Bought on sale.

About: "The Courage Consort, possibly the seventh best-known a cappella vocal ensemble in Britain, are given two weeks in a Belgian chateau to rehearse their latest commission, the monstrously complicated Partitum Mutante. But can the piece be performed? Does it matter that its composer is a maniac best known for attacking his wife with a stiletto shoe at the baggage reclaim of Milan airport? Can the five members of the Consort endure their own sexual tensions and wildly differing temperaments? And what is the inhuman voice that calls out to them from the woods at night? The esoteric world of avant-garde classical music is the unlikely setting for a story of rare power - perhaps the most moving Michel Faber has yet written."

"It wasn't that she disliked him really, but she was so thin-skinned nowadays, so hypersensitive, that this simultaneous insomnia in shared darkness was like unwelcome intimacy."

Enjoyed reading this, well written and interesting. I don't know much about the world of acapella vocal ensembles but I can relate to the characters and the way they interact.

See this book is on a few wish lists so will offer this book as an International Bookray. The book is only 121 pages so it's a quick read and a book that's manageable to ship.

Forum Thread for this ray: FORUM THREAD

Participants so far:

- Tarna, Finland - EU pref, int'l okay
- Cassandra2020, Scotland - UK pref, EU okay
- carmendoran, Scotland - UK pref
- nordie, UK - EU pref, int'l okay
- greenbadger, UK - post international
- Blue_berry, UK - post EU
- Abi-Gibby, UK - post EU
- Bookworm-lady, Spain - post international <---- the book is here
- Fifna, Netherlands - post international
- bluezwuzl, Germany - post international
- tiatia, USA - USA pref, int'l okay

Book sent to Tarna in Finland today, hope you'll enjoy this read.

It's here! Actually, it would have been with me yesterday if only I had been home when the mailperson visited. No I only got a note saying that they couldn't deliver it. (I honestly don't know why. Today I got a bigger package and it fitted the letterbox just great.) The note also told that the wrapping is somewhat damaged, they had noticed in the local post office. And so it was, but the books were fine. If they only hadn't cover those beautiful stamps with the sticker telling (again) about the damaged wrapping.
But the main thing is that The Courage Consort is with me now and it looks sooo yummy. I've got a couple of books to be read before this but I try not to keep this one with me for too long.
Thank you, Tuttasb!

Admittedly, Michel Faber is a great writer. But since I'm not that much a story reader, I want to read something else in a book, too. This time I failed. It's probably my own fault.. I love music, particularly a cappella, but I don't know anything about it.
Nevertheless, Faber is a marvellous story-teller and I love the way he writes. I truly enjoyed The Courage Consort. Thanks for sharing, Tuttasb!
The book is already in the mailbox and will soon be on its way to Cassandra2020.

Enjoy!

Arrived today - perfect timing as I finished a book last night :-)

Thank you Tuttasb for organising and thank you Tarna for the postcard & lovely bookmark.

The Courage Consort by Michel Faber - Very Good

Difficult to find what to say about this book. It is, of course, Michel Faber so therefore it is a beautifully written and interesting book but, unlike so much of his other work, nothing much happens.

The Courage Consort are an a cappella group heading off to a Belgian Chateau to rehearse a difficult new piece. Written in the voice of Catherine, a lot of the thread is about her
problems and her personal growth. There are the interactions of and with the others in
the group, but that's about it. A lot about personal discovery, but not a lot of 'story'.

Regardless, a lovely little book and a very quick read. Really glad I read it.

Posted on its way to Carmen Doran - enjoy

Got it =) It's next on the reading pile.

A lovely wee book, that really grabbed me by the time I got to the end - kinda without me really noticing that it had.

On it's way to Nordie

Arrived safely, already started, thanks all

This is a short, tight, novella, with nary a spare word used.

It is the story of a 5 piece acapella group, who have agreed to try out a new piece written by a very rich (and somewhat "otherworldy" mentally) German and get two weeks in a Belgian Château to practise. The novella starts with Catherine - married to the group's founder Roger Courage - coming out the other side of psychological problems, which include depression and a hinted-at suicide attempt the year before.

They meet up at the Château and there are soon tensions (both mental and sexual) underlying the daily practising. Dagmar - the other female in the group, who has brought her baby son Axel with her - loves biking and mountaineering, and soon begins an unlikely friendship with Catherine simply by going out biking daily and inviting Catherine to come with her. Daily exercise, with someone who doesnt seem to judge her or put her under pressure (plus no longer taking the anti depressants) goes much to changing Catherine during the book, to the point where casual acquaintances dont recognise her at first.

