I don't like clowns, but 42-year-old Kaspar Krone is not your average clown. Among his extraordinary skills is the ability to hear hidden symphonies in a cityscape, sonatas in a beating heart, and the rich undertones and counter melodies of thought and intent in someone's voice. That makes him the perfect person to find KlaraMaria, a missing girl with special skills of her own. The only trouble is that everyone in Copenhagen wants to find KlaraMaria, to control her, and Kaspar has no idea who is telling the truth, or who he can trust--added complications in his already complicated life.Hoeg's novel weaves together Kaspar's past and present with the music of Bach and the wisdom of the great philosophers. Hoeg does make some jumps in time in this novel which are a bit hard to follow, and it isn't always easy telling the good guys from the bad, but Kaspar is such an engaging character, I willingly followed him through all 408 pages. He is one of the great clowns, and his performance in this book is not only memorable, but masterful!
