The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier
Condition: New
Buy Now, Pay Later
As low as
$2
/ mo
Learn more
- – 4-month term
- – No impact on credit to apply
- – Instant approval decision
- – Secure and straightforward checkout
Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout.
Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, Zip, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Free shipping on this product
30-day returns
Learn more
FREE 30-day refund/replacement
To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
Availability:
In Stock.
Arrives
Thursday, Oct 22
Recently Viewed
Description
Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop’s imperious owner. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier’s master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion. Praise for The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: “[Carhart’s] writing is fluid and lovely enough to lure the rustiest plunker back to the piano bench and the most jaded traveler back to Paris.” –San Francisco Chronicle “Captivating . . . [Carhart] joins the tiny company of foreigners who have written of the French as verbs. . . . What he tries to capture is not the sight of them, but what they see.” –The New York Times “Thoroughly engaging . . . In part it is a book about that most unpredictable and pleasurable of human experiences, serendipity. . . . The book is also about something more difficult to pin down, friendship and community.” –The Washington Post “Carhart writes with a sensuousness enhanced by patience and grounded by the humble acquisition of new insight into music, his childhood, and his relationship to the city of Paris.” –The New Yorker NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD Read more
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
Publication date : March 12, 2002
Edition : Reprint
Language : English
Print length : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0375758623
ISBN-13 : 21
Item Weight : 8.8 ounces
Dimensions : 5.2 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #122,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #18 in Music Appreciation (Books) #64 in General France Travel Guides #210 in Piano & Keyboards
Frequently asked questions
If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is:
Thursday, Oct 22
Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.
View our full returns policy here.
- Klarna Financing
- Affirm Pay in 4
- Affirm Financing
- Afterpay Financing
- Zip Pay in 4
- Financing through Apple Pay
- Financing through Google Pay
Learn more about financing & leasing here.
Top Amazon Reviews
I heard an excerpt of this one day on the radio, and from that moment on, I just had to hear the whole thing. I searched high and low, and eventually found an affordable copy on tape here on Amazon! After getting it and converting it to CD, I began what would be one of the most fulfilling and worthwhile journey's. The idea of an audio book appeals to me on a different level to a printed book. What I find in an audio book is a much less intense engagement with the story, and often a less exciting journey through the character's experiences and the life. Normally, I would listen to an audio book to switch off; to quieten or distract my mind. But what I found in this audio book was edge of the seat, 'what's gonna happen next?' type of engagement with the book. Not that it is an active or even mysterious story; I mean, after all, it is about a guy who walks past a piano shop for weeks and weeks before deciding to buy one! But the passion with which it is written and read is phenominal! I am a musician also, so to hear someone speak of an instrument (in this case a piano) as though it were a living thing struck a 'chord' with me from the outset! It is a long story (about six hours), so I found myself trying to fit listenings in around other things, which didn't always work well for the family, but they got through somehow. Interwoven into the story is this amazing appreciation for and vast knoweledge of the history of the piano. The writer holds these instruments in such revere that when the characters of the story sit at a truly great instrument to play even the most basic piece of music, I found my own throat drying and my own heart rate quicken. The telling of this story really does transport you to France, and as a person sits at a Steinway or even a broken down no name upright, you can feel the instrument in the room with you (which is great, because not a note of music is found on the telling!) I'm not going to go into the story, because that's why the book was written (for people to read it (or in this case, hear it) for themselves), but I will say that it is truly an amazing journey of history and modern day music making that takes you with it every step of the way. I look at my own piano with such a different respect and appreciation now than I did before being treated to this amazing story. I know that it came from Germany in 1903, and that it is one of only a handful to come from the 'factory' in Berlin; information I would not have thought to consider before listening to this amazing story! It is highly recommended. If you are a musician of any worth with a love for your instrument, you will get this book (as in understand it) from the first chapter.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2009 by N. Gray
Format: Hardcover
Thad Carhart has written a charming story about his love-affair with the piano which should appeal to both amateur and professional musicians. An ex-patriot American writer raising a family in a more remote corner of Paris' Left Bank, he daily passes a quaint piano shop while taking his children to school.Curiosity leads him inside, only to be abruply dismissed by the grumpy owner. A later attempt fares better, when he is be-friended by Luc, the younger man in position to take over the business. He politely informs Carhart that to do do business with them he needs an introduction from one of their customers! As startling as this seems to Americans reading this slim volume, it sets the stage for more than just buying a used piano from a venerable old Paris shop: it proves an introduction into a totally different Parisian way of doing business. Carhart is gradually drawn into Luc's workshop where pianos of all ages and condition repose, waiting to be drawn back to life. Carhart is seduced by the stories the instruments have to tell, and by Luc's uncanny ability to revive them to play again for a new generation. How Carhart finds his own instrument will warm the hearts of all pianists. A long list of characters float in and out of the shop, including a burly delivery man who casually plays a piece by Couperin (standing up!) while waiting to finish his business, to the strange young Dutchman who tunes for Luc, and spends his nights sleeping in railway coaches at various Paris train stations. The story contains alot of technical information about pianos that most professional pianists should know (but probably don't!), and it should prove interesting for others who know little about the actual workings of the instrument. There is a charming restraint about the work, especially about getting to know people slowly and letting the personal information about themselves mature along with the friendship. It proves a valuable insight into the daily life of Parisians, and explains many of the stereotypes about the French being cold to outsiders. All you need in an introduction!
