Book Review: Konserto Terakhir karya Abdullah Hussain

Title: Konserto Terakhir 

Author: Abdullah Hussain 

Publisher: Utusan Publications, Kuala Lumpur 

Language: Malay

Ratings: 8.5/10 

Summary:

This novel is about Hilmi who came to Kuala Lumpur to find his estranged uncle , Datuk Johari. He succeeded and lives in his uncle's house as a gardener. When Datuk Johari's family was out on vacation, Hilmi braves himself on playing the piano. His talent there started to flower and he starts to fall in love with music, with Encik Bakar. Because Hayati and Hilmi is starting to get close, this is not liked by Hayati's mother and Datuk Johari's wife, Datin Salmah. He met Encik Bakar quite often as he fell in love with his daughter, Azizah and they soon got married. 

Azizah, is a materialistic person, corrupts her own marriage as it ends with a divorce that made Hilmi very depressed and pressured. On Hilmi's final orchestra, Hilmi passed out and he was replaced by Hayati, who was back from London without his husband. Hilmii was charged into a hospital. Not long after that, Hilmi dies. Datuk Johari is surprised by the news that Hilmi was actually his son. At the end, Datuk Johari too dies, and Datin Salmah repents. 

Review:

I could really say that this a very good, and an excellent book.  Yes this is form five's komsas, but I read it while I was at nenek's because I had no other source of entertainment. Basically, it is a great book, good story line, good writing. And I was quite shocked that this book was written in 1980, and I was not even born yet. 33 years very long ago. But I like how this book goes, it is very adaptive for the new generation. Naturally, I don't really like old malay novels, but then I remembered that I started reading from old malay novels so I am no one to state the opposite. 

Hilmi, as I see looks like the guy on the cover and yes for me, he's attractive. And he plays the violin, piano, clarinet, ain't that something? I took piano lessons for three years and I was bad at it. Something about the main is he only listened to Hayati (his supposed sister) then he could play it by himself. I mean, I don't even know how to read notes, I'm just good at reading numbers. I mean, come on how could you be so talented?

I just don't understand why the Datin needs to have the same name as I do.

So if you want to start reading novels, this would be it. It is poetic, beautiful and your eyes would be filled with tears. Hilmi went through a lot, and alas, he is listened. Music became the thing that helped him get through everything, like books have done for me. So Abdullah Hussain, you might be 93 this year, but I surely am grateful of your work.

(and I don't need to read it again when I'm in my form five, so yay!)

TO PURCHASE KONSERTO TERAKHIR: carilah kat mana-mana kedai buku, sah-sah ada.