The Reluctant Conductor is a sweeping work of Jewish historical fiction that traces the unforgettable journey of a young Moldovan violinist whose dreams, and survival, are shaped by love, war, and faith. Set against the backdrop of Stalin's rise and Hitler's brutal invasion of the Soviet Union, this emotionally rich novel brings to life one family's resilience across continents and catastrophe.
Elazar, a gifted musician growing up in a shtetl in 1920s Moldova, longs for a future in music and love, but his loyalties, traditions, and a world on the brink of chaos complicate every choice. When forbidden love, cultural divides, and political oppression collide, Elazar and his family are forced into an epic exodus to Uzbekistan during World War II. What unfolds is a deeply human story of survival, courage, and the power of music to carry us through even the darkest days.
Ideal for readers of historical sagas, Jewish fiction, and character-driven war novels, The Reluctant Conductor is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. Through lyrical prose, emotional depth, and sweeping historical scope, it tells a story not just of devastation, but of perseverance, identity, and hope.
The writer of six plays including the critically acclaimed Out Late, as well as High Time, Chicken and Fish and Prairie Fire, TIM TURNER has written full time since the early 1980s. He has also written an original screenplay, a libretto, adapted two of his plays into screenplays and written many short plays. As Executive Director of The Playwrights Group in Los Angeles he produced Seven Playwrights Exposing Themselves, an evening of short plays, and the next year, Tales from Hollywood Boulevard. He has three photographs in the permanent collection of The New Orleans Museum of Art. As Associate Editor, he was on the team for American City Business Journals that started The Jacksonville Business Journal, The Charlotte Business Journal and The San Francisco Business Times. His articles and photos have appeared in publications such as Money Magazine, The San Francisco Examiner, Hemispheres, American Banker, and National Real Estate Investor. A fifth-generation native of Durango, Colorado, he lives in Los Angeles and Laguna Beach.
A prolific composer and the proprietor of Moisey's Piano Service where he tunes and restores pianos, MOISEY GORBATY also teaches piano, guitar, music theory and Russian Language. Born in Kishinev, Moldova, he began playing accordion at the age of four, won his first music competition at age eight, and since the age of 15 supported his family working as a concertmaster and leader of union bands. He graduated from Stefan Neaga College of Music in 1969, the Moldovan Conservatory of Music in 1973, and served in the Soviet Army from 1973 to 1974. He immigrated to Los Angeles in 1989 via Vienna and Rome and started his piano service with a wife, a three-year-old daughter, no money and speaking only Russian.
