The Piano Tuner

A Novel

By: Daniel Mason

Narrated by: Richard Matthews

An extraordinary first novel that tells the story of a British piano tuner sent deep into Burma in the 19th century.

In October 1886, Edgar Drake receives a strange request from the British War Office: he must leave his wife and his quiet life in London to travel to the jungles of Burma, where a rare Erard grand piano is in need of repair. The piano belongs to an army surgeon-major whose unorthodox peacemaking methods - poetry, medicine, and now music - have brought a tentative quiet to the southern Shan States but have elicited questions from his superiors.

On his journey through Europe, the Red Sea, India, and into Burma, Edgar meets soldiers, mystics, bandits, and tale-spinners, as well as an enchanting woman as elusive as the surgeon-major. And at the doctor’s fort on a remote Burmese river, Edgar encounters a world more mysterious and dangerous than he ever could have imagined.

Sensuous, lyrical, rich with passion and adventure, this is a hypnotic tale of myth, romance, and self-discovery: an unforgettable novel.

©2002 Daniel Mason (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Richly imagined, The Piano Tuner winds like a lazy river, carrying the reader into the mythic land of Kipling and Conrad." (People)

"A novel for readers of literary and popular fiction alike; highly recommended." (Library Journal)

"Richard Matthews delivers an astonishing performance. His characters are as meticulously crafted as Burmese-carved ivory miniatures.... The dialogue soars. Mason’s plot fascinates and surprises, while Matthews’s performance is a tour de force." (AudioFile)

Can't forget this one - sticks with you

I joined Audible in 2007. Piano Tuner was among the first books I heard. Today, 2012, I still think about this book. I consider it one of the best, most unique stories I've heard. The characters are well developed. The history and the fate of the piano turner are fascinating. I wanted to know what was going to happen next. The story does start slow. The detail seems a little thick because you don't know the story is going, but then it comes together. And in the end, in some ineffable way, it doesn't leave you. I honestly don't know why I enjoyed this book so much. But five years later, I am still thinking about this book.

Unique

Well read interesting story, departure from usual genre; but written in classic style. Educational but not pedantic. Seemed to end too quickly for me tied loose ends together after a long journey.

Good Story, Bad Ending

This story was absolutely fascinating to me. The information on Britain's presence in India, the art of piano tuning, and all the other details the author painstakingly included made it a learning experience as well as entertainment. The narrator did an excellent job telling the story.

But as it was coming to a conclusion, I became nervous about how it was going to end. Few clues were given. When I did finish it, I understood why. A sad reality of writers is the difficulty of tying it all up in the end. Mr. Mason did not do this at all. It was an awful ending and left me frustrated. Why would this moral, innocent, and straight forward man do this? It did not fit.

Thrilling

This is a real tale that takes you through Jungles, full of interesting characters and twisting plots with interesting cultural information. I would have to say I savored this one like a good piece of cake. When it was over I was looking for more titles by this author. Enjoy!

Fabulous

Really interesting read. If you like historical fiction of any sort especially Victorian / Colonial England you will like this. A slow but very satisfying burn.

Fascinating subject

I liked everything about this book. Beautifully written, well performed. Great mix of music and Burmese history. I’ll listen and read it again and again

Details about British operations in Burma, Burmese culture,local flora and fauna, and the mechanics of pianos.

Believable characters and a wealth of information about Burma in the late 19th century. Amazing details.

heavy on the history

Felt like the author wanted to write a Birmese history book, but realized there wouldn't be much of an audience for that, so he tried to shoehorn his research into a novel.

Love being transported!

Most interesting to me where the description of the area. I was transported into a place foreign to me. I learned a great deal about music, local history of a far away land.

Superb performance, interesting setting, very slow

I picked this book based on my fascination with British colonialism during the 19th century and the narrator's fantastic work with Bill Bryson's book "A Brief History of Everything". The narrator's range of vocal characters is unmatched and he even manages to do female vocals well enough. The setting is richly described in detail. Unfortunately, the story is fairly slow up until the 2nd to last chapter and the payoff is left missing. For those reasons, I gave it a 3 star review