The Music Shop
Author: Rachel Joyce
Published by: Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★
1988.
Frank owns a music shop. |It is jam-packed with records of every speed, size and genre. Classical, jazz, punk – as long as it’s vinyl he sells it. Day after day, Frank finds his customers the music they need. Then into his life walks Ilse Brauchmann. Ilse asks Frank to teach her about music. His instinct is to turn and run. And yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with her pea-green coat and her eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems. And Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen and a past he will never leave behind.
My thoughts:
This book tells the story of Frank, a lonely music shop owner who only sells Vinyl records. Along with a great passion for music, Frank also has a real gift - he can feel what music a person needs to hear.
His music shop is barely surviving, but when people come in asking for a specific record or just asking for a song or a type of music, Frank will pick out what he knows they need. And he is always right. Music is his life, and a way for him to connect with people. Frank lives a pretty lonely existence, until Ilse arrives and he begins to teach her about music.
The music shop is undoubtedly the perfect backdrop for this light-hearted story, reminding us of how important music, of all kinds, is to all of us. With this book, Rachel Joyce demonstrates how music is such a wonderful art form that can unexpectedly connect people from various walks of life. It is clear the background of this novel has been well researched, and the detail in which Joyce writes about music is very strong. It is a really lovely message, which quickly develops into a mostly charming and sugar-coated little love story.
Frank and Ilse are likeable people, and seeing them bond and open up to one another through music makes for some moments of lovely reading. The other shop owners and workers of Unity Street are an interesting bunch of characters: a group of misfits who are quirky but fun together. The characters are quite engaging and full of life from beginning to end. The various friendships shown in the book felt believable and genuine, and whilst there wasan air of romance between Ilse and Frank, the plot concerning these two felt rather weak at times. It seemed clunky in how towards the end of the book, everything suddenly jumped forward twenty years. I think this could perhaps have worked better if only a few years had passed.
The Music Shop was a fairly quick and easy read, but in all honesty it did leave me feeling a little underwhelmed. I felt this one had so much potential. However, I initially struggled to really engage with most of the first half of the book, and as the story progressed I found things all a bit too silly and cheesy for my taste.
The Music Shop can be described as a feel-good and romantic read, but personally it left me pretty disappointed. I really wanted to love this one. It entertained me to a point, but sadly, I don’t think I’d rush to recommend it.
Overall reaction:
Published by: Penguin Random House UK
Pages: 355
Format: Paperback
My Rating: ★★★
1988.
Frank owns a music shop. |It is jam-packed with records of every speed, size and genre. Classical, jazz, punk – as long as it’s vinyl he sells it. Day after day, Frank finds his customers the music they need. Then into his life walks Ilse Brauchmann. Ilse asks Frank to teach her about music. His instinct is to turn and run. And yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with her pea-green coat and her eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems. And Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen and a past he will never leave behind.
My thoughts:
This book tells the story of Frank, a lonely music shop owner who only sells Vinyl records. Along with a great passion for music, Frank also has a real gift - he can feel what music a person needs to hear.
His music shop is barely surviving, but when people come in asking for a specific record or just asking for a song or a type of music, Frank will pick out what he knows they need. And he is always right. Music is his life, and a way for him to connect with people. Frank lives a pretty lonely existence, until Ilse arrives and he begins to teach her about music.
The music shop is undoubtedly the perfect backdrop for this light-hearted story, reminding us of how important music, of all kinds, is to all of us. With this book, Rachel Joyce demonstrates how music is such a wonderful art form that can unexpectedly connect people from various walks of life. It is clear the background of this novel has been well researched, and the detail in which Joyce writes about music is very strong. It is a really lovely message, which quickly develops into a mostly charming and sugar-coated little love story.
Frank and Ilse are likeable people, and seeing them bond and open up to one another through music makes for some moments of lovely reading. The other shop owners and workers of Unity Street are an interesting bunch of characters: a group of misfits who are quirky but fun together. The characters are quite engaging and full of life from beginning to end. The various friendships shown in the book felt believable and genuine, and whilst there wasan air of romance between Ilse and Frank, the plot concerning these two felt rather weak at times. It seemed clunky in how towards the end of the book, everything suddenly jumped forward twenty years. I think this could perhaps have worked better if only a few years had passed.
The Music Shop was a fairly quick and easy read, but in all honesty it did leave me feeling a little underwhelmed. I felt this one had so much potential. However, I initially struggled to really engage with most of the first half of the book, and as the story progressed I found things all a bit too silly and cheesy for my taste.
The Music Shop can be described as a feel-good and romantic read, but personally it left me pretty disappointed. I really wanted to love this one. It entertained me to a point, but sadly, I don’t think I’d rush to recommend it.
Overall reaction: