curiosity killed the cat"? That fits perfectly for Jeremy and Carmen. Only no one dies in this story. There really isn't much I can say without giving the whole story away, but it's pretty much girl falls in love with boy, boy falls in love with girl, but can it really work? Can they really still want to be with each other after ONE of them wins the competition? Virtuosity was a definite page turner for me. I was just so curious and loved being inside Carmen's world. Her life went from being on track, to completely derailing. I felt so bad for her at times and then so happy for her. Even though I loved the relationship between Carmen and her mother, it was so sad how at times her mother would forget that they were family. She became so blindsided by Carmen's career, that when Carmen needed her the most, she really wasn't there for her. Virtuosity was written so well and runs so smoothly, you can easily finish it in one sitting. The outcome to the story was well thought out and I was very happy with it. There isn't one thing I can say about Virtuosity that I did not like.5 out of 5 stars!

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LibraryThing member DamarisGCR

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LibraryThing member krystal_osmond

Virtuosity was an alright book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It was nice to read a book like this in between some others. No major love trinagle, no paranormal/undead/anything else like that, so it was a little refreshing in that sense.
The book starts off with Carmen holding her

$1.2 million violin over a building railing. We have no idea why, or what's happening other than she wants to kill off her instument! It was an intruiging way to start the book because right away the reader wants to continue reading and find out the story behind Carmens actions. We go on to find out that Carmen is this child prodigy, violinist, grammy winning superstar who is on her way to winning the Guarneri - THE ultimate violin championship. But she isn't the only one who will do anything to win it - anything inlcudes taking inderal, a prescription the Carmen has taken for so long to help her perform on stage. Jeremy has his own plans on winning this award, and though he and Carmen appear to be falling for each other, we can't be sure it's genuine. Because of that, readers are eager to continue.
The characters in Virtuosity were good characters, though I had a hard time relating to Carmen. This is probably due to the fact that I'm not a star performer, I wasn't home schooled and I've never been on a strict practice schedule. But that's fine, because I wasn't expecting to relate to the characters because of that.
Jessica Martinez is a decent writer. To be honest, I just read this book for what it was and didn't think too much into it and didn't try to visualize too much of it. I got what I got out of it, nothing more. I do think it's a good book to have on hand, or borrow from the library when you want a change of scenery though.

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LibraryThing member titania86

Carmen Bianchi is a famous virtuosic violin player stressing over the life changing Guarneri competition. This includes obsessively practicing (as usual) and checking out the competition, which looks a lot like stalking. She is caught stalking by her main rival Jeremy King and they begin their

love/hate relationship. They start sniping at each other through emails, but when they finally meet in person, they treat each other like people and actually get along. The competition is usually in the forefront of Carmen's mind, but her budding friendship/romance with Jeremy pushes it aside. Everyone in her life except her stepfather just care about her success and would do anything to get her there. They are even accepting and even encouraging about her dangerous addiction to anti-anxiety drugs. As Carmen wrestles with who she should trust, the competition draws closer. Although Jeremy seems to be the only person in her life who cares about her, is it only a facade for trying to get her to throw the competition?

I was first drawn to Virtuosity because the focus is on music performance. There haven't been a lot of recent teen books about the subject. Some authors include it as a minor detail to flesh out characters, but they never return to it again. (I'm looking at you Hush, Hush.) The author is very experienced in the field, being a teen star violinist herself, so her characters and their conflicts feel authentic to me. In the novel, she captures the reasons why I didn't choose to go into music performance when chose my music major focus in college: the cut-throat attitudes, the competition taking over the performer's life, and especially making music a joyless endeavor. I play the flute because I enjoy it and if that enjoyment was taken away, I wouldn't want to do it anymore. Carmen no longer enjoys making music because there is so much riding on each individual performance and there is pressure on her from all sides.

