Echo

At eleven years old, Mike is six feet tall with bright red hair; he is “gangly, clumsy, quiet” (201). He is a talented pianist who fiercely loves his younger brother, Frankie. His height earns him the respect of other boys in the orphanage but means that he also appears older than his years: a disadvantage in that he can be sent to work by Pennyweather before he is legally supposed to. He feels things strongly and has learned to channel his emotions into music. He wants to stick together with Frankie, but more than that, he wants to protect him, and is willing to sacrifice their togetherness and his own comfort in the service of that goal. Naturally suspicious after his time in a badly-run orphanage, he is skeptical when Eunice Sturbridge takes him and Frankie in, and has difficulty trusting her even when she shows him clear affection. His mistrust leads him to fall from a window while trying to run away with Frankie. However, as an adult, he has forged close bonds with his “Aunt Eunie” and new legal father, Mr. Howard, as well as pursued his gift for piano all the way to Carnegie Hall, the very place his grandmother hoped to take him.

At eleven years old, Ivy wears her dark hair in a long braid, and has dark eyelashes and a wide smile, as well as a clear gift for music. A Mexican-American, she has moved around California with her family for most of her life, never putting down roots or making friendships that lasted. In Orange County, her family has the opportunity to settle in, and she has the opportunity to make a close friend and pursue her gift for music. However, she is torn when her friend Susan’s beliefs about the Yamamoto family suggest that her family may lose their livelihood because they are tending land that belongs to spies. Torn between family and country, she chooses country, but soon discovers that the Yamamotos were not hiding nefarious documents, but rather musical instruments. She bonds with Kenneth Yamamoto, who encourages her to continue playing. As an adult, she maintains her friendships with Susan and Kenneth, and her talent as a flautist makes her the youngest member of the Empire Philharmonic.

As a child in Germany, Otto has a magical experience when he is lost in the woods and encounters three mysterious sisters who help him escape. He is entrusted with a harmonica imbued with their voices that he must pass on so that it may one day save a life—and also save the three sisters from their captivity. As an adult, he becomes a harmonica craftsman, giving up that very harmonica to support his family, especially his disabled daughter.

These three princesses live with a witch, rather than their parents. They have beautiful voices and are hard-working. They love and support each other. After the magical harmonica they create saves Kenneth Yamamoto, they are returned to their family.

Martin, who is Friedrich and Elisabeth’s father, was a cello player for the Berlin Philharmonic until the death of his wife, after which he quit to raise his children. As Friedrich turns twelve, Martin retires from the harmonica factory. He is disgusted by the rise of Nazism, and although he tells his son they should remain quiet to avoid persecution, he continues to associate with Jewish friends and shopowners. His bravery gets him sent to Dachau. 

Elisabeth is, at the book’s beginning, an eighteen-year-old nursing student. She has a cheerful, Aryan appearance and is an excellent cook. In Stuttgart, she becomessympathetic to Nazism and joins the League of German Girls. She is incredulous of her family’s disapproval and suggests that they stop speaking ill of Hitler in front of her—for their own safety. However, when her father is imprisoned, she sends the money needed to free him.

Gunter is Friedrich’s uncle, and he teaches him to play the harmonica and to ride a bicycle. Like Martin, he is abhorrent of Nazism.

At seven years old, Mike Flannery’s younger brother has auburn hair, and, in contrast to his brother, he is “wiry, athletic, talkative” (201). He is emotional, and deeply attached to his brother, so much so that he bites a prospective foster father when it is clear he might be separated from Mike. When he moves in with Eunice, he quickly becomes attached to her as well. As an adult, he is a successful lawyer.

The headmistress of the Bishop’s Home for Friendless and Destitute Children has gray hair worn in a tight topknot, and her face is pinched. She misuses her position for personal gain, sending boys to work on farms and keeping their profits. She also takes donations meant for the boys and resells them. She is a corrupt, unlikeable official.

The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Eunice has brown hair that she wears in a short, curly bob. She is thin, close to six feet tall, and has hazel eyes. A talented musician, after the death of her son, she is devastated and stops playing music. She puts off adopting a child as per her father’s will until the last moment, and has great difficulty facing the prospect of opening her heart again. Although Mike’s talent does not aid her on this journey, when she discovers the depth of his love for his brother, she faces her own pain and comes to love her new sons.

Mr. Howard helps Eunice manage her affairs. He adopts Mike and Frankie on behalf of Eunice, and also in the hopes that her heart will heal. He loves the boys and is driven by a wish to do good for all. He eventually confesses his love to Eunice and marries her, becoming a father to the boys as well.

The Potters are a black couple under Eunice’s employment. They have clear affection for the Flannery boys, and help them adjust to life with Eunice. They also have affection for their employer, despite her grief. Mr. Potter is a talented harmonica player who teaches Mike to play the blues.

Ivy’s older brother is a young patriot who enlists in the army on his 18th birthday. He is supportive of his sister’s music even though his parents see it as impractical. He encourages her to pursue her gifts, and to be confident and locate her own inner strength. He loses two fingers in World War II but returns to California, where he marries.

Ivy’s parents are proud and hardworking Mexican-Americans in search of a better life for their family. Although they do not see the value of music at first, they come to celebrate their daughter’s gift. They disapprove of the internment camps and teach their daughter about respectful language. When Ivy is not granted equal educational opportunities, they fight for equality in the school system.