PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY
Russell Martin is the author of five works of non-fiction, including the highly acclaimed Out of Silence, and a novel. He lives in Colorado.
The publishers of Beethoven's Hair have placed it under strict embargo, so we do not have a copy to review at the time of going to press, but by all accounts it looks set to be a fantastic tale and will be available by the time you receive this Guide. We are told that in 1827, Ferdinand Hiller, a 15-year-old musician who was infatuated with Beethoven, snipped a lock of the composer's hair from his head after he had died. In 1994, 167 years later, the hair (comprising 582 strands) turned up for sale at Sotheby's, and is currently undergoing extensive DNA tests in Arizona in an attempt to unlock secrets of Beethoven's health problems and perhaps even his talent. This promises to be a gripping read. (Kirkus UK)
