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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Most of the group liked this. It was fluffy, they said, but certainly a needed change after the heaviness of The Underground Railroad. And they liked discussing it and the power of vinyl records. Personally, I didn't care for this. The premise was great- I am a sucker for books where the protagonist can prescribe the perfect book or song for what ails you, and I really did enjoy what amounted to a list of songs for me to check out on my own. There really were some good ones to discover. And the cast of quirky characters is usually something I like.
But... the "romance" was the weakest part. Those parts were sort of like a soap opera, from the first time they meet (she faints and he literally sweeps her into his arms), to the conversations where she says she needs to tell him something and he dismisses her with his assumptions(think: "I need to tell you something, Ted," the heroine says dramatically, only for him to interrupt with "No, Victoria, I already know," but of course he doesn't; or the alternate, "No, there's something I need to tell you first," which shuts down any open lines of communication and my eyes roll out of my head and I need to go find them- they're covered in cat hair now, thanks a lot.) Also, twenty years passes, and she forgot about the love of her life? She never, like, googled him? Flash forward to her finding out that the worst possible thing has happened to him, and this is like that scene out of It's a Wonderful Life where he finds out that the worst possible thing has happened to his wife, which is that she has become a LIBRARIAN!! OH, NOOOO. But our main character is now working IN A FACTORY, GASP. Like... really? He's not doing drugs on the corner or living in a park? He has gainful employment and is contributing to society? Um... okay. I mean, it's not what he wanted to do with his life, and I get the tragedy of that, but... hm.
And the only way she can reach him is through... a flash mob? Uh. Okay...
It's not a bad book, per se- it certainly has its fluffy moments. But it wasn't a book for me.
But... the "romance" was the weakest part. Those parts were sort of like a soap opera, from the first time they meet (she faints and he literally sweeps her into his arms), to the conversations where she says she needs to tell him something and he dismisses her with his assumptions(think: "I need to tell you something, Ted," the heroine says dramatically, only for him to interrupt with "No, Victoria, I already know," but of course he doesn't; or the alternate, "No, there's something I need to tell you first," which shuts down any open lines of communication and my eyes roll out of my head and I need to go find them- they're covered in cat hair now, thanks a lot.) Also, twenty years passes, and she forgot about the love of her life? She never, like, googled him? Flash forward to her finding out that the worst possible thing has happened to him, and this is like that scene out of It's a Wonderful Life where he finds out that the worst possible thing has happened to his wife, which is that she has become a LIBRARIAN!! OH, NOOOO. But our main character is now working IN A FACTORY, GASP. Like... really? He's not doing drugs on the corner or living in a park? He has gainful employment and is contributing to society? Um... okay. I mean, it's not what he wanted to do with his life, and I get the tragedy of that, but... hm.
And the only way she can reach him is through... a flash mob? Uh. Okay...
It's not a bad book, per se- it certainly has its fluffy moments. But it wasn't a book for me.
This story slowly and steadily drew me in, plumbing the depths of Frank, the delicate mystery of Ilse, the jolly clumsiness of Kit, the caring hardness of Maud. I learned to love them all, their misunderstandings and ridiculousness, but mostly it was nice to just visit a place where people look out for each other.
I blissfully allowed myself to be drawn in as the story seemingly picked up speed and merrily rolled along to some kind of mostly happy conclusion.
And then the brakes were applied, mercilessly aggressive in their force, and the story ended. Frank became incomprehensibly irate over Ilse’s secret history. He steadfastly refused to believe he was good enough for her. Ilse never tried to contact him again and so went 21 years without knowing that the Music Shop burned to the ground. Finally she decides to see what’s up with the guy she walked away from all those years ago, and what follows is the most absurd conclusion. It’s heartwarming, but completely ridiculous. I hated it and loved it at the same time.
I think the choice to make the gap in the story so long — over 20 years — is just crushing. What a sad stretch of time in which both Ilse and Frank are just marking time. I guess it’s happy that they find each other again eventually. It’s never too late for something good to happen. But the thought of those two decades alone and apart, even though they aren’t really part of the story proper, almost makes this story too sad.
The characters are delightfully drawn, and a pleasure to share time with. And the story, although it winds through places I didn’t care for, features the delights of human connection, which is something we all could use more of.
Spoiler
I blissfully allowed myself to be drawn in as the story seemingly picked up speed and merrily rolled along to some kind of mostly happy conclusion.
