Golden Notes

To Cali Sky, music is something that she not only loves, but is a part of her. Deemed a prodigy on the piano at a young age, her piano teacher tells her of the “Blue Flower,” something that she must find within herself, to put emotion into her music and not just play the notes when he tells her that he has nothing more he can teach her about playing. As she gets older, she starts to see sparks of music in the world around her during hikes with friends or family, which drives her love of music even deeper. When she finds a guitar at the house her family moves into, she is thrilled, as it is the one instrument she has longed for while her parents had always told her to just focus on piano. With her friend, Brodie, her guitar, and the music of the 80s, Cali Sky navigates through high school always looking for and playing music. However, when tragedy strikes and her family is torn apart, Cali Sky desperately clings to anything and anyone to survive, ultimately turning back to her first love: music.

As the years pass, she joins a band, learns interesting things about the parents she thought she knew, and continues to look for the “Blue Flower.” Ups and downs follow her through this journey, and only time, love, forgiveness, and music will tell how the story ends.

Golden Notes by Samuel Joeckel, is a moving coming-of-age novel set in the 80s, when music was changing, just like a teenager in high school tries to find their place in the world. The characters are multi-dimensional and bring a lot of depth to the novel. The story is well written and keeps a steady pace that will keep readers hooked. The topics, both musically and socially, touched upon in Golden Notes are ones that people can relate to, no matter their age. With everything that is going on in the world today Golden Notes brings a story to readers that will remind them that it is the simple things that matter, that love can be found in many places, and that, whatever happens, life still goes on.