Format read: paperback
Genre: Contemporary
Release Date: 15 February 2007
Length: 305 pages
Publisher: Definitions
Formats available: Hardcover, paperback, ebook
Purchasing Info: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Book Depository US | Book Depository (UK)

Book Blurb:

Why is this happening to me? he asked himself desperately. What is wrong with me?

Life as a student is good for Flynn. As one of the top pianists at the Royal College of Music, he has been put forward for an important concert, the opportunity of a lifetime. But beneath the surface, things are changing. On a good day he feels full of energy and life, but on a bad day being alive is worse than being dead. Sometimes he wants to compose and practice all night, at other times he can’t get out of bed. With the pressure of the forthcoming concert and the growing concern of his family and friends, emotions come to a head. Sometimes things can only get worse before they get better.

My Thoughts:

Being that it was Tabitha Suzuma who wrote A Note of Madness, it wasn’t quite as hard-hitting as what I was expecting.

Flynn is a musical student living the dream in London. Attending one of the most prestigious music colleges in the country; Flynn has success, friends, and above all talent. Problem is Flynn can’t see it.

On his bad days he is convinced everyone hates him, that he will be found out to be a fraud and thrown out of the school and that he will be humiliated, sometimes he even wishes he were dead. On his good days Flynn plays perfectly, practices all night and writes operas.

Flynn is bi-polar, and A Note of Madness is his journey to diagnosis and eventual treatment. But we got to live through the turmoil of this mental disorder with him and how it tore him apart inside. A Note of Madness in this sense was extremely well written, Flynn’s symptoms were so well described and played out that it had me wondering if I could possibly have bi-polar as well.

Although the writing was technically impeccable, it didn’t draw me in. It was easy to walk away from A Note of Madness, in fact, I did. For three months. I wasn’t entirely interested in what was going to happen because it was too predictable. Although the symptoms of Flynn’s illness were well described, I was frustrated by the fact that his “best friend” whom he lived with and his brother who is a doctor took so long to realise there was something really wrong with him.

A Note of Madness was an okay read. It was well written, but it didn’t leave me feeling emotionally wrung out which, after Forbidden, I was expecting from Suzuma’s writing. It hasn’t really left a lasting impression on me, and although I know there is a sequel, I’m not really interested in reading it. I was scared after reading Forbidden, Suzuma put me through such a rollercoaster ride of emotions that the feelings I felt, the thoughts, and the story is still with me today. A Note of Madness hasn’t nearly had such a profound effect on me. I couldn’t really connect with Flynn or his friends and family because everyone refused to acknowledge what was going on, and when diagnosed, Flynn didn’t really accept it, but he didn’t put up much of a fight against it.

A Note of Madness finished very quickly and was quite unfulfilling, after the diagnoses it felt like a rush towards the end, scene jumps were frequent and ineffectual. It did not have the hard hitting emotions or the struggle that I was expecting from such topic. Anticlimactic and hard to connect to it hasn’t left much of a mark on me.

Considering what I was expecting from Suzuma, I feel let down, I won’t be continuing this series, but I will more than likely give another of her books a go.

I give A Note of Madness 3 Stars

***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

About Amanda

Amanda-Lee is a proudly addicted reader and writer from Sydney. She lives with her wonderful husband and their more like a baby than a kitten Hamish. Amanda-Lee has been blogging for 4 years now and is a lover of all genres, though she does have a tendancy to stray towards the weird and wonderful concotions in the paranormal and fantasy genres. In addition to being the Winged Lover on BLI she also runs the book blog StoryWings.

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