FACING THE MUSIC
The debut novel of F M Wilson (AKA The Cross-Eyed Pianist).
It’s wonderful. Beautifully written and all the RESEARCH!! Totally transporting
DR FRANCES WILSON Author, academic and critic
London 1914
Gifted pianist Theo Browne and brilliant violinist Jonathan Lane-Fox stand on the threshold of glittering musical careers when war intervenes. Swept from the concert halls of London to the battlefields of the Western Front, their friendship, courage and identities as musicians are tested in ways neither could have imagined. Moving between London, the Dorset coast and war-torn Flanders, Facing the Music is a compelling story of music and friendship, love and loss, and what it means to be an artist when the very thing that defines you is threatened.
Available in paperback and eBook.
Special offer for UK readers: buy the book at £10, a saving of £3 on the RRP. Contact the author to order.
It’s a novel that could only have been written by someone with a genuine understanding of music and the life of a musician. Frances is a pianist herself, and this shines through in the way she writes about playing, practising and the complex relationship between a musician and their instrument. The musical detail feels entirely authentic and adds real depth to the storytelling.
Strongly recommended – a beautiful book! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Caroline Swinburne, writer & musician
A love letter to music.
F M Wilson’s poetic writing invites readers into relationships forged in notes, tried in battle, and the very real joys and challenges of being concert musicians…. and most eloquently into the communication between performers that can only happen in notes. This is a must read for music lovers everywhere. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rhonda Rizzo, pianist & writer
Between the Notes: Essays on Living With Music
A collection of essays drawn from articles originally published on The Cross-Eyed Pianist and A Piano Teacher Writes… between 2010 and 2026, coming soon from Nine Barrow Press.
For musicians, music-making extends far beyond the notes on the page. It is found in the solitude of the practice room, in curiosity and frustration, in our relationships with teachers and repertoire, in the rituals surrounding performance, and in the lifelong process of learning, exploring and returning to the music we love.
Written with warmth, curiosity and the perspective of a lifelong musician, Between the Notes celebrates music-making not simply as something we do, but as something we live with.
Available in paperback and eBook. Coming soon from Nine Barrow Press.
an important voice in the piano world
Peter Donohoe CBE, concert pianist
