Good Things I Wish You, by A. Manette Ansay, is a blend of historical fact and fiction. It tells a story within a story. The narrator, Jeannette, has just emerged from a difficult divorce and is attempting to write a novel based on the lives and loves of Clara Schumann, her husband and composer Robert Schumann, and the young composer Johannes Brahms. She is unsure of what the actual relationship was between this triangle and she feels stuck in her attempts to move forward with her manuscript. Jeanette turns to a mysterious man named Hart, whom she has met through a dating agency, for help with the translations. As her relationship with Hart evolves, she begins to form new opinions about what must have gone on between the Schumanns and Brahms.
That gives you the plot in a nutshell. I won't say that I didn't enjoy reading this book. Indeed, I did feel compelled to keep reading and to find out what happens in the end. However, the further I got into the story, the less I seemed to like the book. Perhaps the characters were merely too dark. Perhaps, I felt some of the political banter felt forced and unnecessary. Perhaps I couldn't fully agree with the oft-stated premise that men and women cannot truly be just friends.
Whatever the reason, the book seemed depressing to me. Then, I remembered that Vinegar Hill had felt depressing, as well (I read that five or six years ago). I would have to say that the only part of the book I enjoyed were the sections which focused primarily on the lives of the Schumanns and Brahms. The historical bits, including a wealth of photographs and letter snippets, were fully absorbing. I even believe I would enjoy reading further about the lives of these three musically-inclined individuals. I guess what I really wanted was the historical story without any of the fiction!
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