Description
Book SynopsisA biography that doesn't quite exist, about a violinist who can't be found, as told by people who don't agree on much.Novelist Geoff Berner has been tasked with writing a biography of DD, a mysterious, charismatic, chimerical musician who has, it seems, dropped off the face of the earth. In the course of his search for DD, Berner interviews her friends, ex-bandmates, ex-lovers, and others. They paint such variable portraits of her that each successive attempt to describe her casts doubt on the previous testimony. As his project is taken over by the lively, infuriating, entertaining tales, a wounded, gifted, and complex DD starts to emerge from all the eyewitness accounts and swear-to-God true stories.
Who is DD? Where did she go? And why didn't that book get written? Travel through a world of knockabout musicians and chancers, on the trail of an inimitable artist who truly lives in the moment, for better or worse.
Trade ReviewA heartfelt, imaginary oral history about the beauty and power of music and art. Sharp with wit and alive with wonder, full of noise and fun. The only criticism I can offer is that it left me wanting another one. * Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors, winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize *
Berner’s unlikely, implausible sequel to
Festival Man is somehow real — insofar as it appears to exist. It’s right here in front of you after all: full of desperate truth-tellers, truth-seekers in all their ragged glory, and the honest lies of oracles who’ve been banished to the edges of life. Whether or not it is true, however, is a whole other thing entirely. All I know for certain is The Fiddler is a Good Woman, and this is a wonderful book. * Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall, author of Down To This *
Geoff Berner’s marvellous polyphonic new novel is an estrogen-and-booze-fueled romp —
Hard Core Logo with chicks.
The Fiddler is a Good Woman is an ode to a Canadian heroine like no other: the legendary DD, gateway lesbian and a semi-mythical creature, like a mermaid with fangs — a tiny foul-mouthed siren on a fiddle who leaves a wreckage of the broken-hearted in her wake. * Zsuzsi Gartner, author of Better Living Through Plastic Explosives *
Berner is a wizard of words and this book is his magical kingdom! * Book Escapade *
very well written … made me laugh out loud * Nonstop Reader *
Chronicles a subculture that’s generally examined only fleetingly, in impermanent media such as radio shows and weekly magazines. * Georgia Straight *
The language blends the profane and poetic … Melodic and chaotic, with a wide range of voices,
The Fiddler is a Good Woman creates an artist of complex character, unapologetically flawed and almost too real to be fictional. * Foreword Reviews *
This freewheeling novel illuminates the colorful and not-very-glamorous world of the touring folk musician. Crisscrossing the considerable breadth of Canada, with a few international stops, this should appeal to fans of music and itinerant musicians everywhere. * IndiePicks Magazine *
Eccentric and imaginative, blurring the lines between novel, memoir, biography, and transcription. * Quill & Quire *
Berner’s writing is really spectacular in a way that will create empathy and connections with characters that you can’t characterize as either idols or villains. * Pop Queer-ies podcast *
While the story is fiction, the book makes us believe it to be a true story because of Berner’s fine writing techniques. * Reviews by Amos Lassen *
The insights into the Canadian music scene are intriguing … A quirky read focusing on quirky characters. * Schatje's Shelves *
hilariously shreds the ever-fragile ego that is the Canadian music scene * The Westender *
A deftly crafted novel that travels through a world of knockabout musicians and chancers, on the trail of an inimitable artist who truly lives in the moment, for better or worse. * Midwest Book Review *
Fun and eminently readable. * Toronto Star *
Berner’s sabre-sharp humour cuts through the novel and is shocking and wry, political and gut-busting. * Winnipeg Free Press *
