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Sea Music Book Summary and Study Guide

Detailed plot synopsis reviews of Sea Music


Lucy lives in Cornwall in a small cottage next to her grandparent's house. She's getting ready to leave home for her first job as a teacher of English in Milan. Her boyfriend Tristan is in the army and is about to be shipped to Kosovo. This turning point in her life is complicating by her grandmother's increasing Alzheimer's Disease along with her grandfather showing signs of confusion and memory lapses. At the start of the story, her family are cared for primarily by Lucy's uncle Barnaby, the local vicar.
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Lucy has always felt closer to her grandparents and uncle then she has to her mother, a high achieving barrister in London, now newly married to a German banker. While storing her things in the attic in preparation for her move, she finds a trunk hidden in the eaves. Inside are some documents from the WW2 era, letters and journals written in Polish by her grandmother, and documents in German including a birth certificate that has to be for Lucy's mother Anna. She is confused because the last name and birthdate don't jive with her mother's actual history.

Lucy is curious, worried, and confused. It is apparent there is more to the story of how her grandmother a Polish Jew, escaped to London and met her grandfather. The family is beset by tensions. Her grandparents have always wanted to leave the painful memories of the war behind. Lucy finally confides in Barnaby. They must struggle with how far to pursue this information before the death of Lucy's grandparents. Already, her grandmother cannot explain much. They must wrestle with the issue of whether it is better to explore painful family history, or look towards the future. The characters of this story find a way through these issues that bring them closer together.
The review of this Book prepared by Susan Coffey



Chapter Analysis of Sea Music

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Plot & Themes

Tone of book?    -   very sensitive (sigh) Time/era of story    -   1980's-1999 Family, caring for ill    -   Yes Who is sick?    -   Grampa/ma because he/she is    -   mentally ill Internal struggle/realization?    -   Yes Struggle over    -   search for family/history Is this an adult or child's book?    -   Adult or Young Adult Book Brain/Body disability?    -   mental illness

Main Character

Gender    -   Female Profession/status:    -   teacher Age:    -   20's-30's Ethnicity/Nationality    -   British

Setting

How much descriptions of surroundings?    -   5 () Europe    -   Yes European country:    -   England/UK Ice Caps/Sea?    -   Yes Where?    -   Ocean Small town?    -   Yes Small town people:    -   nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee

Writing Style

Amount of dialog    -   significantly more descript than dialog

Books with storylines, themes & endings like Sea Music

Sarah MacDonald Books Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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