Book giveaway: The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain. Post your feedback by 5 August for chance to win £100 Love2Shop Voucher!

[SorchaMumsnet]

This month, we're thrilled to introduce you to Rose Tremain. Her latest novel The Gustav Sonata is both magnificent and tender, showing Tremain to be at the height of her writing career. Set in post-war Switzerland, it follows the story of Gustav Perle, who since losing his father, seems to have lost his mother in spirit too. Gustav leads an isolated life until he meets Anton and from then on the boys' fates are irrevocably entwined. What follows is a friendship across years, borders and in the face of great loss. To find out more about this heart-wrenching novel, head to the book page.

Rose Tremain Q&A

What are you reading now?

I'm gripped by Peter Pomerantsev's extraordinary account of filming documentaries in Putin's Russia, Nothing is True and Everything is Possible. This deservedly won this year's Ondaatje Prize. It makes me dread going to Russia, where bribery and summary arrest seem to be becoming the terrifying norm of people's lives.

What is the last book you bought someone as a gift?

Patricia Duncker's brilliant (but underrated) Sophie and the Sybil: a fabulously witty and clever take on George Eliot's fiction, with bits of her life thrown in. Read this, then attempt Daniel Deronda! This novel should have won prizes.

Is research a big part of your writing process?

All my subjects lie outside my own immediate life, so inevitably my research has to be long and exacting. But novelists should never put their research on show; it should all seem an integral part of the fiction, as though one had known it forever, or just thought it up that very moment. Many contemporary novels suffer from horrendous 'data overload'.

Do you have any peculiar writing rituals or habits?

Nothing peculiar. Probably the most eccentric thing I did a few years ago was to redecorate my study (which was drab like an office) to resemble a delightful small sitting room: wallpaper with birds and flowers, bright red and gold curtains, globe lamps. I spend HOURS in here, so why not make it pretty?

What advice would you offer to aspiring writers?

Don't recycle your own life. Find something you are passionately interested in, research that and then write about that- bringing yourself in only as the mind and voice behind the endeavour. That way you will a) learn something and b) not run out of material by the time you're 50.

Can you tell us about your book, The Gustav Sonata?

This is a story set in 'neutral' Switzerland, before during and sometime after the Second World War. It explores a passionate friendship between two boys, Gustav and Anton, one of whom is Jewish. Their attempts to keep this friendship emotionally 'neutral' is the thing which nearly destroys both their lives.

This giveaway is now closed but you don't have to win a free copy to take part in the discussion. Anyone who has read The Gustav Sonata can post their feedback. If you miss out on a free one, you can always buy a copy. All who post feedback before 5 August will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 Love2shop voucher.

This giveaway is sponsored by Vintage Books

A very well constructed tale. Rather intense and a little heartbreaking. The characters are beautifully drawn. However I found it very depressing I'm afraid so not for me.

I enjoyed reading Restoration and Merivel, so I was looking forward to this new book by Rose Tremain and it didn't disappoint. I thought the writing told the story in a restrained and careful way which worked perfectly with the plot. It is a compelling and slightly bittersweet tale and I became engrossed in the characters and their complex interactions.

This book was wonderful! A real love story i.e. a story about love - the love of a child for his mother, that mother's love for her husband, the husband's love for his mistress; the love of two friends for each other - and the consequences of love and failure to love. I was spellbound. Read it in almost a night and if I didn't have poorly eyes (Sjorgren's syndrome) I probably would have. I'll certainly read more by Rose Tremain. Wonderful characterisation.

Simply one of the best books I've read all year. The power of the writing is immense, yet understated. You're carried along through the prose, with events unfolding bit by bit, delicately dropped into the narrative, leaving you with that lovely feeling of not knowing, perhaps even dreading, what comes next. At times, I had to put it down and savour what I'd just read (like a fork at a delicious dinner), and not wishing it to end. Anton and Gustav are almost two sides of the same coin ("almost" because that would be too simple), both are intriguing, both with faults, and both dealing, or trying to deal, with the life they've been given. The other characters are wonderfully drawn, frustrating, engaging, exasperating, yet believable.

I so enjoyed this book, satisfying and exhilarating.

The Gustav Sonata was an enjoyable read. The pace - much like the principle character - is composed, slow and steady. Yet in taking the time to delve into the lives of his parents, his best friend and the grandmother he never met, the author creates an interesting and interwoven narrative. As mentioned in some of the other reviews, this probably isn't a book I would have actively chosen based on the dust jacket but I did really enjoy reading it and would recommend.

I loved it

Really loved this book. Such great characters, Gustav was great. Would recommend.

well written and a good read

Thanks Mumsnet for sending me this. I loved it, it's beautifully written as you would expect from Rose Tremain. I found it very moving and like many others couldn't put it down. It looks such an unassuming little book but it is wonderfully measured. I am already recommending it to friends.

Thank you for my copy of this book. I lived, so beautifully written. I found the relationship between Gustav and is mum particularly moving and wonderfully described. The tone of the book is very melancholic, with themes of lost opportunities throughout. A gentle tale which somehow manages to be incredibly powerful as well.

Thank you for my copy of this book. I found the characters themselves to be engaging, especially Gustav. The story itself is beautifully and cleverly written. There is an almost musical quality to it, in both structure (as can be expected from the book's title) and atmosphere. Well worth reading.

Never read Rose Tremain before and probably would not have picked this up in a bookshop with its cover and blurb but I really enjoyed it. A simple story of love, loss and betrayal but with real honesty. Loved it. Highly recommend.

Really sad and poignant in places but a great read.

I won a copy of this book arrived a tad tardy but well worth the wait .
I loved the expressive writing totally different to other authors and created
the scene wonderfully . Set in Switzerland and based around 2 boys from different backgrounds and their family histories . The plots and characters were memorable and overall the book is well worth a read . Many thanks

I would like to try it

I actually really enjoyed it but that's not surprising... I have a fascination with all things WW2 after studying it for many years and I also have a love of Switzerland as my closest friends live there!

Great book, would definitely recommend.

I do like Rose Tremains’s writing and it’s been a while since I last read one of her books, so a delight to rediscover her again with this book. Her prose is wonderful and this was an engaging and educational tale (for me at least!) about family, love and friendship in Switzerland in the pre and post-war era. I’d never really considered some of the implications of the Swiss position – especially on the lives of ordinary people. However I have to admit that I found this to be a book of two halves – the story of Gustav’s childhood was very interesting but I found the later descriptions of his middle-aged life rather dull and disappointing. I had rather hoped for more for Gustav! The ending, when it came, was unsurprising really and had been suitably signposted along the way for the more alert reader.

That said, I still enjoyed it and would recommend.

This isn't the type of book I woul normally pick but it was given to me. I enjoyed it. The book really drew you in as there were times I felt very upset and times I was happy. Which I think is the mark of a good book xx

This isn't the type of book I would normally pick but I recieved it as a gift. The book really drew me in and managed to make me feel sad and happy which I think is the mark of a good book xx

fantastic, deffo enjoyed

Looking forward to reading this.

The description did not do this book justice. I was very surprised how good it was.

Didn't instantly appeal to me when my free copy arrived but on reading it pleased that I did get a copy and will certainly read more from this author. The structure of the book in sections and short chapters really suited me.So deceptively written- simple but conveys such deep emotions. A sad tale but very moving and an enjoyable read.

brilliant read.

Absolutely loved it and would recommend to others :)