Beautiful Debut historical fiction with a thrilling edge, It's been a long time since I've read a heady HistFic book set in France. I found this one divine probably because of how much time I've daydreamed about being able to sit in one of George Sand's Salons. We meet famous musician's including Chopin who would go onto become Sand's lover. There is espionage (a king's spy), treason and how important a a very good piano tuner is to a fabulous Salon if you plan on having Chopin, Mendelsohn and Lizt tickling the ivories while you are philosophically curing all of the world's ills.

There are so many topics I would want to mention but this mystery ties them together so well that they become spoilers. Filled with real historical figures and magnificent descriptions of living these various lives. I highly recommend this book, play some Chopin and enjoy trip back in time. I thank #NetGalley for giving me this ARC at my request.

Beaulieu Delhomme has found himself in a desperate situation.  After failing out of medical school and Conservatory, Delhomme finds some luck as a piano tuner.  However, in order to advance his career, Delhomme needs a more consistent income.  His prayers seem to be answered when Delhomme is approached by François Vidocq, who asks Delhomme to spy on some of Paris' elite to gauge their feelings towards the Monarchy.  To do this, Delhomme must first become the piano tuner for Frédéric Chopin.  As Chopin's tuner, Delhomme enters a friendship with the gifted pianist and composer as well as a tenuous relationship with author George Sand.  Delhomme is tasked with collecting information from Sand for Vidocq, although the costs to Delhomme keep mounting. 

The Education of Delhomme offers part spy thriller, part historical fiction with an intimate look into the lives of Chopin and Sand.  Written with a deep appreciation for the artists and music, the emotional connection Chopin had with each piece of music is apparent.  The author also has a personal understanding of piano tuning, so the many tedious aspects of Delhomme's profession were easy to understand. Delhomme's character was interesting, he was not instantly relatable or likeable, in a constant struggle for money and not willing to do anything too difficult for it.  His character eventually shows growth near the end of the story, only after he is thrown in jail for thwarting a spy mission.  George Sand's diary entries are an insightful and delightful addition to the story, rounding out the view of Chopin as well as giving a change of tone to the writing from Delhomme's point of view.  The time period of the story also gives a unique view of the Paris Uprising of 1848 through the different political lenses of Delhomme and Sand.  One of the small things that did bother me about the book were the chapter titles which seemed more like leftovers from the author's outline.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review .

I have read many historical fictions but never many about Chopin and I loved the fact that the main character is both Chopin's piano turner and a spy for the King.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction and have already put this on my books to buy list for 2021.

Nancy Burkhalter has written a very unusual historical novel, the story of Frederic Chopin's piano tuner, Delhomme. Delhomme is not a sympathetic character. In an era when most offspring have long left the family nest to strike out on their own, Delhomme is still at home, unhappily working as a stock person for a neighbourhood grocer. His father wanted Delhomme to follow in his shoes and become a doctor. However, Delhomme has a problem. He can not stand the sight of blood. After entering music school, in order to become a pianist and composer, he fails miserably at that too. When Delhomme becomes an apprentice to a piano tuner, he has finally found his ideal vocation. Delhomme gains a rich and famous clientele and becomes the piano tuner for Chopin. But life will not be kind to Delhomme. He is entrapped by Vidocq, the head of government security, and blackmailed into spying on the lover of Chopin, George Sand. He thinks he can satisfy Vidocq by supplying minimal information from her dinner parties and then will be free. But Vidocq is a master in his craft and tortures those who Delhomme has feelings for, if Delhomme does not comply. Will Delhomme continue to support the monarchy and the slippery Vidocq; will he be found out?
Through various social events and concerts, we meet a cross section of Parisian society and thereby learn about the political situation in France, Poland and the rest of Europe, during the reign of Napoleon III. George Sand, the writer, attracted the cream of novelists, musicians and artists from all over Europe to her salon. Many appear in the novel. Since she was a socialist, she was considered an enemy to the monarchy. I would have loved to see the concert, that the author described, with Chopin and other famous composers each playing their own pianos. Or just to hear Chopin, himself. While reading the novel, I kept hearing his nocturnes in my head.
What was very fascinating in the novel was the description of the art of piano tuning. The author like Delhomme, could not find a position in her field after graduating from university and became an expert piano tuner. She does go into detail, how pianos are tuned, how pianos should be placed in a room and in what environment they should be kept to stay in their optimum playing state.
I recommend this book to any lovers of music and literature.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3663582033

VERDICT: Beautifully crafted, this historical novel takes you in the heart of Paris life in the 1840s. Music and misery, art and hardship, beauty and danger. A must for all lovers of music or French history.
You may be familiar with the French Revolution and the 1830s uprising, so well described in Les Misérables, but have you read any book set about fifteen years later?
The Education of Delhomme does an amazing job at recreating the context of the period, as for social movements, the political life, the life of artists, and much more. For instance, imagine having to fight against an epidemy not of Covid, but of cholera?

The book opens with our main narrator imprisoned at the Conciergerie (featured on the book cover), awaiting his trial. He was accused of spying, but claims he is innocent. Between this chapter and the last, Beaulieu Delhomme reminisces and shares about his life.

Raised by a rather cruel father, he first had to study medicine. Definitely far from his dreams of being a musician. He finally managed to enter le Conservatoire, but was not considered good enough. He is instead proposed a place to learn how to tune and repair pianos.
Then comes an offer he cannot refuse, seeing his financial situation: Vidocq (1775-1857), a famous criminal turned criminalist, hires him to work for his private detective agency, the very first official one, and offers him nice money.

The period was a time of social turbulence in France, mostly caused by the awful conditions of workers. So Vidocq, working for the Louis-Philippe government, wants Delhomme to find information on George Sand, a famous French author who used her art to write pamphlets defending workers and helping them rise to ask for better rights. She also advocated voting rights for women (which won’t happen in France until 1944!).
How best to get to George Sand? Of course by getting closer to her lover: the famous pianist Frédéric Chopin, for instance by becoming his piano tuner.

The book contains fabulous passages on Chopin, his character, his moody personality maybe mostly due to his tuberculosis, his music of course, but also his technique for playing. This is accompanied by some nice reflection on art and inspiration (chapter 17).
If you are not familiar with piano tuning, you will discover so much. The details are fascinating without being overly technical. You can definitely see the author knows what she is talking about, having herself been a piano tuner for many years.

Delhomme’s story is interspersed by extracts from George’s Sand (fictional) diary.
George Sand developed a large entourage of famous artists, so it was neat to meet some of them, like Delacroix, Turgenev, and Berlioz, among many others. And of course the romantic author Lamartine, who was a major political player of the time.
We also meet other famous people of the time, like Camille Pleyel – he founded the famous Salle Pleyel in Paris in 1830.

To go back to history, I was impressed by the author’s description of La Conciergerie. I totally felt there, and it looked very similar to what I saw when I visited it a few years ago.
Another great part is the evocation of Revolutionary Clubs, especially the meeting described on pages 146-150. I happened to read a lot recently about the topic, including diary by members of these clubs (research I did for another author), so I was able to see the great job Burkhalter did in weaving this theme in her story.

I was actually quite familiar with the time, with Chopin, and George Sand, but I hardly knew anything about Vidocq, so even though he is “the villain” of the story, I was fascinated by his character.
We still have four volumes (!) of his memoirs – not completely autobiographical, as it was not unusual at the time to ask for professionals to revise the text – especially as policemen memoirs soon became quite trendy! He also wrote two novels.

I loved the smart ending, redeeming somewhat Sand’s character.
Also, I have to mention the absolutely gorgeous cover.
At the end of the book, you will find a short profile for the major characters, and a list of resources.

3.5 stars.

Taking an iconic historical era and adding a fictional spin.

Keen to carve his own path, Beaulieu Delhomme finds himself in Paris, accepted into renowned music school, The Conservatoire. Failing to impress with his piano skills, he tries a different route and takes up piano tuning. No easy feat, he struggles to maintain regular employment and is soon sought out by criminal-turned-detective Eugene Francois Vidocq who requests his services and pays him handsomely. His first task is to infiltrate Frederick Chopin's life by becoming his piano tuner and listen in to the conversations for any political information. Delhomme ends up developing an affectionately close relationship with Chopin and tries to terminate his employment with Vidocq. This, however, lands him in prison where only one person can save him from the guillotine.

The premise of this book instantly excited me; I love historical fiction novels and I love to learn something new. The notion of having a main character whose job is to tune Chopin's piano fascinated me and I was eager to find out more.

My political and historical knowledge was limited and I do think that would have helped me connect with the novel more. That said, the author maintained a flowing writing style that made it easy to follow the events and understand what was happening. The story was interesting and I particularly enjoyed how it interspersed with real historical figures and true events to give it an authentic layer. I wasn't a huge fan of Beaulieu as I found him to be quite a selfish and rash individual but I did like his character arc. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about piano tuning, particularly the technical details as I find the instrument incredibly interesting.

Because of the timeline covered, I did feel like the story was rushed in parts or jumped ahead suddenly. I also felt that the sporadic French words/sentences were unnecessary when the rest of the dialogue was written in English. Just a small thing but once I noticed it, I couldn't help it. I still enjoyed the novel and would definitely like to read more from the author in the future.

Desperate times called for desperate measures. Beaulieu Delhomme, Chopin's piano tuner was jailed in the Conciergerie, accused of treason. Delhomme had accepted a nefarious job. Hired by Eugene Francois Vidocq, a spy-master for King Louis Philippe, Delhomme would be handsomely paid to help protect the French Monarchy by rubbing elbows with the elite and listening to their conversations. His first assignment: become Frederick Chopin's piano tuner.

Delhomme's first person narration describes his lack of desire to pursue a medical career disappointing his father, a doctor in their small agricultural village of Marainville-sur-Madon in the Lorraine region. Instead, loving music, he entered the Conservatoire. "I tried to make a good case for appreciating music and a great desire to learn...but...God does not mete out talent equally...dazed, disoriented...I visited Giles Truel's Piano Shop". For decades, Giles tuned and repaired the Conservatoire's pianos. Delhomme became his apprentice. He learned: "Tuning has nothing to do with music...Tuners listened to beats...never the musicality...A good tuner-an excellent tuner-is the lifeblood of a pianist".

A soiree...the grand piano near an open window "an average instrument that might not obey Chopin's touch-the keyboard a potential "enemy of his silky arpeggios and spirited scherzi". Delhomme making a compelling case, was now Chopin's piano tuner. Concurrently, George Sand was vying for Chopin's favor. "I will have Chopin". In the 1840's, Chopin's involvement with George Sand was cemented at a time of political upheaval in France. Sand's writings included commentary on poverty, lack of worker's rights and the resistance. Her softer side was displayed as she ministered to Chopin who suffered from consumption. Delhomme and Sand, though at odds, had Chopin's best interests at heart. Under constant threat from Vidocq to produce spying reports, Delhomme must enter Chopin's inner circle with George Sand, front and center.

"The Education of Delhomme: Chopin, Sand and La France" by Nancy Burkhalter is a thoroughly researched work of historical fiction. Burkhalter, having worked as a piano tuner, was in a unique position to share details of piano building, piano tuning and the different methods of preparation used to accommodate virtuosos with a soft or heavy touch.

What piqued my interest in reading this tome? I enjoy the music of Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz and Mendelssohn. The meeting of the minds between Chopin and Sand was enlightening. During elite soirees, Chopin touched the soul musically while Sand touched the soul through her pen. Most of all, I was fascinated by a novel written from the point of view of the piano tuner. Let me explain why.

A highly recommended new piano tuner arrived at my house. My six year old, a budding pianist, was determined to closely watch the tuning process. In disbelief, he viewed the tuner remove the entire keyboard and gently, carefully place the keys on a blanket. After vacuuming and making the necessary adjustments, the keyboard was restored to its proper place. My son was encouraged to play several selections to see if the tuning met his standards. Only then were both tuner and young pianist satisfied! Kudos to Burkhalter for an excellent debut historical novel.

Thank you History Through Fiction and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a novel that mashes up many of my literary interests, and The Education of Delhomme by Nancy Burkhalter checks several boxes. With its historical fiction foundation, Burkhalter weaves a tale that is part espionage, has a pinch of romance, a healthy dose of coming of age, a loveable bumbling bloke, and a petty rivalry worthy of a Real Housewives franchise. It’s a delicious and educational read.

After a miserable but hilarious go at medical school, Beaulieu Delhomme finds his future as the personal piano tuner to Chopin. Desperate to earn a living range, he reluctantly becomes involved in a political spy ring requiring him to ride on Chopin’s coattails to access the elite social, artistic, and political minds in the mid-1800’s in France. Beaulieu masters the craft of piano tuning and wins Chopin’s trust and loyalty but finds himself constantly at odds with Chopin’s long-term lover (George Sand), and hapless at currying political favors. With this fictional character, Burkhalter provides fascinating insights into Chopin’s creative genius and the political, economic, and social forces at loggerheads at the time.

A five out of five-star rating and a hearty brava to Burkhalter on this meticulously researched and well-imagined story. Thank you to History through Books and NetGalley for an ARC of The Education of Delhomme in exchange for an honest review.

I put this one down at the 10% mark because I just could not connect to the narrative voice at all. There seems to be a lot of telling rather than showing regarding what should be highly emotional events, and the tone is a little too flippant for what I thought would be a serious story.

I hope others enjoy this book but I've read enough to know that it's unfortunately not for me. Thanks to the author for the opportunity to read and review.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Education of Delhomme is set in France around 1830-1850 and is told from the point of view of Chopin's piano tuner, Beaulieu Delhomme, and George Sand. Delhomme is lured into a secret royal spy ring and later condemned for treason by Napoleon III during the 1848 Paris Uprising.

The descriptions the author uses were brilliant and well done. I am not musically inclined but I was able to adore the musical descriptions. However, the characterization lacked for me personally.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and unique read and I would recommend this to anyone who loves French history.

This book is set in France around 1830-1850 and the story is told from the point of view of both Chopin's piano tuner and George Sand. Parts of this book were brilliant, the musical descriptions and the authors creation of this musical world were utterly brilliant. Where it fell flat for me was in the emotional connections, the characterisation felt weak and the story lacked impact, feeling flat at times.
Nevertheless an excellent first effort and I would recommend reading this.

Living in George Sands country here in central France as I do, and knowing quite a lot about her colourful life, I couldn’t resist this book which features here in a fairly important role.
The story centres around the fictional character of Delhomme, whose family expect him to become a doctor but it’s not what he wants. And he particularly doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in the quiet backwater he grew up in. And so he launches himself on a new career as a piano tuner, which brings him into contact with certain historical figures and events.
The plot is clever and original, and the mix of fact and fiction works well, although I must confess that this version of George Sands doesn’t quite meet the expectations I have of her from reading books by her and a biography of her.
That said, there’s a very French feel to the book and it brings a period in history very much to life. It’s certainly an exciting and eventful novel with a very good twist at the end.

Courtesy of BookclubCookbook and the GalleyMatch program, I received an ARC of Nancy Burkhalter's debut novel The Education of Delhomme, published by History Through Fiction. I was enthralled by this well written story of Chopin, George Sand, and the French Revolution. Other than the narrator Delhomme, the historical characters are accurately portrayed. I learned so much about pianos and tuning, Chopin's techniques and philosophy, and the nuances of the French government in the 1800's. I augmented my reading by listening to the specific works of Chopin mentioned in the story, adding to my knowledge and enjoyment.

I have a weak for books set in the nineteenth century, so when I saw one on Netgalley set in Paris following some very interesting people, and spies (!!!) I Had to request it. And I am happy I did.

Because I did enjoy this read, although it also lacked in some parts for me. We follow Delhomme over quite a long period of time, as he enters medical school, drops out and becomes a piano tuner. He is approached by Vidocq to become a spy and convince Chopin to take him on as his tuner. So begins a great friendship, and a story filled with political intrigue.

