'Reviews' Blog Post Archive
Jeremy Denk mentions my book in this week’s New Yorker

Jeremy Denk mentions my book in this week’s New Yorker

A kind reader in the US (thank you Diana) has alerted me to the fact that my book Women and the Piano is one of Jeremy Denk's choices in this week's New Yorker magazine. New York pianist and writer Jeremy Denk was asked to recommend a few books that deal with the...

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FT Best Summer Books of 2024

FT Best Summer Books of 2024

My book on women pianists has been chosen by the Financial Times as one of their Best Summer Books of 2024. Music critic Richard Fairman made it one of his choices. It's very gratifying to find the book being noticed by a wider circle - I suppose because of the...

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Wall Street Journal reviews my book

Wall Street Journal reviews my book

This weekend my book Women and the Piano is reviewed by Diane Cole in the Wall Street Journal. I don't think my books have ever come to the attention of the WSJ before, so I am delighted to be included. Only subscribers can read the full review, but this link at least...

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Scotsman article today

There's an article by music critic Ken Walton about me and my book in today's Scotsman newspaper - click here to read it. For now, an excerpt: 'Just read her recent fourth book, Sleeping in Temples, in which she muses, in 16 essays, on issues that challenge and...

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Guardian review of ‘Sleeping in Temples’

There's a review of my new book in today's Guardian. Here's an excerpt: 'Fascinating essays from the celebrated pianist ... Susan Tomes has devoted her career largely to chamber music - a niche market within the niche market of classical music, and one in which she...

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International Piano magazine review

There's a nice review of my new book, Sleeping in Temples, in the Jan/Feb issue of International Piano magazine. I know from my own attempts that it isn't always easy to track down this interesting magazine, so I thought I'd take the chance to reproduce an excerpt...

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Classical Music ‘Books of the Year’

My book 'Sleeping in Temples' has been named as one of the 'Books of the Year' by Classical Music magazine.  In November it was their 'Editor's Choice' with a five-star review, and now in December it has been upgraded to one of the ten 'books of the year'. What...

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Reviews update

Three more mentions of my new book have appeared this weekend: Alex Ross, music critic of the New Yorker and eminent music blogger, includes it in his 'Recommendations'. Frances Wilson reviews it in her Cross-Eyed Pianist blog: 'This absorbing and insightful book will...

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BBC Music Magazine review

I'm very happy to hear that my new book 'Sleeping in Temples' is the Books Choice in the Christmas 2014 issue of BBC Music.  'Rare insight. Susan Tomes illuminates at the piano and on the page.' 'Susan Tomes compares her first encounter with chamber music as akin to...

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Classical Music review of ‘Sleeping in Temples’

The first review of my new book has appeared. I’m delighted to find it is ‘Editor’s Choice’ in this month’s Classical Music with a five-star review: ‘Those bewitched by Tomes’s three previous books (two published by the clearly perceptive Boydell Press) can prepare...

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‘Highlights of 2012’

‘Highlights of 2012’

A nice thing to happen at the end of the year: music critic Kate Molleson, who writes for the Guardian as well as the Herald, has mentioned me at the start of her round-up of the year's musical highlights in Scotland. It brought back good memories of my series with...

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Mozartfest/Sunday Times review

Mozartfest/Sunday Times review

'At the Guildhall [during the Bath Mozartfest], pianist Susan Tomes joined forces with the Viennese fiddler Erich Hoebarth for an all-Mozart programme of four sonatas for 'fortepiano with violin accompaniment' and one of his most significant fragments, Fantasia in C...

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More Japanese reviews

More Japanese reviews

More reviews of my book 'Out of Silence', translated into Japanese by Noriko Ogawa, have arrived from Tokyo. I must say these Japanese reviews are absolutely my favourites so far. Their flavour suggests Noriko was right when she said that Japanese people would be on...

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‘Ongaku no tomo’ book review

The Japanese music magazine 'Ongaku no tomo' (Friends of Music) has published this review of my book 'Out of Silence', translated by Noriko Ogawa. The delightful translation of the review is by a friend in Japan: 'Susan Tomes sets a high values on encounters with...

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My first Japanese reviews

Noriko Ogawa, who translated my book 'Out of Silence' into Japanese, reports that the first reviews have started appearing in Japan. To our great delight the book is one of three chosen this week by the Nikkei Shinbun (Financial Times of Japan) as "Connoisseurs'...

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