{"product_id":"9780385318211","title":"Piano Lessons: Music, Love, And True Adventures","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePiano Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e is Noah Adams's delightful and moving chronicle of his fifty-second year—a year already filled with long, fast workdays and too little spare time—as he answers at last a lifelong call: to learn to play the piano.  The twelve monthly chapters span from January—when after decades of growing affection for keyboard artists and artisans he finally plunges in and buys a piano—through December, when as a surprise Christmas present for his wife he dresses in a tuxedo and, in flickering candlelight, snow falling outside the windows, he attempts their favorite piece of music, a difficult third-year composition he's been struggling with in secret to get to this very moment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAmong the up-tempo triumphs and unexpected setbacks, Noah Adams interweaves the rich history and folklore that surround the piano.  And along the way, set between the ragtime rhythms and boogie-woogie beats, there are encounters with—and insights from—masters of the keyboard, from Glenn Gould and Leon Fleisher (\"I was a bit embarrassed,\" he writes; \"telling Leon Fleisher about my ambitions for piano lessons is like telling Julia Child about plans to make toast in the morning\") to Dr. John and Tori Amos.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a storyteller, Noah Adams has perfect pitch.  In the foreground here, like a familiar melody, are the challenges of learning a complex new skill as an adult, when enthusiasm meets the necessary repetition of tedious scales at the end of a twelve-hour workday.  Lingering in the background, like a subtle bass line, are the quiet concerns of how we spend our time and how our priorities shift as we proceed through life.  For \u003ci\u003ePiano Lessons\u003c\/i\u003e is really an adventure story filled with obstacles to overcome and grand leaps forward, eccentric geniuses and quiet moments of pre-dawn practice, as Noah Adams travels across country and keyboard, pursuing his dream and keeping the rhythm.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47025121984752,"sku":"9780385318211","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780385318211_p0.jpg?v=1763694350","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780385318211","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}