The author’s passion and knowledge for piano tuning and music leaps of the page. Her descriptions of Chopin’s music made me listen to it for hours. She made me look at his, but also Liszt’s, Mozart’s and Mendelssohn’s music (which I have played myself) in a different way. She also introduced me to George Sand, a fascinating woman, and taught me more about some parts of history I was not familiar with.

But where the writing is great when it comes to the music, it lacks a lot in other ways. It is very much telling, and not showing. It focuses on the wrong parts of the story, taking great care in narrating small, ‘common’, events whilst glancing over big moments with possibility of emotional impact. The love story was utterly unconvincing, and Delhomme’s view (though I realize common at the time) of wanting a wife merely to cook and make babies for him, made me wish for Lili to find someone else. It all made for, not necessarily a boring read, but one that couldn’t really pull me in. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, and all of it just fell flat for me.

Overall, this is an interesting and unique read that definitely showed me new things and made me appreciate Chopin’s and classical music in general more. But it is not a book I will ever feel inclined to reread.

BIg shoutout to NetGalley and History through Fiction for this wonderful book. Part history, part spy, part music, this is a great and fast read as we follow the life of Beaulieu Delhomme who begins his adult life going to medical school and after failing rather miserably ends up becoming a piano tuner, and eventually the personal piano tuner for Chopin. Filled with a multitude of historical figures and historical accuracy, we meet many in the art world in 1840's France including George Sand, Liszt, Berlioz, Delacroix and more. We are eyewitnesses to the tumultuous political upheavals that roiled France during this time period, and we follow Delhomme as both a piano tuner and extremely reluctant spy. Not only is he reluctant, he isn't very good!!! Personally and professionally we see he development as an artisan and as a human. This is a book that I have been raving about to friends since I began reading it only a few days ago, and certainly for my reading tastes it as it all: history, espionage and music. Wonderful book, thanks for taking me on this journey to mid-19th century France!

Wonderful story about Chopin and many of the other Classical music greats. Liked the interconnectivity of history with the lives of these famous musicians, observed through the eyes of the piano tuner. Really enjoyed this book while listening to Chopin's music as well as some of the others. Character development was so very good and the Profiles of the major characters at the end of the book was a nice surprise (I read this book on my tablet)! Music, Spies, History, a MUST read!

At twenty years old, Delhomme is still living with his parents. He is bored with his clerical work, his father, who is a doctor, wants him to follow his profession, but Delhomme dreams about music. He leaves the house for the city of Paris gladly, but not so much for studying anatomy. His father’s sudden death puts the family in dire situation. He needs money and quickly. He gets apprenticed as a piano tuner. Next, he is pulled into becoming a spy for the king, but he needs to get a job of piano tuner for Chopin first. At the time, Chopin is involved with George Sand. And she is a real troublemaker, writing fanatical drivel against the king.

His story is intertwined with the diary of George Sand and her revealing the relationship with Chopin. Her voice at times sounds immature or not believable. That’s not the George Sand I’ve read about before.

The style of writing is a lot of telling, which sounds as it’s done without catching a breath, which is actually needed to put some feelings in, in order to add some dimensions to the story. I didn’t connect with any of the characters or the style of writing.

There is so much historic fiction set in France during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars but this is a unique book in that it is sent slightly later. At a time when France was still tumultuous, a young provincial man, Beaulieu Delhomme, moves to Paris. After getting kicked out of two schools, he finds his place as an apprentice piano tuner. With little money and no family left, he is pulled in to a life of spying. As part of his spy mission he is sent to befriend Chopin and become Chopin's piano tuner. A second branch of this mission involves getting close to George Sand, Chopin's lover. Spying isn't the life Beaulieu wants, but spying isn't as easy to get out of as he would like.

Chopin, Sand, and various other historic figures are brought to life in this delightful book. The characters are the main focus of the novel, and they're incredibly well rounded. A wonderful book that explores friendship as well as the politics of the time.