by Joanna Davidson Politano

Vivienne Mourdant is a concert pianist who inherits an unexpected guardianship from her father. She discovers she has more in common with the local asylum than she ever dreamed. In searching for more information, Vivienne goes under cover as a nurse and finds herself in a situation that quickly spins out of her control.

The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano is loosely linked story to her last book A Midnight Dance. Similar in the musical and lyrical tone of the book, The Lost Melody captures and embodies the prodigy pianist who hears music in everything around her.

Personally, I related more to A Midnight Dance, but perhaps musicians relate more to this novel. I had difficulty inserting myself into the story. The asylum is an intriguing and bold setting for such a lyrical book. So at odds with the main character’s world one can only assume it was intentional. However, to be fair, an 1800s asylum in England is much at odds with many of our lives today. The atrocities that took place are grievous and I did have a hard time reading through the various stories as compassion rose up in my heart for the people so inhumanely and unjustly treated. Which is precisely why familiarizing oneself with history is good. Easy to forget how far we have come and how far yet we need to go.

It is a thought provoking book. Not much of a romance, although there is one there. If you are looking for a dark suspense/mystery wrapped in music, this is the book for you. If you are looking for a light uplifting beautiful romance novel I would go with A Mightnight Dance.

Leslie