Reviews
"Brilliant. . . . As elegantly constructed as a concerto." --NPR "A condensed masterpiece that traces the lifelong battle of one man's conscience, one man's art, with the insupportable exigencies of totalitarianism." -- The Guardian (London) "Brilliant. . . . Leads us to places only a handful of novelists have the skill and the courage to go." -- The Boston Globe "Barnes's storytelling is phenomenal; Shostakovich, as tragic and anxious as he is, is utterly fascinating. " -- The Christian Science Monitor "A powerful portrait . . . Barnes does wonderful work on the key scenes. . . . The whole Kafka madhouse brought to life." -- The New York Times Book Review "Exquisite." -- O, The Oprah Magazine "Beautifully written. There is a wonderful rhythm to the prose--long passages are broken up by staccato bursts of single sentences--and Mr. Barnes writes with a crystalline clarity." -- The Wall Street Journal "A tense and elegant study of terror, shame and cowardice, of a celebrated artist capitulating to power, yet on his own terms. . . . Barnes interweaves the painful and the sublime to achieve an epic orchestral effect." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Affecting. . . . In his impressionistic portrait of Shostakovich, the man and the artist, Barnes balances sympathy with a tough-minded clarity. . . . In its examination of the totalitarian state through the life of a single victim, The Noise of Time stands in an honored literary tradition." -- The Miami Herald "Undoubtedly one of Barnes's best novels." -- The Sunday Times (London) "Powerfully imagined and chillingly lucid. . . . Moving . . . Barnes takes us inside the composer's mind, observing how he reacts to the ceaseless demands of power." -- The Millions "Excellent. . . . The author's achievement here: to not only capture the mood of fear under which Shostakovich worked but also create a tribute to the struggle of all artists." -- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Moving. . . . Renders Shostakovich's wrenching personal and political conflicts in a way that makes them impossible to forget or ignore. . . . Barnes's writing is elegant, his curiosity boundless, and his intellect formidable." -- Los Angeles Review of Books "Magnificent. . . . Novels about artistic achievement rarely do justice to their subjects. The Noise of Time is that rarity. It is a novel of tremendous grace and power, giving voice to the complex and troubled man whose music outlasted the state that sought to silence him." --Anthony Marra, Publishers Weekly, "Brilliant. . . . As elegantly constructed as a concerto." --NPR "A condensed masterpiece that traces the lifelong battle of one man's conscience, one man's art, with the insupportable exigencies of totalitarianism." -- The Guardian (London) "Brilliant. . . . Leads us to places only a handful of novelists have the skill and the courage to go." -- The Boston Globe "Barnes's storytelling is phenomenal; Shostakovich, as tragic and anxious as he is, is utterly fascinating. " -- The Christian Science Monitor "A powerful portrait . . . Barnes does wonderful work on the key scenes. . . . The whole Kafka madhouse brought to life." -- The New York Times Book Review "Exquisite." -- O, The Oprah Magazine "Beautifully written. There is a wonderful rhythm to the prose--long passages are broken up by staccato bursts of single sentences--and Mr. Barnes writes with a crystalline clarity." -- The Wall Street Journal "A tense and elegant study of terror, shame and cowardice, of a celebrated artist capitulating to power, yet on his own terms. . . . Barnes interweaves the painful and the sublime to achieve an epic orchestral effect." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Affecting. . . . In his impressionistic portrait of Shostakovich, the man and the artist, Barnes balances sympathy with a tough-minded clarity. . . . In its examination of the totalitarian state through the life of a single victim, The Noise of Time stands in an honored literary tradition." -- The Miami Herald "Undoubtedly one of Barnes's best novels." -- The Sunday Times (London) "Powerfully imagined and chillingly lucid. . . . Moving . . . Barnes takes us inside the composer's mind, observing how he reacts to the ceaseless demands of power." -- The Millions "Excellent. . . . The author's achievement here: to not only capture the mood of fear under which Shostakovich worked but also create a tribute to the struggle of all artists." -- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Moving. . . . Renders Shostakovich's wrenching personal and political conflicts in a way that makes them impossible to forget or ignore. . . . Barnes's writing is elegant, his curiosity boundless, and his intellect formidable." -- Los Angeles Review of Books "Magnificent. . . . Novels about artistic achievement rarely do justice to their subjects. The Noise of Time is that rarity. It is a novel of tremendous grace and power, giving voice to the complex and troubled man whose music outlasted the state that sought to silence him." --Anthony Marra, Publishers Weekly, One of the Best Books of the Year: San Francisco Chronicle "Brilliant. . . . As elegantly constructed as a concerto." --NPR "A condensed masterpiece that traces the lifelong battle of one man's conscience, one man's art, with the insupportable exigencies of totalitarianism." -- The Guardian (London) "Brilliant. . . . Leads us to places only a handful of novelists have the skill and the courage to go." -- The Boston Globe "Barnes's storytelling is phenomenal; Shostakovich, as tragic and anxious as he is, is utterly fascinating. " -- The Christian Science Monitor "A powerful portrait . . . Barnes does wonderful work on the key scenes. . . . The whole Kafka madhouse brought to life." -- The New York Times Book Review "Exquisite." -- O, The Oprah Magazine "Beautifully written. There is a wonderful rhythm to the prose--long passages are broken up by staccato bursts of single sentences--and Mr. Barnes writes with a crystalline clarity." -- The Wall Street Journal "A tense and elegant study of terror, shame and cowardice, of a celebrated artist capitulating to power, yet on his own terms. . . . Barnes interweaves the painful and the sublime to achieve an epic orchestral effect." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Affecting. . . . In his impressionistic portrait of Shostakovich, the man and the artist, Barnes balances sympathy with a tough-minded clarity. . . . In its examination of the totalitarian state through the life of a single victim, The Noise of Time stands in an honored literary tradition." -- The Miami Herald "Undoubtedly one of Barnes's best novels." -- The Sunday Times (London) "Powerfully imagined and chillingly lucid. . . . Moving . . . Barnes takes us inside the composer's mind, observing how he reacts to the ceaseless demands of power." -- The Millions "Excellent. . . . The author's achievement here: to not only capture the mood of fear under which Shostakovich worked but also create a tribute to the struggle of all artists." -- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Moving. . . . Renders Shostakovich's wrenching personal and political conflicts in a way that makes them impossible to forget or ignore. . . . Barnes's writing is elegant, his curiosity boundless, and his intellect formidable." -- Los Angeles Review of Books "Magnificent. . . . Novels about artistic achievement rarely do justice to their subjects. The Noise of Time is that rarity. It is a novel of tremendous grace and power, giving voice to the complex and troubled man whose music outlasted the state that sought to silence him." --Anthony Marra, Publishers Weekly
