The only musical member of a non-musical family, Karen Forrest discovers and pursues her passion for the piano.

While the Music Lasted is the sequel, written for adults, to Kitty Barne's best-selling children’s book She Shall Have Music. Karen Forrest is now at Music College in London, studying the piano and falling in love. But it is the late 1930s and Europe is on the brink of war. Kitty Barne herself studied the piano at the Royal College of Music and there is no-one better for getting the peculiarities of musicians exactly right.