Books like The Soloist

I've been in a musical mood lately. From a piano shop in Paris to a life of Beethoven (which is slow-going and a bit frustrating so far but still...Beethoven!) to Mark Salzman's novel about a child prodigy cellist and what happens to him when he loses the desire to play.Well, that is not exactly right. When we meet Reinhart Sundheimer he has not 'concertized' for many years, but he still practices daily, trying to recapture the magic of earlier years. But he lost the desire to play, the love for playing long before the story begins.Then comes jury duty; and a gifted student. How will these two influences affect ournarrator's life?The courtroom drama was interesting, and certainly brought up many topics that could be discussed (hopefully calmly) in a discussion group. But while I was fascinated by the trial, I was enchanted by the story of Kyung-hee. I learned new music along with him, (thanks to YouTube) and came away with a greater appreciation for both Bach and the cello.My mother was a music major in college, and played string bass in the El Paso Symphony Orchestra back in the late 70's. She plays cello for fun now, and although she complains that it is not really her instrument, she enjoys her practicing. I am going to take her this book. I think she willunderstand Salzman and his love for music, although she might get a bit lost during that trial. I know I did a time or two.