Barbara Kingsolver draws on musical roots for new novel Partita

Barbara Kingsolver published her new novel, Partita, on Oct. 6, MPR News reported. The novel follows a classical pianist named Livia whose life changes after an affair, forcing her to reflect on her choices. As FTMQ Books reported earlier, Faber published the book, which is Kingsolver's tenth novel. [1][6]

Kingsolver drew inspiration for the story from her own background, MPR News reported. Like the book's main character, Kingsolver grew up in Appalachia and attended college on a piano scholarship. She stated in an interview with MPR News that very few authors write about music from the inside. [1]

The release follows her previous novel, Demon Copperhead, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2023, according to MPR News and Wikipedia. As FTMQ Books reported earlier, Partita has already drawn positive reviews from major British publications, including the Telegraph and the Observer. [1][3][6]

Kingsolver is an American author whose works include The Poisonwood Bible and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Over her career, she has received the Orange Prize for Fiction for her novel The Lacuna, the National Humanities Medal, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. [3][5]