By Richard Harvell
This is the first book I bought in Copenhagen and took quite a time to read it. I enjoyed the book very much irrespective of the slowness. The letters were small and I didn't particularly like that part—not a book for travel. The cover is just perfect showing a melancholic face of a boy.
The author, Richard Harvell, who lives in Switzerland was inspired by the sounds and abbeys of Switzerland to write a novel. This is his first book and is critically acclaimed.
The Bells tells the tragic story of Moses Froben and his life as an outcast, an orphan, a choirboy, a novice, a lover and a musico. Moses Froben lives with his mute and deaf mother in a belfry, high in the mountains of Uri Valley. The villagers believe Moses to be mute and deaf like his mother. When everyone finds the bells too noisy to bear, Moses' life is shaped by its sounds.
Neglected by his family and the villagers, life in the belfry was uneventful for Moses and his mother until Father Karl Victor cast his ugly spell. When he finds that Moses can speak, he goes as far as to kill both of them. A kind monk named Nicolai finds Moses in a lake struggling for his dear life. Nicolai ignores the warnings of his friend Remus and decides to take Moses to the Abbey of St. Gall.
Staudach, the abbot of St. Gall instantly despises Moses, but Ulrich, the choir master soon finds the hidden talent of Moses. Irrespective of the bullies from other members of the abbey, Moses soon stands out with his voice. Moses' life takes a turn for good when he is invited to sing for Herr Duft, a lady of a famous family in the area. He befriends Amalia, Herr Duft's daughter.
To preserve Moses' angelic voice, Ulrich wants to make him a musico. Nicolai in an attempt to kill Ulrich for his wrongness to Moses, gets expelled from the abbey. Nicolai and Remus leave Moses to be a novice in the abbey under Staudach's care.
As Moses grows to a man, he falls in love with Amalia. Their short secret meetings are soon interrupted as Amalia gets married to a rich man in Vienna. The rest of the story tells the fate of Moses, Amalia, Nicolai and Remus.
The narration is friendly and easy to follow. The beauty of the Alps and Vienna spread before our eyes as the book proceeds. The characters Nicolai and Remus are warm and practical—however, I find Father Karl Victor and Staudach to be too evil for their position. The beauty of the sound and its vibration were portrayed brilliantly that I was almost able to feel it. The book was a perfect read for me.
The Bells is a must read.