Catherine's insomnia makes her thing she hears human like cries in the woods at night Dagmar says she doesnt hear them. Catherine goes out walking one night, spending all night in the wood and comes back the following morning in a dream like state; what happened over night and whether the screams were real are never revealed, which some readers find frustrating, but if the novella is read as a traditional Gothic novel (The Mysteries of Udolpho, or Jane Austen's wind up of "Northanger Abbey") then these situations rarely are.

Catherine is the most rounded of the characters in the book, with the others being a bit one dimensional, but that is in part because Catherine has spent so long in her own world she hasnt been interested in anyone else, so only knows what she knows. She grows the most, since that at the beginning she doesnt even know what time of day it is, at the end she is making decisions for the group and is able to put her foot down to her husband

A question I ask when reading short stories and novellas: Could the story still stand if it was longer? This one I dont know, maybe adding in a little character development of the other 4 singers, expanding on the sexual tension outside of Roger and Catherine, but there is little more that I would add.

On to the next reader!

Arrived with me today, thank you!

I'm not sure quite what to make of this mysterious little book, I really enjoyed it though. The Courage Consort are a group of singers consisting of pompous Roger Courage, mentally fragile Catherine, large and gentle Ben, outdoors enthusiast Dagmar and lecherous Julian. When they are invited to a Belgian chateau to rehearse what sounds like a pretty unpleasant piece of music, it's the first time they've spent a lot of time together and the interactions are fascinating. It's the third Michel Faber I've read and I'll be looking out for more.

Sent on to Blue_berry who is next in the ray. Enjoy!

Received with thanks! I love the owl postcard! :)

Faber has created very realistic and complex characters who are spending two weeks together in an unfamiliar environment in a forest cottage in Netherlands. It is a trying experience to most of them in different ways and the ending is quite dramatic. Faber describes brilliantly the feelings of anxiety and depression and how difficult it is to communicate these to your nearest (Catherine and Roger). Luckily he made Catherine to get better and I enjoyed this aspect of the story the most.

Sending to the next reader in the BR, enjoy!

Book arrived today

Sorry but I really couldn't get past page 20. I guess this book just wasn't for me

Just waiting for bookworm-lady to reply to my email

Congratulations, you have picked up a travelling book!
If you have a moment, we'd love you to let us know you have the book as we're keen to follow its journey. You can even post a review when you've read it before passing it on to the next lucky person.
Happy reading!


Not sure what to do? Follow these steps!

1) You may continue as an Anonymous Finder. Or, Register as a member , then you too will receive future journal entries on this book and track its journey around the world!

2) Make a journal entry on this book to let us know how you found it!

3) If you choose to read the book, please make another journal entry when you finish it to let us know what you thought!

4) Ready to pass the book on? Click on "make release notes" to let us know where it's going! Leave the book in a public place or give it to a friend!

The book is here!:)
Thanks for sharing, Tutasb, and thanks for sending it on, Abi-Gibby.
Curious due to the mixed review; it seems a quick read, so I will soon find out!

I've finally come round to reading it, and I won't take long,
Beautifully written, I love the author's turn of phrase.
I will ask for Fifna's address, in order to get it moving soon.

Well, there's not much of a plot, but I must agree that it is beautifully written, and it has some particularly good moments, like the artist showing the audiovisual that will accompany their singing.
The characters were very well depicted, and like other readers, I enjoyed the personal growth of Catherine.
An enjoyable novella; it will soon be on its way to the next reader.
Thanks for sharing, Tuttasb, and sorry that I kept it so long.

Sent today to Fifna, who is next in the bookray.
Sorry for the delay... and enjoy!! :)

This was waiting for me when I got back from the convention in Oxford, Thanks for sending, Bookworm-lady and thank you for the lovely card too!

A strange little story, that really draws you in. I like the writing and I think I'll look out for more of his books. Thanks for sharing, Tuttasb! Off to PM the next reader.

On its way to bluezwuzl. My apologies for the delay.

The book arrived yesterday - on a motorbike! Which is definitely not the usual way for our post to arrive. We have industrial action of the postal workers the second week now and simply didn't get anything since last wednesday. But the book has mysteriously found its way to me - thanks for sending it, Fifna!
---
Thanks for sharing this book. I really liked the depiction of the atmosphere of the place, the "group dynamics" and Catherines personal growth, little by little, and how this is woven together to a story you can ponder about for quite some time. Thanks tuttasb, for sharing this remarkable little book!
And off it is, to tiatia, enjoy!

Lovely language. Interesting characters.Good dialog. Many thanks for mailing it on its international journey. Thrilled to receive it and devoured it in one sitting. Now to find a new home for it.....

Barrier Island Station reception office bookcase.

The tales of the a cappella vocal ensemble to perform the Partium Matante. Goof characterization but it was difficult for me to really enjoy.