Sometimes you come across a book and instantly know that it’s the book for you. Let’s see… we have a musical heroine (check!) called Elizabeth (check!) who works as an accompanist (check!), loves opera (check!) and ESPECIALLY loves The Marriage of Figaro (check!). If anything, the premise was a little too true to my life!

📚Find this and more reviews on my blog!📚

I have long thought that the plot of Figaro deserves as many retellings as your average Shakespeare, and Niemerg absolutely delivers. The characters, farcical nature, and social commentary all remain intact, with just enough twists to keep you guessing. There are plenty of winks to the opera-loving reader, but plenty of context woven in so anyone can follow along and enjoy the adventure.

I love stories where a modern hero gets lost in a famous tale, and this was a great example of that trope. Similarly to shows like Lost in Austen, the main character is drawn into a beloved story but her very presence there disrupts the plot. Elizabeth was a great protagonist for it too, with enough determination to see the story through, but humanised by self-doubt and a little bit of bitterness. She made for a fun – and very interesting – heroine. We also had some flashbacks (flash forwards?) to her life before she got lost in a Mozart opera, which helped to flesh out her character even more.

This is a must-read for any opera fan, for anyone who wants to know more about opera, or just anyone who loves a soap-opera-style story about weddings, affairs, and “You’re not my mother!” “Yes I am!”-style reveals.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy for review. All opinions are my own.