The most interesting aspects beyond music are the way she is treated by the people in her life. Her stepfather is the only person who really cares about her as a person and does things with her that are fun and outside her work. Her mother is incredibly intense and doesn't even acknowledge that she is still a teenage girl. At first, she seems really caring about Carmen and has her best interests at heart, but as the book goes on, it's clear that she just cares about her success and the money she brings. What shocked me the most was her lack of confidence in Carmen and her encouragement of Carmen's dependence on the anti-anxiety medication. Her teacher is horrible and doesn't care about her emotions or her wellbeing. Jeremy is her only real friend, but she is constantly struggling with her opinion of his motivations. I was a little disappointed that their relationship was the focus of the novel instead of Carmen's own personal journey. Most teen books focus on some sort of romance, but it would be nice to see more that don't.

Overall, I enjoyed Virtuosity. It provided a realistic look into the music performance industry. The descriptions of the performances were beautifully written. I would love to read whatever Jessica Martinez comes out with next.

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LibraryThing member the1stdaughter

With everything riding on a single competition there’s nothing Carmen can risk, least of all her heart. When Jeremy, the young and overwhelmingly arrogant violinist not to mention “the” competition, suddenly enters her realm of thought beyond simply crushing him with her ability to play the

violin she begins to question everything…starting with her anxiety medication. Given to her by her overbearing and competitive mother, Carmen can’t help but question her mother’s motives as well as her own desires. Is drug addiction and the lies that lead to a path of ultimate success worth it or could there possibly be a happier, more loved version in the end?

From the moment I read the synopsis for Virtuosity I knew it would either be an instant hit or a sad disappointment. Fortunately for me it was a stunning success that I couldn’t put down! My reason for wavering before my actual reading of the full novel had everything to do with the music element of it. Being a musician myself I can’t help but nit pick books that try to pull off a character like Carmen who’s every hope and dream revolves around her love-hate relationship with music. Obviously I’m no Grammy winning artist like Carmen, but I’ve taken a turn or two on the musical roller coaster and lived through it. So finding a character like Carmen and an author like Jessica Martinez(herself a musician also) who tells a story you simply can’t forget is something I value very highly.

Obviously you can guess the aspect I valued most in the story was Carmen’s struggle to balance her love of the music that fills her soul with the domineering power of her mother’s demands. Carmen’s career is everything to her mother and along the path to success Carmen soon forgets that it wasn’t always her career that had her playing in front of countless audiences. She once played because she loved it, everything about it, until one fateful mishap. Being that my own mother never pushed me to the point of drug addiction, it’s hard to relate to that part of Carmen’s life but the anxiety certainly is. Never wanting to fail, always wanting to play your best and never disappoint those around you…stressful is an understatement at times. It was wonderful to see that range of emotions in Carmen, from her yearnings to her competitiveness you could almost hear the music weaved throughout her story.

As for Carmen’s relationship with Jeremy, her “competition” and potential love interest, it was perfect. Not only did their relationship conflict balance perfectly, but Carmen’s decisions at the latter part of the book regarding not only her and Jeremy but the competition were exactly what I’d hoped for. Jeremy was fabulous! His snarky behavior in the beginning to his support during the last half of the book made him a guy that girls everywhere will swoon after.

Mentioning that Jessica Martinez is a debut author seems ludicrous. Her writing is as beautiful as the notes her characters play in Virtuosity making it nearly impossible to believe this is her first novel. This is a story about finding your own path and becoming who you truly want to be. Virtuosity is a coming of age novel that sings to it’s readers and one that I’ll certainly be recommending for some time to come. Be on the look out for Jessica Martinez though, as I’m certain Virtuosity isn’t the last we’ll be hearing from her!

My original review was posted at There's A Book.

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LibraryThing member Bookswithbite

As I began this book, I really loved the feel of the book. The passionate music flowing between the fingers of the strings of the violin, but also the great competition in between. The reader begins with two great musicians, yearning for a fantastic prize of fame and fortune. What starts off with

an exchange of fighting words slowly becomes something beautiful.

The plot line of this book blew me away! I loved reading about music. Both characters were so passionate about it. The strive to be the best, the uphold a family legacy, had me reading pages faster and faster. I adored watching both Carmen and Jeremy push and pull each other. See there love blossom between the aches and pains of music is very nice.

