The Violin Man is a visually stunning example of what is possible with computer graphics.

Colin Thompson has created a fascinating mixture of photos, drawings, and images to illustrate the touching story of an old busker dreaming of his moment of glory.

With the ghost of his daughter Marietta dancing for him, Oscar loses himself year after year in the sweet music of his violin, entertaining queues outside the theatre.  His dream of playing on the great stage of the theatre with the orchestra is finally able to come true, but only at great cost – he cannot see Marietta’s ghost in the glare of the lights.

So he returns to the street and his dreams.

The computer-generated illustrations are intricate and very detailed.  Tiny characters (some from Thompson’s other books) skip in and out of the backgrounds.  Doorways and windows hint at strange scenes just a step outside. Oscar’s dreams mix with the everyday life and people around him.

But just occasionally, it is almost a little too much.  Unlike Graeme Base’s books such as Animalia or The Eleventh Hour, this story is not a puzzle or a joke.  It is sad, lyrical and haunting.  Yet on a few pages some of the mass of details and computer tricks intrude on this mood and jar against the tender emotion of Oscar and Marietta with an inconsistent style or a distracting joke. 

But only occasionally.  The overall book is a marvellous visual creation, with a delicate touching story that is never overdone, and artwork that keeps you following unexpected paths.  Colin Thompson has done very well with his Apple Mac!

Other books by this author:
Round and Round and Round and Round (Hodder, 2002)
Pepper Dreams (Hodder, 2003)

Review by David Beagley

© 2003 David Beagley