"A son's personal exploration of one of the most influential--and troubled--artistic couples of the twentieth century, Stephen Spender and Natasha Litvin"--

Martijn is an idealistic Dutch pianist who travels to Morocco to help start a food bank program for malnourished children. Within moments of his arrival, however, Martijn is abducted by a group of terrorists, injected with a debilitating drug, and imprisoned. Under the threat of death, Martijn engages in a mental chess match with Ahmat who is trying to learn his captor's true objective and avoid a horrible fate. When he travels to Morocco to set...

"In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But when enemy forces threatened the city--particularly the Jewish people that lived there--Lisa's parents were forced to make a difficult decision. They chose to send Lisa to London for safety through the Kindertransport--a rescue effort that relocated Jewish children. As Lisa yearned to be reunited with her family while living in a home for refugee...

Focuses on the Fifth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, 2007, hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation, which gathered together 75 of the world's best amateur pianists for one week of intense competition and camaraderie. Interviews offer a glimpse into the lives of the competitors, who come from a wide variety of backgrounds and professions.

Mozart's estranged sister, Madame Maria Anna Berchtold von Sonnenburg (called Nannerl by her family), travels to Vienna to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her brother's sudden death.

A young mute woman and her child travel to New Zealand in the 1800s for an arranged marriage to a farmer. After the marriage she meets another man, and the competition for her love begins. Just one of the men realizes that her affections can only be won through her beloved piano.

"By April 1916, the fervor that accompanied war's outbreak has faded. In its place is a grim reality. Throughout Germany, essentials are rationed. Hope, too, is in short supply. Anna Zeller, whose fiancé, Bruno, is fighting on the western front, works as a nurse at an overcrowded hospital in Oldenburg, trying to comfort men broken in body and spirit. But during a visit from Dr. Stalling, the director of the Red Cross Ambulance Dogs Association, she...

"Aspiring choreographer Sophie Orenstein would do anything for Peter Rosenthal-Porter, who's been on the kidney transplant list as long as she's known him. Peter, a gifted pianist, is everything to Sophie: best friend, musical collaborator, secret crush. When she learns she's a match, donating a kidney is an easy, obvious choice. She can't help wondering if after the transplant, he'll love her back the way she's always wanted. But Peter's life post-transplant...

A dramatic account of the life of Cold War pianist Van Cliburn describes his early years as a musical prodigy in Texas and the ways he charmed both American and Russian audiences, helping to ease tensions between the two nations.--Publisher's description.