REVIEW: The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman

The Second Ending by Michelle Hoffman: Punctuated with music as the heading of each chapter we are thrown into the lives of two gifted and talented pianists; who must compete queen’s gambit style to determine who indeed has the most talented, or indeed whose upbringing is a weightier baggage claim. And so we meet Prudence, now facing mid-life head on after the children she left her musical career for have fled the nest and after making a squillion through advertisement jingles she shapes up against Alexi, young host of the self title show where former protégée’s pianists battle it out.

Except of course the glitch is Prudence’ ex husband Bobby returns to the scene and threatens Prudence with a world-shattering bribe, a reveal so enormous that she stands to lost everything. Similarly, Alexi is crushed in more ways than one by his controlling and emotionally abusive parents, and thus, it is clear that in the piano war to end all wars, one will invariably lose more than just glory.

Both our central characters were perfectly drawn; idiosyncratic and the type of left-of centre eccentric OCD that explains perfectly how both came to be so skilled. Whilst separated by over two decades the competitive edge both share is fierce, and given Prudence seems to have slightly more on the line, her age is certainly not a barrier. And yet, as we explore the true magic and power of music, it is evident that both are almost identical, in that the journey to self-empowerment and the ability to believe we are worthy of second chances is timeless.

Summarily, this was a fully immersive experience, and for those who love follow your dreams narratives with a solid weaving of musical bliss, this is definitely the read for you.

Book Info:

Publication: 30 May 2023 | Ballantine |

Prudence Childs was once the most famous kindergartner on the planet. After teaching herself to play piano at age three, she performed at the White House, appeared on talk shows, and inspired a generation of children to take up lessons. But as adolescence closed in, Prudence began to see that she was just another exploited child star, pushed into fame by her cruel grandmother. Prudence ran away—from both performing and her greedy handler—as soon as she was old enough to vote. Flat broke and alone, she took a job writing commercial jingles, which earned her a fortune, but left her creatively adrift.

Now forty-eight, with her daughters away at school, Prudence is determined to reconnect with the artist she once was and agrees to compete on a wildly popular dueling pianos TV show. Unfortunately, her new spotlight captures the attention of her terrible ex-husband, Bobby, who uses the opportunity to blackmail her over a secret she thought she’d buried in the past. If she doesn’t win, she won’t just be a musical failure; she’ll also be bankrupted and exposed in front of millions.

Her on-air rival, virtuoso Alexei Petrov, a stunning young Internet sensation with a massive audience and a dreamy Russian accent, has problems of his own. His overbearing parents’ domineering ways made him a technically flawless pianist but left him without friends, hobbies, or any kind of life outside his music.

As they prepare to face off on stage, the retired prodigy and the exhausted wunderkind realize that the competition is their chance to prove—to their terrible exes, tyrannical family members, and most importantly, themselves—that it’s never too late to write a new ending.