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2001 by John K. Adams
Format: Paperback
Second Reading: 5 stars Some books rate better at the second reading. This is one of those books, and it rates best rather than better. Note that this book need not cater to the reader who can play the piano, read music, or is interested in pianos. But if like me, you happen to be all of the above, then it's highly likely this book will transcend expectations, and resonate with you. I didn't just read along, I tagged along with Carhart as he meandered around Paris, rekindled a passion for piano playing, immersed himself in lessons and master classes in pursuit of a craving to know more, and learn more, and most fortunate of all, admitted entry into that purgatory for pianos, the inner sanctum of Desforges Pianos, where Luc holds court and counsel on most things musical, and contemplates his pianos' different personalities, and decides which pianos deserve another shot and which ones literally end up in the inferno. This is a slow read, but intentionally, beautifully so. It swells somewhere toward the end of the book, when Carhart takes a trip to Italy and visits the Fazioli factory, makers of the much-touted Ferrari of pianos. Reputably better than a Steinway Model D, a Bosendorfer, Pleyel, Gaveau and the Erard! Which now makes it more difficult for me to visualize my dream piano. First Reading: 4 stars Another serendipitous find from Booksale. And timely too, as I started on reading this some days after discovering my family's old piano, a Grotrian-Steinweg upright, was made in 1909 and shipped to Hamburg! The Grotrian is mentioned twice in the book, which is about the world of pianos. Realizing it was a non-fiction piece, I thought it pretentious at first, only to be drawn into Thad Carhart's rediscovery of a childhood infatuation with pianos. And when he makes that decision to study piano again, I empathized with his conditions (no recitals, I choose the pieces) and the joy of freedom at (finally!) getting to play for your own pleasure.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2024 by AL Adriano
Format: Paperback
For anyone who has ever been attached to a piano--that lumbering piece of furniture that becomes whatever you make of it--this is a must-read. I was influenced in my love of pianos by my mother, who talked for years about saving up for a Wurlitzer spinet, and she did it! It was her pride and joy. It was my babysitter during summers alone at home when there really wasn't anything else to do. Because my mother's mother was a strict music teacher, and because my mother was a very shy child, her mother would not teacher her to play because she couldn't be brave enough to count out loud. Her mother being over-strict, mine refused to push me. And of course, I wish she would have. But the piano was my playmate, and I slowly worked my way through a few inappropriately difficult pieces over the summers. I have never become an accomplished player, but I do love playing "at" piano on this one that is more than I ever deserved. Carhart's story resonates with those of us who's hearts have bonded with a piano. Pianos are ridiculously complex and delicate or sturdy, whichever way they are personally inclined. They can be had for almost no money when somebody needs to get rid of a piano. I paid $300 for the piano in 1969, and probably $3000 in moving and tuning over the years. My 1920s Blasius & Sons upright grand, which I've had for 48 years, has been moved, stored, and moved at least 10 times. It is a trouper, and it can still be tuned to concert pitch. It is about to become the property of the local ragtime festival, and I can't wait to hear its destiny fulfilled by being played by worthy musicians. I will be standing around awaiting their praise as if it were an only child. I will strive to be rational. This piano is also a favorite of our 11-yr-old grandson, who is against the notion of moving it on. I have campaigned the notion of "stewardship," saying that this piano is bigger than the two of us and that it has a destiny to fulfill. Together, we recorded our names and dates inside the lid yesterday, inspired by Carhart's story. Thank you, Thad! I am buying several copies to share with friends.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2017 by truman bratton
Format: Hardcover
Thad Carhart describes the awakening of his passion for the piano. While the back story is about how Thad meets Luc and re-discovers the piano, the bulk of the text is a review of the history of the piano. Actually, other books cover piano history in better depth, and this is largely a re-statement of that material. The character decriptions are pretty flat. The character of Luc seems pretty mysterious and one dimensional throughout the story, until the end, when we learn that he can tango and is a romantic frenchman after all. Perhaps, some things were lost in translation since the story is told through the Paris and very French experience. At times, Thad seems mostly obsessed with piano construction. The description of the Fazioli piano factory was probably the best part of the book. However, you don't get the impression that his knowledge of the piano literature is really that great. In fact, it's obvious that in spite of several years of lessons, he never advanced beyond the advanced beginner or intermediate level. I didn't get the feeling that he really was connecting emotionally with the music. A much better book for that would be Russell Sherman's "Piano Pieces." Overall, a light enjoyable story of piano and french music without much drama.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2001 by Experienced User
