'An Equal Music' by Vikram Seth is a beautifully scripted, compelling tale set in the professional world of music. It is also a love story, with the hero Michael Holme pursuing his lost 'amour' Julia Hansen.

Michael is a violinist and at times introspective and "highly-strung". The book follows his life, his passions and his music - particularly the discovery of Beethoven's String Quartet Opus 104 and "The Art of Fugue" by Bach.

Despite Seth's vivid imagery and vocabulary I think many non-musicians will find it hard to grasp the emotions that drive a talented artiste. At an important concert with his 'Maggiore Quartet', Michael suffers a musical "blackout" which I found hard to comprehend even after reading several passages repeatedly. "I am eaten up by futile pity. I make too much of much," states the paragraph describing Michael's mind at the time. "Quite!" was the only way in which I could respond.

Pragmatism aside, the book gives a wonderful insight into the musical world. From the auction houses where there is frenzied bidding for rare instruments to Manchester's Halle concert hall and Michael's delight at being allowed to play a viola. All in all, Seth's own love for music is apparent in almost every chapter. There is even a recording of all the featured music to accompany the book.

Admittedly Seth makes it difficult to like the character of Michael Holme who is at times irritating, self-pitying and self-indulgent - not to mention "two-timing"! Giving him a difficult Northern background was a nice touch, although Seth's Salford is not one I recognised.

Telling you Julia's story would give away the plot. Suffice to say there is a vein of intrigue in the book. You will wonder how it ends, but this is not a novel where you turn to the last page to read the ending first. It is a book in which you need to wallow, savouring new words, new emotions and hopefully the music in your own heart.

Occasionally, Seth rhapsodises over his love for words. There are a couple of pages solely devoted to describing leaves and plants and the entire episode in Venice reads like an architectural digest. But overall the book flows wonderfully well and you should treat yourself to it immediately.

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