Monica Gall is the main character of A Mixture of Frailties. Music is an essential part of Monica's life, almost like a sixth sense: "I hear music all the time.

. . . The music is always at the back of my mind. It's not particularly original, but on the other hand it isn't anybody else's. It is just that I feel in terms of music. And when I can be quiet enough to get at what's going on in my mind, the music is what gives me the clue." When as a small child, Monica had told her mother about the music, Ma Gall told her that it was a bad habit that she must break herself of lest it drive her crazy. Because of Mrs. Bridgetower's bequest, Monica receives the opportunity to cultivate this extra sense so that it becomes a means of expression rather than a mental defect...