I ordered this book because I saw a news clip featuring the Orchestra del Mare. This orchestra gives concerts in La Scala, playing Bach and Vivaldi. The musicians use violins, violas, cellos, and a double bass crafted by gifted Italians incarcerated in Milan’s Opera prison using remnants from migrant boats! How does one make a violin from that?The Violin Maker is a gem of a book about the world of violins written in a debonair jaunty style by a professional musician and writer, John Marchese. He follows each step of the construction of a violin by a Master craftsman Sam Zygmuntowicz. Sam is something of a genius in these matters and has made instruments for Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, and Yo Yo Ma, no less. His quest is to build the perfect violin, one that stands out for its pitch and sound and ease of use, one that produces magic music such as those of the Cremona masters. There is no one who knows exactly how to do that. Stradivarius and his competitors left no notes!Construction begins with the selection of a block of wood from a tree, in this case from a spruce near Cremona and ends with the application of varnishes. In all, a complicated endeavor demanding patience and a philosophical soul. It entails hundreds of minute steps and numerous variables that weigh on one another to one degree or another. We sense the tension as the fiddle nears completion and await its deliveryto Gene Drucker, the musician who commissioned it. We feel the suspense of not knowing how it will sound and how it will be received? Just a glimpse into a fabulous read.