This is the story of a child prodigy in her own words a story of a love for music and composers and a love for a very rare Violin. When Min Kym was given a cheap violin at the age of six little did her parents realise what was to come next. Now Min Kym has released her memoir Called Gone: a Girl, a Violin, a Life Unstrung. At the age of 7 Min Kym was a child prodigy and within a few years she went on to win international awards for playing the Violin, the stage was set for this extremely talented musician. Here in this deeply moving memoir she openly talks about love and loss Min Kym through the pages of this her early life from South Korea to London and then a rare 1696 Stradivarius which became her soul mate it was as if it was truly made for her, fitted Min and was the perfect match for her. Surely her life was set and everything she had worked so hard for was at her very fingertips add a boyfriend and life is complete. Or is it? Then in 2010 while waiting for a train at Euston Station they sat together in the station cafe her precious Violin beside them before she realised what had happened it had gone. The 1696 Stradivarius Violin valued at over £1m was stolen in broad daylight. To Min this was totally devastating something inside her died. Her life seemed in an instant devoid of meaning. To a classical musician the bond between them and their instrument is unique it transcends almost anything. Unless you are close to a classical musician you may not realise the bond they have. No to Min Kym that bond was broken and she fell into a non-existent land where she could not function let alone perform. This is brave writing, it is straight from the heart telling of loss and depression she also openly talks of her boyfriend as she seems to mistrust as he is controlling. This was the very boyfriend who was minding the rare Violin at the time it was stolen. Min Kym is driven to be successful and her passion for music pours out of every page as well as her grief, how she describes her life and her feelings is so emotional. There is real open honesty captured between the pages here as she openly talks about her own mistakes in her life. It could be that part of the healing process was writing her memoir and pouring her own grief out on paper. This is highly recommended for those that love music and those who want to understand someone who is passionate about being the best at what she does at playing the Violin. 256 Pages.

I loved Gone by Min Kym. I bought the book because I remembered the news story at the time of the violin theft and I remembered hearing Min Kym on the radio, talking about the loss of her beloved violin and of writing this book. It doesn't matter at all if you are not an expert on classical music - I most certainly am not - I still found this book very informative and interesting and it really does pull at your heartstrings. You are willing this book to have a happy ending!

This is a brilliant memoir come tragedy, following the early life and career of Korean prodigy Min Kym, is both absorbing and thrilling! Min Kym starts like in the UK as a young child, and immediately takes to the violin. She is an obsessive, and soon roars through the echelons of the music community to become a soloist at many prestigious events around the world. Then: tragedy strikes, when her priceless Stradivarius is stolen from a Café in a London train station. She feels the trauma like losing a child, and the book is brilliant at getting across her sense of loss. I did find her contant references to how tough it is being a prodigy a bit tiresome, but you can appreciate how hard-working and talented she must be t make it in such a competitive environment. I also like her talking about her relationships to other people. She doesn't seem particularly used to dealing with people outside of the music world, and we feel her relief when she actually finds happiness in strange and unusual (for her) situations. All in all, a very interesting book, that introduces an esoteric culture to the layman - and a thrilling denouement!