Notes

308 pages.
Summary: After seventeen-year-old Claire Alalay's father's death, only music has helped her channel her grief. Claire likes herself best when she plays his old piano, a welcome escape from the sadness - and her traditional Filipino mother's prayer groups. In the hopes of earning a college scholarship, Claire auditions for Paul Avon, a prominent piano teacher, who agrees to take Claire as a pupil. Soon Claire loses herself in Paul's world and his way of digging into a composition's emotional core. She practices constantly, foregoing a social life, but no matter how hard she works or how well she plays, it seems impossible to gain Paul's approval, let alone his affection. (Book cover)