| "The Bells does for the ears what Perfume did for the node. A novel to engage the senses as well as tickle the mind." Sarah Dunant |
Dazzling, enchanting and epic, The Bells is the confession of a thief, kidnapper and unlikely lover - a boy with the voice of an angel whose exquisite sense of hearing becomes both his life's tragic curse and its greatest blessing.
Moses Froben was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps, the bastard son of a deaf-mute woman banished to the church tower to ring each day the Loudest and Most Beautiful Bells in the land. His life is simple but he is content, until the day his father recognizes Moses's singular sense of hearing and its power to expose his sins. Cast into the world with only his ears to protect and guide him, Moses finds refuge in the choir of the great Abbey of St. Gall and becomes its star singer, only to endure the horrifying act of castration meant to preserve his angelic voice and turn him into a musico.
In a letter to his son, Moses recounts his humble birth in eighteenth-century Switzerland and his life as a novice monk, and tells of the two noble friends - and a forbidden lover - whom he cherished during his chaotic years in Mozart's Vienna as apprentice to the great Gaetano Guadagni, and even as he ascended Europe's most celebrated stages as Lo Svizzero. But in this letter he will also reveal the astonishing secrets of his past and answer the question that has shadowed his fame: how did Moses Froben, world-renowned musico, come to raise a son who by all rights he could never have sired?
Genre: Historical
Moses Froben was born in a belfry high in the Swiss Alps, the bastard son of a deaf-mute woman banished to the church tower to ring each day the Loudest and Most Beautiful Bells in the land. His life is simple but he is content, until the day his father recognizes Moses's singular sense of hearing and its power to expose his sins. Cast into the world with only his ears to protect and guide him, Moses finds refuge in the choir of the great Abbey of St. Gall and becomes its star singer, only to endure the horrifying act of castration meant to preserve his angelic voice and turn him into a musico.
In a letter to his son, Moses recounts his humble birth in eighteenth-century Switzerland and his life as a novice monk, and tells of the two noble friends - and a forbidden lover - whom he cherished during his chaotic years in Mozart's Vienna as apprentice to the great Gaetano Guadagni, and even as he ascended Europe's most celebrated stages as Lo Svizzero. But in this letter he will also reveal the astonishing secrets of his past and answer the question that has shadowed his fame: how did Moses Froben, world-renowned musico, come to raise a son who by all rights he could never have sired?
Genre: Historical
Similar Books by other authors...
State of Wonder Ann Patchett | The Language of Flowers Vanessa Diffenbaugh | The Paris Wife Paula McLain | Cutting for Stone Abraham Verghese |
Used availability for Richard Harvell's The Bells
See all available used copies of this book at: Abebooks UK or Abebooks US
Hardback Editions
September 2010 : Hardback
| Title: The Bells: A Novel Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 0-307-59052-6 / 978-0-307-59052-7 (USA edition) Publisher: Crown Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2010 : Hardback
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 0-307-35823-2 / 978-0-307-35823-3 (USA edition) Publisher: Random House Canada Availability: Amazon Amazon CA More details... |
Paperback Editions
June 2011 : Paperback
| Title: The Bells: A Novel Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 0-307-59053-4 / 978-0-307-59053-4 (USA edition) Publisher: Broadway Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
June 2011 : Paperback
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 0-307-35824-0 / 978-0-307-35824-0 (USA edition) Publisher: Vintage Canada Availability: Amazon More details... |
2010 : Paperback
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell Publisher: Random House Availability: Amazon More details... |
Audio Editions
September 2010 : Audio Cassette
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 1-4417-6320-1 / 978-1-4417-6320-4 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2010 : Audio CD
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 1-4417-6321-X / 978-1-4417-6321-1 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2010 : Audio CD
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 1-4417-6322-8 / 978-1-4417-6322-8 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
September 2010 : MP3 CD
| Title: The Bells: A Novel Author(s): Richard Harvell ISBN: 1-4417-6323-6 / 978-1-4417-6323-5 Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA More details... |
Other Editions
2011 : Unknown
| Title: The Bells: A Novel [Paperback] Author(s): Richard Harvell Publisher: Broadway Availability: Amazon More details... |
November 2010 : Unknown
| Title: The Bells [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction) Author(s): Richard Harvell, Paul Michael Garcia ISBN: 1-4417-6326-0 / 978-1-4417-6326-6 Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
September 2010 : Kindle edition
| Title: The Bells Author(s): Richard Harvell Publisher: Crown Availability: Amazon Amazon UK More details... |
© 2012 FantasticFiction
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk
Questions? Comments? Corrections? Please email webmaster@fantasticfiction.co.uk

