Book Report On Maestro By Peter Goldsworthy

Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy

“Sometimes it takes the pain of a deployment to realize how we take the little things for granted and how much we miss them”.

Maestro by Peter Goldsworthy, though absurd in its opening pages, this novel certainly fills readers with a longing by the end of the book. Maestro (1989) is a coming of age novel that deals with the issues of childhood expectations and entitlement, and the eventual disillusionment upon reaching adulthood. The protagonist of the novel Paul Crabbe, the arrogant, impertinent and at times insufferable fifteen years old boy, dreams of a life of fame and eisteddfod glory, however eventually succumbs to second-rate performances. Likewise, his enigmatic piano teacher, and the novel’s namesake,

His father, John Crabbe organises his piano lessons with the Maestro with the intent that Paul “will be much better than me. Much better.” His parents’ constant, uncritical praise “Here’s to wonderful talent” provides Paul with a false sense of confidence, and an obsession to win and succeed driving him to the idea of achieving “perfection” as a pianist. Thus, Paul is raised with high expectations and “ridiculous dreams”, a fact that compounds his frustration and regret during the piano competitions in Europe. Indeed, the Maestro prophetically exclaims that “the self-satisfied go no further”. Paul’s disillusioned about his quest for perfection and his belief that he is “far better at playing piano than anyone else” only contributed to the magnitude of his downfall toward the end of the novel, “Honourable mention became the story of my life, no matter how much I practiced. I had found my level”. In this respect, Paul is largely “dissatisfied” with the outcome of his life: “greying, fast approaching mid-life, [his] backside stuck fast to a minor chair in a minor school”. This contrasts with his earlier hopes of attaining the “centre-stage, up front”. In this sense, Paul is not only perturbed by his recurring pattern of “Also rans”, but also disappointed that his dreams go unfulfilled. Paul’s revelation came after years of naivety and exaggerated self-importance. Egotism in youth is usual; however for Paul Crabbe it is inflated and magnified as his family moves to Darwin. The settings of Maestro are important in understanding the history and context of the characters and their actions. After moving to Darwin, Paul quickly learns to love the place, but it is still presented to him as "the arsehole of the earth" by his father. Paul and his family never divested themselves of the feeling of superiority that became so embedded in Paul's character. This