Playing from Memory (Paperback, New Ed)

Milofsky's first novel is an earnest, sustained, but quite fiat account of how a marriage and a family endure the emotional and physical torments caused by multiple sclerosis. Ebullient musician Ben Seidler, product of a poor 1930s Brooklyn childhood, scholarshipped his way upwards, and for some time he has been a member of the prestigious string quartet based at the University of Wisconsin. He's married to artist Dory, and the couple has two boys, Michael and Charles. But in the late 1950s Ben becomes a victim of the degenerative disease M.S., and the family wrestles alone with the problems as Ben succumbs to the erratic and frightening march of symptoms - dimmed vision, unstable limbs, humiliating loss of bladder control, fragility, and the terrible final helplessness. The Seidlers balk, despair, quarrel and do their best: in spite of the anguish of losing control of his life, Ben tries composing and then teaching and finds pleasure in both; Dory, supporting the family by teaching in Milwaukee, is frantic with weariness, frustration, and a feeling of entrapment, but each remission and plateau brings its satisfactions; there are rows about Dory's attraction for another man; Ben twice moves out, only to be coaxed back; and the boys are alternately withdrawn and hostile. Yet, as Ben's death approaches, the family is brought closer, and the disease might even "have allowed us to love each other more." Milofsky has certainly managed a faithful recreation of the progress of the illness and the possible and probable reactions of a patient's family - but the characters, with the exception of Ben's feisty father Moshe (a retired tailor), seem merely bland and predictable. A rather pallid case history, then, despite the good intentions and the doggedly upbeat tone. (Kirkus Reviews)

Playing From Memory is a deeply moving, compassionate novel about the power of marriage to survive under stress, a love story that tells of a musician's courageous battle against a degenerative illness and his wife's struggle to face the end of their life together.

Ben Seidler, an intense, passionately committed violist, is at the height of his career as a member of the Casa Bella Quartet, one of the foremost string quartets in the nation. His gifts as a concert artist had always been intuitive, but love did not come so easily. It took determination to win the hand of his wife, Dory, who was reluctant to set aside her ambitions of becoming an artist.

Their marriage is at once complex and ordinary, balancing the rigors of long rehearsal sessions against the daily round of family life with their two sons. Then suddenly the rhythm of their lives is shattered when Ben falls victim to multiple sclerosis. Stubbornly independent, Ben refuses to rely on others until necessity forces him to see that there are things beyond his control. Through a new closeness with his aging father, his older son, and, most importantly, Dory, he learns to accept help and to appreciate human frailty and affection.

As Ben's health declines, Dory is forced to resume her career and compete in a world dominated by men, and to re-examine her feelings and commitment to her husband. As their lives change, so does their marriage, and Ben and Dory forge a new kind of love, a fierce love that sustains them through everything.

Playing From Memory is a rich and touching story, a novel that charts the landscape of despair but ultimately celebrates the triumph of the human heart. David Milofsky has written a powerfulnovel that carries all the weight and authority of lives truly lived. It is as much about loving as about dying, leading us back to our deepest selves.

General

Imprint:	University Press of Colorado
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	April 1999
First published:	April 1999
Authors:	David Milofsky
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 17mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	274
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-87081-526-3
Categories:	Books > Fiction > General Promotions
LSN:	0-87081-526-1
Barcode:	9780870815263

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