The Piano Lesson

The Piano Lesson
by August Wilson

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Book Summary Information

Author: August Wilson
Edition: Paperback
Published: 1990-12-01
ISBN: 0452265347
Number of pages: 128
Publisher: Plume

Book Reviews of The Piano Lesson

Book Review: you can't sell your soul for money
Summary: 4 Stars

Part of Wilson's century long tetra-cycle about African-Americans in Pittsburgh, this play is set in 1937. The effects of slavery are still palpable within the Charles family over 70 years after the Civil War.

Berniece Charles (age 35) and her younger brother Boy Willie (30) spar over whether or not to sell their greatest family heirloom: a piano that was traded for their great grandmother and grandfather. Berniece wants to keep the piano, which has the images of long-dead family members carved in it by her great-grandfather. Boy Willie desires to sell the piano so that he can use the money to buy the land their family worked on ages ago down south. As the play moves along, we learn about the history of the Charles family and we watch the current generation debates over the decisions of their forbearers.

Wilson won his second Pulitzer for this play in 1990 (which was written in 1987). It's not as good as Fences, his 1985 Pulitzer winner, but it's still a very good play with a number of great lines.

Wining Boy on the life of a piano player: "Now, the first three or four years of that is fun. You can't get enough whiskey and you can't get enough women and you don't never get tired of playing that piano. But that only last so long. You look up one day and you hate the whiskey, and you hate the women, and you hate the piano. But that's all you got." (pg. 41)

Berniece to Boy Willie about their parents: "You always talking about your daddy but you ain't never stopped to look at what his foolishness cost your mama."

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