And then the brakes were applied, mercilessly aggressive in their force, and the story ended. Frank became incomprehensibly irate over Ilse’s secret history. He steadfastly refused to believe he was good enough for her. Ilse never tried to contact him again and so went 21 years without knowing that the Music Shop burned to the ground. Finally she decides to see what’s up with the guy she walked away from all those years ago, and what follows is the most absurd conclusion. It’s heartwarming, but completely ridiculous. I hated it and loved it at the same time.
I think the choice to make the gap in the story so long — over 20 years — is just crushing. What a sad stretch of time in which both Ilse and Frank are just marking time. I guess it’s happy that they find each other again eventually. It’s never too late for something good to happen. But the thought of those two decades alone and apart, even though they aren’t really part of the story proper, almost makes this story too sad.
The characters are delightfully drawn, and a pleasure to share time with. And the story, although it winds through places I didn’t care for, features the delights of human connection, which is something we all could use more of.
It wasn't bad but it just didn't engage me enough and I have so many books I want to read!
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars
What a lovely book! It took me a while to warm up to The Music Shop. But, once I did, I was captivated, as in I stayed up two hours later than I'd planned with it, finally caved in and fell asleep, and returned to it first thing in the morning.
What a lovely book! It took me a while to warm up to The Music Shop. But, once I did, I was captivated, as in I stayed up two hours later than I'd planned with it, finally caved in and fell asleep, and returned to it first thing in the morning.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Light little read. Put it down for too long and forgot most of the plot, to be honest. Still a fun enough mindless read.
Racel Joyce kenne ich bereits über ihre Bücher „Die unwahrscheinliche Pilgerreise des Harold Fry“ und „Das Jahr, das zwei Sekunden brauchte“ – zwei sehr liebevolle Geschichten über Menschen, die sich ein wenig am Rand der Gesellschaft befinden.
Auch mit Frank hat die Autorin erneut eine Figur erschaffen, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist. Frank liebt Musik, er liebt seine Schallplatten, seinen Laden und die heruntergekommene Straße, in die sich sein Music Shop befindet. Und wie das oft so ist, zieht er ähnliche Menschen in seinen Bann.
Mit sehr viel Hingabe schildert Joyce die zarten Bande zwischen ihren Charakteren, ihre Schrullen, aber auch ihre Hilfsbereitschaft und ihr Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl.
Es ist keine besondere Geschichte, die hier erzählt wird, doch sie steckt so voller Poesie und Kleinigkeiten, über die man lächeln kann, dass es ein Vergnügen ist, sich in sie hinein fallen zu lassen und mit Frank und seinen Freunden zu hoffen, zu bangen, zu leiden und am Ende erleichtert aufzuatmen.
Ein Buch für alle, die sich vielleicht ein wenig traurig oder melancholisch fühlen – „Mister Franks fabelhaftes Talent für Harmonie“ schenkt Trost und Hoffnung.
Auch mit Frank hat die Autorin erneut eine Figur erschaffen, die alles andere als gewöhnlich ist. Frank liebt Musik, er liebt seine Schallplatten, seinen Laden und die heruntergekommene Straße, in die sich sein Music Shop befindet. Und wie das oft so ist, zieht er ähnliche Menschen in seinen Bann.
Mit sehr viel Hingabe schildert Joyce die zarten Bande zwischen ihren Charakteren, ihre Schrullen, aber auch ihre Hilfsbereitschaft und ihr Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühl.
Es ist keine besondere Geschichte, die hier erzählt wird, doch sie steckt so voller Poesie und Kleinigkeiten, über die man lächeln kann, dass es ein Vergnügen ist, sich in sie hinein fallen zu lassen und mit Frank und seinen Freunden zu hoffen, zu bangen, zu leiden und am Ende erleichtert aufzuatmen.
Ein Buch für alle, die sich vielleicht ein wenig traurig oder melancholisch fühlen – „Mister Franks fabelhaftes Talent für Harmonie“ schenkt Trost und Hoffnung.
I’m sorry I wasted my time on this book. The second star is only for the description of music in the beginning. Frank would describe what is being conveyed in certain pieces such as how you can hear the birds and the rustling leaves and even the ice in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. Such promise. Then it went quickly downhill. Frank and Ilse were supposed to have fallen in love over the shared love of music. But there was absolutely no chemistry between them. And they treated each other poorly. There is a whole argument of “you didn’t say Hello to me....Well you didn’t say Hello to me first.” It would describe Frank getting carried away in the meaning of the music music until he found himself standing and waving his arms, while there sat Ilse with literally her chin in her hands staring wide-eyed at him. Ilse’s two big reveals were so boring! The most interesting people were Kit and the other shop owners and residents of Unity Street. This is one of the few books I want to throw away for the disappointment it caused me.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes