Book reviews

Accordion Crimes
E. Annie Proulx Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
E. Annie Proulx Books
New book search
E. Annie Proulx Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Accordion Crimes
"The main character in this story is a beautiful green button accordion. An Italian musician and instrument maker makes the accordion and takes it from his native Sicily to New Orleans in 1890, dreaming of making and selling similar instruments.
When the accordion maker is killed in anti-Italian rioting, the instrument falls into the hands of a black blues musician who works the river boats.
The musician is murdered by his partner, who pawns the accordion. Its next owner is a German who, with two friends, is homesteading in Iowa. They found a town and play German polkas on the accordion and a trumpet. The accordion remains in Beutle's family into the next generation - until the family loses everything in the depression of 1929. It passes to Abelardo Relampago Salazar, who can wow audiences, but never makes any money from his music. He survives as a busboy. Abelardo's son, Baby, does somewhat better in music until he leaves the accordion in a taxicab in Chicago after playing a gig there.
The accordion passes from hand to hand, its voice speaking many musical languages. Charles Gagnon, a well-known French Cajun musician, a father-and-son team of musicians, and a Polish couple who hope to make their fortune in a polka contest. It's been beaten up and repaired and beaten up again. It finds its way to a horse farm in Montana, then to a junk dealer and finally - so battered it no longer plays - to a tiny town whose main industry is a landfill.
"

David Gordon, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Accordion Crimes
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed
Life of a profession: - musician
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Job/Profession/Status story Yes

Main Character
Age: - 60's-90's
Ethnicity/Nationality - Italian

Main Adversary
Identity: - society
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a substantial amount

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Southeast - West - Deep South

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Unusual Style: - a lot of flashback and forwards - a lot of stream of consciousness - No single main character?
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Accordion Crimes
Glitter and Diamonds: The Rise of David Wilde by Whitney Moore
A Portion Under the Sun by Mark Schafron
Who is Bugs Potter? by Gordon Korman
The Soloist by Mark Salzman
Don't Sleep with Your Drummer by Jen Sincero


Click here for more information about this book


E. Annie Proulx Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
David Gordon  

SCHOLARS:
Elana Starr  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Literature books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal story

Crime & Police story

Ethnic/regional/gender life

Exploring into the wild

Family, caring for ill

Family, loving relations

Family, struggle with

Internal struggle/realization?

Job/Profession/Status story

Kids growing up/acting up?

Political/social activism

Poverty, surviving

Pregnancy/Child rearing

Religion theme?

Romance/Romance Problems

Sports Story?

War/Revolt/Disaster on civilians



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Funny Videos
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 1:35:50 AM
Robert Segarra 1:49:56 PM
Karen Armstrong 10:51:40 AM
Slavomir Rawicz 6:40:45 PM
Anonymous 1:39:52 PM
Deric Longden 9:20:02 AM
Suzanne Weyn 6:24:19 PM
Colin Forbes 12:23:54 PM
John Christopher 5:12:45 AM
Tom Clancy 2:19:45 AM
Margaret Peterson Haddix 5:36:55 PM
Nikolai Tolstoy 7:46:16 AM
J.K. Rowling 11:40:22 PM
Jack Higgins 4:54:08 PM
Eloise Jarvis McGraw 12:51:17 PM
Jane Rubino 1:21:00 PM
Lori Wick 2:11:45 AM
Betty Mahmoody 5:57:33 PM
Patricia Cornwell 2:48:17 PM
Andrew Clements 9:13:44 PM

Silicon Valley
More message boards