"This is a novel about love in all its forms.
What does Paul learn about love from his various relationships in the novel? .
"Maestro" is a novel about maturity and adolescence, inevitably involving love in all its forms. Paul learns a lot about love from his various relationships and experiences from the text. In Paul's relationships, there is a distinct contrast of the sensual versus the intellectual. When coming to terms with his sexuality, Paul has difficulty balancing the two. As a result, Paul learns some of the greatest lessons of his life and grows into a mature, responsible and caring adult.
As all teenagers do, Paul experiences love and falls for a girl called Megan, the much sought after yet shallow beauty. Although Paul says he has fallen in love with her, he is soon to realise that he merely lusts after her. He dreams of her body and not her personality and once he has become intimate with her, he realises just how shallow his feelings for her are and that she is only after one thing. However, the second time he falls in love, it is much more genuine and is based on more than appearance. Rosie was the other smart kid in the class who worshipped Paul and that at first annoyed him and made him dislike her. Paul taught her many things about music but still showed no emotion towards her. " She was too much like me. Also I was worried; I now had competition." Her passion for music seemed to draw Paul to her, and later one night at a musical performance, the blindfold was lifted off his sceptical eyes and he was finally able to see deeper than the imperfectness of her face and podgy body. This is when he first experiences true love. "I glanced at her, and found a miracle had occurred before my eyes." Paul learnt that romantic love is not just lust; it is about respect and mutual admiration. Paul learnt that his love for Rosie grew much stronger because their relationship was based on much more than just sex.
