Fifty years before the war to end all wars, a boy named Otto plays in the woods with his friends. He meets three mysterious sisters who give him a harmonica. The sisters tell him he must send the harmonica into the world so a soul could be saved at the moment of death. This is only the beginning of this magical adventure.
This story is told in four parts and follows three adolescents from different geographical areas in different time periods. All three come to possess the same harmonica which produces beautiful music. In part one, Friedrich Schmidt, of Trossingen Germany in 1933, must figure out how to rescue his father from a Concentration Camp after he refuses to support the Nazi party. Part two introduces Mike Flannery, of Philadelphia in 1935, who tries to protect his younger brother after they have been taken to an orphanage by their grandmother who can no longer care for them. In part three, Ivy Lopez, of southern California in 1942, feels responsible for holding her family together after they move and her brother leaves to fight in World War II. All three stories end rather abruptly. While I read, I couldn’t wait to learn about the new character, but I wanted to know what happened to the character I just met. In part four, set in New York City in 1951, the first three stories, along with the stories of a few supporting characters come together and are resolved in a fantastic manner.
I read this book in a circle, first reading the prologue, then reading the story, and then the epilogue. I went back and re-read the prologue, which made much more sense after the second reading.
I love this story. The book is long, but the chapters are short, so the reading is manageable. It will not matter how long it will take you to read this book. The time spent reading is well worth it!