The characters Carmen and Jeremy felt real enough to the reader, that you felt every ounce of stress, nausea, anxiety when it came to performance time. I guess you can say I have had a taste of this cause I too was in band. I played Clarinet and when it came to competition time, it was on! I liked that Carmen and Jeremy face a road of obstacles. Though it did not bring them down, it made them stronger. Stronger in themselves, as well as a couple.

I also adored the betrayal in the story. it may not seems like a big one to some people, but when you are that passionate about something like that, it comes off as a low blow. You are no longer what you claimed to be. You are now a fraud. I adored that the character took steps in the right direction to correct the matter, but I also felt for the pain of loss they had to endure.

Virtuosity is a great book about two amazing musician coming to term with who they are. With passionate music, a burning love and a betrayal that will make everything different, this book I loved.

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LibraryThing member renkellym

Virtuosity is a vibrant contemporary debut about music and becoming independent. Jessica Martinez’s writing is just as lyrical as the pieces that Carmen plays on her violin, and the storytelling is borderline perfect. Virtuosity manages to balance introducing the technicalities of competitive

violin playing with expressing the scary emotions a young woman goes through as she tries to think independently of her controlling mother.

Carmen is truly a joy to read about. Though she’s famous and has won a Grammy, she doesn’t act pompous. In fact, Carmen is incredibly easy to relate to despite her success; she struggles with things that we all struggle with. Because of this, it’s easy to root for her to overcome all the obstacles she faces (although Carmen doesn’t need much encouragement; she’s a very, very strong person).
Virtuosity doesn’t offer much in terms of side characters, but the book does introduce a fabulous love interest. Jeremy is cocky and self-assured, but he’s also genuinely nice. And he’s a tease, which is very entertaining. The dynamic between Jeremy and Carmen is excellent, and it eventually offers more than one would expect.

Virtuosity will thrill readers with its emotional rollercoaster ride, but it will also bring a feeling of fulfillment, as if you yourself have just finished performing. Virtuosity is perfect for fans of slightly edgy contemporary YA—it incorporates some tougher elements, like drug addiction and manipulation—but it will capture the hearts of anyone who reads it. Highly recommended for music lovers as well!

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LibraryThing member Bduke

Loved it! It's very different from the dystopian/paranormal YA stuff I've been reading lately, and it was a refreshing change. I loved that it was about musical prodigies who were normal people.

LibraryThing member nbmars

Carmen Bianchi is 17, but she isn’t a typical teen. Since age four, she has been groomed and cosseted and promoted as a child prodigy violinist. Unlike most other kids, her childhood was filled with music lessons, concerts, tours, recordings, and even a Grammy. Now, the most prestigious

competition in classical music – the Guarneri – is coming up, and Carmen desperately wants to win. She even starts stalking her most likely rival, her 17-year-old British equivalent, Jeremy King. Jeremy, currently in Carmen’s hometown of Chicago to play at the finals before the Guarneri, turns out to be smug and flippant and – to Carmen’s embarrassment – even catches her “spying” on him. As much as he infuriates her and makes her want to wilt away from humiliation, he is also very cute, disarmingly vulnerable when he’s not preening over his talent, and utterly fantastic on the violin.

This has all the makings of a predictable romance, but that’s actually only a small part of a more interesting story. As readers discover in the prologue, Carmen’s life is not as halcyon as it seems. Carmen is addicted to the anti-anxiety drugs foisted upon her by her helicopter mom, Diana, who is also her manager. Diana’s own dreams of musical success were cut short by the development of polyps on her vocal chords, and she does not intend to lose out on this second chance to reach the pinnacle of success, albeit vicariously through her daughter. Her efforts to control her daughter’s life get more hysterical as the time shortens until the Guarneri Competition. The author adds some sympathetic notes to Diana’s song, but I found it hard to like her at all. Fortunately for Carmen, she also has a wonderful parent in the form of her stepdad, Clark. The only puzzle was what Clark saw in Diana.

As the big day approaches, there are several disasters just waiting to happen. Is Jeremy genuinely interested in the naïve and inexperienced Carmen, or is he just trying to sabotage her concentration and take up her practice time? Does Carmen’s illegitimate method to control her anxiety with drugs compromise her playing as well as give her an unfair advantage? Will the addiction destroy her in the long run? Just how far will her mother go to make sure Carmen wins?

Discussion: There are quite a few good discussion issues raised in this arresting story of a girl who is pressed to succeed so strongly that she loses track of who she really is or what she really wants. Similarly, Jeremy’s plight brings up questions of morality and identity as well. How they manage to cope with the strains upon them will keep readers riveted to the story.

In addition, this book provides an interesting twist on the usual triangle: we have a girl, we have a boy, and we have: the violin!

Finally, hooray for an author with the courage to portray the stepparent as the more loving caregiver!

Evaluation: This is not just a story about the desire for “Fame” in the arts. It’s much deeper than that: the hurts endured by both Carmen and Jeremy will tug at your heartstrings, even as they tug on their violin strings to create worlds of pure beauty instead of their real worlds full of heartache and pain.

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LibraryThing member msjessie

First-person perspective young-adult novels and I have a tricky but pretty reliable relationship etched out: if they are handled well and maturely I can legitimately love them, but if the author doesn't have the panache to pass their voice as a believable teen it's a lost cause with no hope.

Happily for me, Jessica Martinez shines in her debut novel in the voice, mind and world of Carmen Bianchi, world-class violinist. Believable without trying too hard, without sounding too-mature for her years, Carmen is a great character in a more-than-good-but-not-great novel. Carmen shines in this vehicle, elevating a somewhat overused general plot, infusing it with personality and vitality. This is definitely a case of a character making the book better than it should be, on its own.

Carmen is a great character because she's real and grounded. She's anal, insecure, sarcastic, funny, kind and a complete pushover. I liked the multi-faceted and even conflicting aspects of her personality: by no means is this "Medusa-haired" heroine a Mary Sue. Like many teen girls, she constantly searches for approval, to be thought "normal" - usual teen emotions that keep her relatable amid the Grammys, and $1.2 million dollar instruments. She's unabashedly great at said violin as well: winner of a Grammy and world acclaim, she should be arrogant, cocky. . . but she remains herself throughout. I did find a couple of her actions to be pretty annoying and downright silly (her assumptions about Jeremy's email are immediate and judgmental) but I don't have to love everything the character does to love the character herself. She's just so human in an outrageous, extremely pressured position. Under ridiculous strain of her stage-mom's expectations and transferred dreams, Carmen has little to no control over her life. Day-to-day or even what her dreams are is dictated by her mother with "an iron fist with a french manicure." Carmen, sadly, though world-class and immensely talented, never plays for herself or her own pleasure. She plays for her mother to vicariously live a failed career, for a teacher to extend his own impact on the musical world and that is sadly representative for Carmen's entire life. As music is so personal with an almost tangible impact upon Carmen, it's incredibly easy to commiserate and mourn with her as her joy in violin is turned into something else.

Other characters sadly lack the vivacity and life of Carmen. Her taciturn Ukrainian teacher Yuri is particularly easy to visualize but lacks any dimensions or personality outside of "gruff old man." I found Carmen's mother, always referred by Carmen with her given name of Diana (which I also very telling of their relationship) to be a depressingly one-dimensional antagonist. She seems to have no love or empathy in her for her daughter or her largely unseen husband Clark - focusely solely on her daughter's career as a surrogate for her curtailed one earlier. Diana's motivations for pushing Carmen would be much more understandable, even palatable, if they were for Carmen (wanting her to be happy, great at what she loves, follow her dreams) instead of trying to mold her into Diana II. Jeremy King, he of the not-so-subtle-last-name also failed to impress me the first half of the novel. Though I didn't jump on Carmen's hate bandwagon he makes a pretty bad, then pretty bland impression. I never saw his supposedly irresistible charisma - hell, I barely saw any personality from him! He was more of a drain on Carmen than a support, in my opinion, and I would've liked a nicer, kinder character infinitely better. He's supposedly Carmen's love interest I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two until they were pretty much de facto paired up. They truly work together and the novel is most evoactive when either Jeremy or Carmen play the violin. The descriptions and personal reactions to music are beyond compare in this novel: they stand as my favorite parts of the entire book.

