This passionate, sophisticated graphic novel from Portuguese author Felipe Melo and Argentinean illustrator Juan Cavia chronicles the rise, fall and redemption of a superstar pianist against a backdrop that stretches from the war-torn 1930s to the tumultuous 1970s.
In 1997, in Cressy-la-Valoise, France, aging, reclusive pianist Julien Dubois refuses to let Le Monde intern Adeline Jourdain interview him. Her tenacity eventually impresses the maestro, as does her recognition of a recording by obscure pianist François Samson. Grudgingly, he tells her about the boyhood piano competition where privileged young Julien first hears poverty-stricken "true genius" François perform in 1933, related in a flashback. Julien's mother bribes the judges, but the purchased win is hollow. François becomes the questing beast Julien will chase throughout his life, a saga that sees Julien homeless during the Nazi occupation of France before rising to stardom as pop icon Eric Bonjour in the late '40s. Fame brings wealth, women and self-destructive behavior as he continues obsessing over his elusive rival. However, Adeline herself holds the most shocking secret of all.
Pianos levitate and managers appear as demons, as Julien fights for his artistic soul in this gorgeous symphony of illusory success and the hunger for artistic genius and purity. Translated by Gabriela Soares, Melo's dialogue flows like a sonata. Cavia's vivid illustrations, drenched in late-sun golds and dramatic reds, can swing from elegant to psychedelic in the tick of a metronome. Decadent and life-affirming, Ballad for Sophie is purely virtuosic. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads