Hearing Secret Harmonies (1976) - Anthony Powell - First Edition - Fiction

In the final, haunting movement of Anthony Powell's epic symphony, A Dance to the Music of Time, the past and present collide with uncanny force. "Hearing Secret Harmonies" draws the reader into the shifting social landscape of 1960s England, where the aging narrator, Nicholas Jenkins, observes the world with a wry and melancholic eye.

The novel's catalyst is the unsettling return of Kenneth Widmerpool, now transformed from a ruthless political climber into a charismatic and manipulative cult leader. His influence over a new generation of idealists sends disruptive waves through the established web of relationships that Powell has so meticulously woven over the series. Through this central conflict, the narrative masterfully explores timeless themes: the corrupting nature of power, the cyclical patterns of history, and the subtle, often secret, harmonies that connect.