The finale of the novel took me by surprise, while being absolutely fulfilling. Not the big reveal/betrayal, but the action stemming from the event. Carmen took me by complete surprise, but did what ultimately feels right for her. Regardless of how you feel about her decision, at least this time, for once, it was HER decision. Not her mother's, not Yuri's, not the doctor's and not even Jeremy's. . . purely and wholly Carmen. The ending is rather open-ended for a conclusion to a standalone novel, but I loved how the author left it. The world seems limitless, with anything possible for Carmen.

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LibraryThing member A_Reader_of_Fictions

At first, I was not sure how I was going to feel about this book. The prologue (not called that, but I don't know what else to call the abbreviated first section) certainly grabbed my attention, but it also made me worry that this might not be a good book for me. Carmen does not come off as too

smart or likable in this brief segment, but, when you finally catch up in time to this moment, you totally get why she was going crazy.

Once I got into the flow of the book and managed to somewhat calm down my intense curiosity to know the resolution of the opening scene, I got completely sucked into this book. I loved the focus on music, as well as the serious moral dilemmas that Carmen had to face. In some ways, it reminded me of Where She Went by Gayle Forman and, in it's lighter moments that focused on the rivalry and relationship of Carmen and Jeremy, of Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund.

The coming of age aspects of the story also rocked my socks. Carmen, though in some ways very mature, given that she's traveled the world and won a grammy and plays a 1.2 million dollar violin, is also, as her mom tells her, naive. Because of her virtuous status and tour schedule, she has been home schooled and has little experience interacting with others. This is partly why she has so much trouble understanding Jeremy and trusting his motivations. She is so used to being told what to do by her mother and her teacher that she really has to learn how to be herself. Of course, the fact that she was often drugged did not help. Carmen's drug addiction, whether mental or physical, was a scary thing, particularly as she had been encouraged in her dependency by people she should be able to trust.

I really loved reading this and rather hope that their might be another book on Carmen's adventure, as the ending totally makes it possible. This story was beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful. The cover's awesome too.

P.S. There was a reference to Amy Winehouse in here. I wonder if it will be in the finalized version or if it will be removed because it's too soon... The main characters mentioned her and said that they hoped she was in rehab. Unfortunately, she said "no, no, no."

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LibraryThing member GinnyW

I had honestly never heard of Virtuosity, and I initially began reading this book simply because I play violin. I thought it would be more about the music, but I was instantly sucked in by the plot. While a sappy, predictable, boy-meets-girl type of romance, the main character's internal conflict

was the main focus, It was an easy read, yet is still gripping and heart-wrenching. I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down! But I definitely highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, quick read and it is something I would definitely re-read.

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LibraryThing member ChristaJLS

This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books

I want to start out by saying I know almost nothing about classical music or the world of competitive violin playing. This did not stop me from becoming completely absorbed in this novel. Jessica Martinez makes the finer details very

accessible for those readers who (like me) are unfamiliar with this particular musical world.

Though there are many, many things I loved about this novel my favourite by far was Carmen herself. She was so authentic, so real and that girl is just so brave! Even with all her personal flaws, I found her so admirable. She is an incredibly complex and deep character and I just don't think 300 pages was enough! I wanted the novel to be longer so I could get to know more about her (I don't think this is a criticism – I certainly don't intend it to be).

There are some heavy issues put forth in this novel. We've got intense competitions, prescription drug addiction, teenage love, over bearing parents. All tackled in just 290 pages! A difficult feat to pull off but Jessica Martinez manages it. This novel handles these issues in an appropriate way and doesn't brush off their importance. I think a lot of people (not just teens) will be able to relate to many of the themes in this novel

Virtuosity pulls you in and certain scenes will just tear you apart. The story is tragic, yet absolutely beautiful.

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