The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier

Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple signâ€”Desforges Pianosâ€”he enters, only to have his way barred by the shopâ€™s imperious owner. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelierâ€™s master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion.

Praise for The Piano Shop on the Left Bank:

â€œ[Carhartâ€™s] writing is fluid and lovely enough to lure the rustiest plunker back to the piano bench and the most jaded traveler back to Paris.â€
â€“San Francisco Chronicle

â€œCaptivating . . . [Carhart] joins the tiny company of foreigners who have written of the French as verbs. . . . What he tries to capture is not the sight of them, but what they see.â€
â€“The New York Times

â€œThoroughly engaging . . . In part it is a book about that most unpredictable and pleasurable of human experiences, serendipity. . . . The book is also about something more difficult to pin down, friendship and community.â€
â€“The Washington Post

â€œCarhart writes with a sensuousness enhanced by patience and grounded by the humble acquisition of new insight into music, his childhood, and his relationship to the city of Paris.â€
â€“The New Yorker

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD
Country USA
Brand Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 0375758623
Color Tan
ReleaseDate 2002-03-12
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780375758621

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	0375758623
Color	Tan
ReleaseDate	2002-03-12
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780375758621

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier