The Words of Every Song: from the Richard and Judy-selected author

Liz Moore's debut novel is really a series of interlinked stories, the main link being that each story is about someone linked (as a performer, an administrator/worker or a relative of a performer/administrator/worker) to the mighty company of Titan Records. Her vast cast of characters include Theo, who works in A/R and in the first chapter splits up with his anorexic girlfriend, Tommy, the lead singer in a very popular band, who is struggling to keep his family life going despite his exhausting touring schedule, and dreams sometimes of giving it up to spend his time with his wife Camilla and his two daughters, the oddly named Jax (really Jacqueline), who is a senior official at Titan, her secretary Cynthia, who is recovering from a nasty break-up of her relationship with singer Lenore, young Kurt Cobain-obsessed singer Siobhan and her band, Tia, whose ambitious father is trying to get her and her friends to form a teenage girl-band, Jax's wealthy parents, still wildly in love with each other, Ellen, a young opera singer - and many more.The trouble is that with so many stories, all very short and fragmentary, one struggles to keep track of all the characters, and some narratives are much stronger than others. I wasn't wild, for example, about the story dealing with the young musician who was still nourishing a crush on his English teacher, and the stories of Jax's parents and of Ellen, having an affair with a German record producer, never went anywhere. Characters tend to disappear for long stretches only to suddenly resurface (by which point you have trouble remembering who they are) or to fade out of the narrative unexpectedly - as do Tommy and Camilla. And there are too many rather similar angsty teenagers and twenty-somethings moaning about their weight and lack of love.But at the same time, there was something about the quality of Moore's writing, and some of her descriptions of her characters' lives and emotions, that led me to feel that she could one day be a formidable writer (if she hasn't become so already - I would like to buy her third book when it's out, and haven't read her second). She has a real knack for observation, and a beautiful and often poetic writing style. I just felt in this book that - despite its big subject - she didn't quite have enough substance to create an effective novel, or even a set of short stories. Still, the quality of the writing made me glad I've read it - and I look forward to her later work very much.

After reading Heft I was quite excited about this one but didn't really like it and didn't feel particularly engaged with any of the characterd

I didn't find this book to my taste even though music has been in my life for many years as a singer. I'm the older generation and the language, phraseology etc was more attuned to a younger reader.

There are fourteen episodes, all linked and written by Liz Moore, a singer and songwriter, telling us about a world she knows so well, The Music Industry. The characters in each episode have one thing in common, they are all involved in the Music Industry and it takes place in New York.Each episode begins with the words of a famous song written by a famous songwriter and sung by a famous star such as Leonard Cohen, Bruce Springsteen, Nirvana, Lauryn Hill, Billie Holiday etc.The Music Industry is a dog eat dog world. If you are a singer, songwriter and A&R man, you're constantly racing to get to the top. When you are an established Rock Star like Tom, married with children and thirty years old, you begin to wonder "when did that happen?" He feels old. He's going through a "midlife crisis". There is always someone younger and more talented who will take your place. Nothing lasts forever. And so Tom and the band members are off to the bar to chill, while being surrounded by young fans.There is Siobhan, a lead singer and guitarist, who is in love with Kurt Cobain, who took his life. Cynthia is a receptionist/secretary, who once was a personal assistant to the President of A & R at Titan, the largest recording Company, but was demoted for no good reason. She has her eyes on the up and coming star, Lenore Lamont. Cynthia used to work for Jax, a female executive, who can't keep track of her busy social calendar. Then comes Tony, the Sound Technician, who is waiting for a band to show up. When they do, one of the members can't perform. He's stoned, so they have to leave. And the episodes go on.Liz Moore has written a beautiful novel. The characters are so believable and true to life. Each episode is very interesting. However, I would have liked to see some clear endings to some of these stories. I felt rushed into the next episode. In spite of this, it was an enjoyable novel.

If you like the fictional behind the scenes of rock-and-roll, like Empire Records or Daisy Jones and The Six, this is another fairly good entry into that category. The writing is good and the characters are interesting. If you're looking for high drama, twists and plot subplots, not for you. These are loosely interconnected snippets of people's lives as they attempt to pursue their rock-and-roll stardom dreams. Overall, a good read.