10/13/2026
We're so excited to share info about the new novel The Violin Maker, written by longtime Amherst Ballet community member Molly Terrill (www.facebook.com/mterrillauthor)! Molly served as Amherst Ballet's artistic director from 2017 to 2019, after many years as an incredible teacher and choreographer, and as a student herself. The book looks amazing – please check it out, and also don't miss her upcoming book tour events!
Book tour dates:
October 15, 7:00 pm – South Hadley, MA, The Odyssey Bookshop. Launch event in conversation with Jill Kaufman of NEPM
October 29, 5:30 pm – Amherst, MA, Stamell Stringed Instruments. Reading and Book Signing. W**e and Cheese with Live Music.
November 5, 6:00 pm – Hadley, MA, Hadley Public Library. An evening of literature & music in collaboration with Colleen Jennings.
November 12, 7:00 pm – Newton, MA, Newtonville Books. In conversation with Janet Rich Edwards, author of Canticle.
Book Synopsis:
In 1950s Manhattan, violin dealer Thomas Barlow receives an
unexpected visit from an old friend and fellow WWII veteran
Jonathan DeWitt, who is seeking his appraisal for an old
Italian cello. The cello is purported to be the work of Andrea
Guarneri, a famous luthier from Cremona. The deeper
Barlow dives into the cello’s past, the more certain he
becomes that it is not the work of Andrea Guarneri. This
revelation propels him unrelentingly toward the confrontation
he has tried for years to avoid with DeWitt, with whom he shares a dangerous secret he thought remained buried in war-
torn Europe.
In 1693 Italy, Pietro Guarneri emerges from an unspeakable
personal tragedy to find himself ensnared in a treacherous
political web due to the meddling of his employer, the
Duchess Gonzaga of Mantua. With the sole aim of protecting
his family and concealing the identity of Elena, the apprentice
he smuggles into his workshop to teach, Pietro reluctantly
begins constructing the only cello of his instrument-making
career. The result will alter the foundations of Pietro’s life and
reverberate through the centuries, shrouding the truth of the cello’s origins in secrecy.
The Violin Maker is Molly Terrill’s debut novel.
She holds an MFA in interdisciplinary arts from
Goddard College and serves on the faculty of the
Wellness Department at Amherst College. Her
creative work has appeared in publications and
on stages in the US, Canada, and Ireland. Molly
lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children.