Format: Hardcover
I held my breath throughout this enthralling account of Mr. Carhart's rekindled love of pianos and their potential to hold listener and performer spellbound. This is a marvelously written book to treasure for all the reasons other reviewers have already noted, including a fresh visit to an old section of Paris; Desforges, the special piano shop that invites personal introspection and new friendships amid the clutter of a wide variety of pianos and their disembodied parts; the seemingly impromptu lessons in piano history, construction, and restoration that offer wonder in the process as much as factual information; and a revisitation to a boyhood love-and-struggle relationship with the instrument and his teacher's expectations of its mastery. Beyond these attributes that keep the pages flying by, "The Piano Shop On The Left Bank" teases the reader's sense of reality. Is it a novel? Is it non-fiction? At times, I felt lost among the genres, not through any fault in the writing; quite the opposite, the immersion in this volume was so complete for me that at times I had to put the book aside to convince myself that I was not sipping tea and eating madeleines with a very different author. I appreciated Mr. Carhart's openness in drawing the reader into an intimate world that described a sensitive boy deriving tactile, visual, and, ultimately, aural pleasure in lifting up the piano's revealing fall board. And there are so many other moments to savor. Just a few include: visits to Luc's musty atelier and the once-weekly watering of its well-worn floor boards; Carhart's moment of boyhood pleasure at an upright in a hotel bar; the childhood lessons and recitals that caused such anxiety; his solitary delight at the Bechstein in the music room of his sister's school; the bonds he forged with Luc as they went through the process of deciding upon a piano of his very own; his joyful expectation while awaiting its delivery; and the return to his music studies as an adult, this time on his own terms. I hope that this special book will be read widely; it has much to offer beyond the subject of the piano.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2002 by Janice Adelson
Format: Paperback
I would give it 3 1/2 stars. The book is very well written. The two main characters, Thad (author) and Luc (shop owner) are reasonably well developed. That said, other than Jos, the piano tuner all the other characters in the book are paper thin. What is interesting is how Thad becomes part of the quartier (neighborhood) and Luc's circle of friends and begins to fit in to a French neighborhood and learn the way of things there. The last third of the book just fades away. Perhaps this was on purpose, since there was no "end", but it was not satisfying for me. The most aggravating chapter for me is the the one in which the author visits the Fazioli factory north of Venice after learning from Luc that Faziolis are perhaps the finest pianos around. He is escorted by none other than Paolo Fazioli himself the brains behind the piano. But the chapter reads as though he just walks in sees a few things and then is escorted into a room with four finished Faziolis, one of which is a concert grand. Thad does not seem to know that there are 4 pedals on these pianos (lack of research?) and that the 4th is a different way of softening the sound so that it is, perhaps, like that of an Erard. Anyway, Mr. Fazioli asks him if he would like to play, and he is totally unprepared, he freezes and plays a few scales and arepeggios. I would have thought he would have brought along some music just in case, maybe some easy Debussy or whatever, geez, what a missed opportunity.
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2024 by Kevin
Format: Paperback
I got this book because it is about Paris, my favorite place in the world. The book is a 1,000 times better than I could have imagined. It's a wonderful, personal story (it is a memoire of the best, storytelling kind) beautifully told. The author was able to bring me into the story and I could follow him around in Paris. I've known for decades that Paris has been built up over the years by incorporating adjacent villages and that the "village feel" still exists in parts of the city. This book proves the point by demonstrating the daily closed village community tied to the Piano Shop and that's one of my favorite parts of the book. It is also about what it is like to love something deeply (the piano) and reconnecting with a love forgotten and bring it back to life. I've given a copy to a friend who plays piano and he was excited to receive it. I will read it again soon, and may take it with me on my next trip to the city I love,
...
show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024 by SD