James Runcie in conversation with Lucy Winkett 

2023 in person and in Winchester. Nice.

I tried to finish this book, but could not. For those who really approach Bach in depth, this book seems trivial and full of cliches, with made-up dialog more suited to a Hallmark movie. Obviously, it is impossible to really shed light on the profound mystery of Bach’s genius, but a novel of this type should, at least, make the reader sense the mystery rather than portray Bach as so excruciatingly a limited man of his time surrounded by a bunch of Disney characters. I am also surprised at this novel’s critical acceptance which would make sense if the bar were set to a level commensurate with a Harry Potter novel. However, I think the subject matter demands more.