Historical books - Feathered Quill

Perfect Cadence

By: Tamar Anolic
Publication Date: December 15, 2025
ISBN: 979-8269904337
Reviewed by: Ephantus Muriuki
Review Date: December 12, 2025

Perfect Cadence by Tamar Anolic is a moving coming-of-age novel that is set in the 1970s rock scene in Los Angeles. It follows the journey of Gunnar Erickson, a gifted but insecure singer from Nebraska and his charismatic friend, Shep Townsend, a talented guitarist, both of whom endure dead-end jobs and frustrating auditions as they try to navigate the complexities of new relationships and the often-treacherous path to fame.

The tale starts with Gunnar losing his dishwasher job at a restaurant leaving him dejected with "sadness feeling like a cloud around his head." Together with Shep, they plan to try out for as many bands as they can (although that’s all they’ve been doing so far), which leads them to audition for Step Right Up and the Mississippi Delta. But no sooner do they join the latter and record a new album, than their manager quits, owing to poor attendance at their gigs, and the label dropping their contract. This is quickly followed by the split of the band's founding members, Jeff and Adrian, leaving Gunnar and Shep once again in the cold, with Gunnar feeling that he no longer has any future in L.A. and thus needs to get out of there while he still can.

A second chance presents itself through a powerful manager who has in mind two other talented musicians "needing a home after their previous bands bit the dust." Together they form the Authentic Cadence and record their first album "Third Generation," which surprisingly receives "glowing reviews" in newspapers before going platinum. However, no sooner do they achieve the "Rock and Roll" dream than the band's own foundations begin to crack. Gunnar gets heartbroken while Shep's guitar-hero swagger crumbles under the weight of hard drugs and the "poisonous" reappearance of the people who previously abandoned him. At this point, the haunting question is no longer if they can top the charts, but whether they can survive their own success.

This novel serves as a classic underdog story about chasing the ultimate dream, a theme that Anolic feels deeply concerned about, and which she explores parallel with the internal battles of her characters. One gets the sense early in the read that she has a genuine interest in the 1970s rock scene, which she captures vividly: the clubs, the recording process, the tour bus life, and the music industry machinations, with a touch of realism and detail that will appeal to fans of the genre and the era. It's impossible to overlook her keen eye and exploration of the dangers of escapism, the rarely discussed burden of success, the sacrifice of personal relationships, the pain of loss and the resilience of friendship.

The way the book starts has the reader immediately understand the stakes, making them care about the characters in their moments of vulnerability and in desperation for a lifeline. The stakes deepen as you delve into the read, transitioning from a simple struggle for success story-line into something far more complex and deeply compelling. Remarkably, it incorporates a romance angle that drives the protagonist's development, while creating an immersive narrative tension. This angle also serves as the story's emotional and moral backbone, elevating the book from a predictable "band making it big" story, to a poignant exploration of love, sacrifice and painful decisions.

Quill says: Perfect Cadence by Tamar Anolic is a sobering read that will leave you with a profound understanding that the greatest challenges lie not in the struggle to reach the top, but in the struggle once you reach the top. It's a gripping, heartfelt journey that explores the fragile humanity behind the glamour, revealing that the true test of character begins the moment the dream comes true. Anyone with nostalgia for the 1970s and 1980s rock music, fans of "behind the music" stories, as well as readers who enjoy "coming-of-age" stories that continue into young adulthood, exploring the difficult transition from dreaming about a life to actually living it, will enjoy every bit of this masterpiece.

For more information about Perfect Cadence, please visit the author's website at: tamaranolic.com/

Perfect Cadence