Sunday, August 01, 2004
Hilary and Jackie by Hilary and Piers du Pre
Hilary and Jackie is a remembrance of Jackie du Pre a world class cellist through the eyes of her sister and brother.
Huilary and Jackie are born into a musical family; their mother won competitions and is now a teacher and her husband played joyfully by ear. Hilary and Jackie are also very talented, playing and performing from when they were very young. Hilary is talented but Jackie is a genius. This book draws in excruciating detail the toll of supporting that genius and the joy that the person Jackie (as opposed to the great cellist Jackie) brings to the family. Time, energy, love are given freely even when the cost to the giver is heavy. The toll that being a world class cellist from a young age takes on a shy fun loving but family oriented girl is also detailed as much as it could without Jackie's direct input.
This life and story are both heart-rendingly sad and full of joy but not at the same time. Could have...would have...should have...pop into the reader's mind but the truth is that as a life is lived we seldom have that separation to make those decisions. It is much easier to see, from outside and after the fact, where things may have been helped but without benefit of the conclusion we would be muddling along trying to help in whatever ways we could. I know that I could not have given all that Hilary gave for Jackie but I am not Hilary.
I have recommended this to every adult to whom I speak about books. I look forward to discussing it with whomever reads it.
Huilary and Jackie are born into a musical family; their mother won competitions and is now a teacher and her husband played joyfully by ear. Hilary and Jackie are also very talented, playing and performing from when they were very young. Hilary is talented but Jackie is a genius. This book draws in excruciating detail the toll of supporting that genius and the joy that the person Jackie (as opposed to the great cellist Jackie) brings to the family. Time, energy, love are given freely even when the cost to the giver is heavy. The toll that being a world class cellist from a young age takes on a shy fun loving but family oriented girl is also detailed as much as it could without Jackie's direct input.
This life and story are both heart-rendingly sad and full of joy but not at the same time. Could have...would have...should have...pop into the reader's mind but the truth is that as a life is lived we seldom have that separation to make those decisions. It is much easier to see, from outside and after the fact, where things may have been helped but without benefit of the conclusion we would be muddling along trying to help in whatever ways we could. I know that I could not have given all that Hilary gave for Jackie but I am not Hilary.
I have recommended this to every adult to whom I speak about books. I look forward to discussing it with whomever reads it.
# posted by JJ @ 2:28 PM 
