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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
tense
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
The Music Shop told the story of a group of shopkeepers on Unity Street in Castlegate, England. The main character, Frank, owned a music shop that sold vinyl. Frank had a knack for knowing just the right song for when a customer was looking for new music. His shop was a bit run down and contained many fixtures he created on his own. It was quirky and suited his needs. The other shops on the small retail strip were a funeral home, a bakery, a religious gift shop, a florist, and a tattoo artist. One shop was empty. Each of the shop owners was friendly and supported each other. Their shops were not in a popular area for shopping and didn’t get a lot of traffic. One day, a woman was seen looking into the window of the music shop. She fainted and Frank rushed out to bring her inside. The woman, Ilse, recently moved to town. Later, Ilse returned to the shop and Frank learned that she knew little about music. Music was an integral part of Frank’s life and he was happy to share what he knew. As time passed, there were changes to the shops on Unity Street and between Frank and Ilse.
This was a sweet story. I really liked Frank. He loved matching music and his customers. Ilse was a big mystery for a large part of the book. I don’t really understand the author’s reasoning behind that. I would have enjoyed learning her story earlier. The other shopkeepers were an interesting mix. All were concerned about being able to stay in business, but it didn’t seem like they made plans to remedy that. It was like they let life happen to them. I enjoyed the ending of the book and it left me with a smile. All in all, it was a nice read.
This was a sweet story. I really liked Frank. He loved matching music and his customers. Ilse was a big mystery for a large part of the book. I don’t really understand the author’s reasoning behind that. I would have enjoyed learning her story earlier. The other shopkeepers were an interesting mix. All were concerned about being able to stay in business, but it didn’t seem like they made plans to remedy that. It was like they let life happen to them. I enjoyed the ending of the book and it left me with a smile. All in all, it was a nice read.
A Penguin First to Read ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin but with music.
Frank owns a music store that only sells vinyl records. He has unique ability to know what song will help the listener, that is, until he meets Ilse Brauchmann aka the mysterious girl in the green pea coat.
This is hugely character driven and therefore the plot is very slow. It is beautifully written though. There is also a Spotify for the book so if you missed out on the musical references you can get more of an experience that way.
This by no means was a bad book but for me it was just okay. I can relate better to The Storied Life of AJ Fikry more since I do not listen to music and do not get the same emotional experience from music as I do books.
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin but with music.
Frank owns a music store that only sells vinyl records. He has unique ability to know what song will help the listener, that is, until he meets Ilse Brauchmann aka the mysterious girl in the green pea coat.
This is hugely character driven and therefore the plot is very slow. It is beautifully written though. There is also a Spotify for the book so if you missed out on the musical references you can get more of an experience that way.
This by no means was a bad book but for me it was just okay. I can relate better to The Storied Life of AJ Fikry more since I do not listen to music and do not get the same emotional experience from music as I do books.
I LOVED this book! The characters came to life, and I felt their ups and downs. I truly rooted for them individually and as a group.
I also loved how the characters expressed themselves especially in their thinking. The author did a brilliant job with phrases and word choice, and I often found myself smiling or even laughing out loud. What a joy!
I can’t wait to read her other books.
I also loved how the characters expressed themselves especially in their thinking. The author did a brilliant job with phrases and word choice, and I often found myself smiling or even laughing out loud. What a joy!
I can’t wait to read her other books.
A quiet, thoughtful book, this book does not contain a lot of action. However, this book is really a love story to music and vinyl records, and I am looking forward to hearing some of the music mentioned in the Spotify playlist.
Sweet, interesting tale of a man's gift of knowing the right music to give to people, and the effect of music on a person's life.
Highly recommended.
Sweet, interesting tale of a man's gift of knowing the right music to give to people, and the effect of music on a person's life.
Highly recommended.
Reasons to read:
1. Do you love music of many different genres? This book has MANY music references. The book even lists a spotify playlist you can access.
2. Flawed characters, each of the characters in this novel are like real people, a little flawed and quirky.
3. How a neighborhood/street can become like a family. Unity Street doesn't sound like much to look at, but the people are what make the area feel like a safe place.
4. Mother/son relationships. The relationship Frank has/does not have with his mother impacts the book and the character.
5. Don't like neat, nothing ever goes wrong romance novels. This is a true real-life like romance. There are many bumps along the way and you think it is not going to work out for the characters but it does in the end.
1. Do you love music of many different genres? This book has MANY music references. The book even lists a spotify playlist you can access.
2. Flawed characters, each of the characters in this novel are like real people, a little flawed and quirky.
3. How a neighborhood/street can become like a family. Unity Street doesn't sound like much to look at, but the people are what make the area feel like a safe place.
4. Mother/son relationships. The relationship Frank has/does not have with his mother impacts the book and the character.
5. Don't like neat, nothing ever goes wrong romance novels. This is a true real-life like romance. There are many bumps along the way and you think it is not going to work out for the characters but it does in the end.
I have to say I had mixed feelings about this book. I was really excited to read it because I had no idea what it was about but I knew it had to deal with a music shop. Initially, I found the story to be quirky but also heart warming. I really liked the set-up of the little community, which each little shop adding something different to the mix. that being said, I never truly felt connected to any of the characters. This book is very much from the standpoint of an observer. I felt like I wanted to connect with Frank and Isle, but because they were so distant with one another, it was hard to connect with either or them. Truth be told, even though I knew this was a love story, I was surprised they got the "I love you" point so quickly, as I didn't see many signs of that in the build up to it. A big saving grace of the story is that Joyce uses stories about music to help us understand characters better and helps us see how single songs or pieces can save people in ways they didn't know they needed. As a musician myself, I wholly agree with that. Although I found the flash mob part at the end to be cute, it was kind of unrealistic to me and seemed just like a quick wrap-up to have a way to finish the book. Same with the epilogue, I didn't feel like it added much to the book other than acting as a bow on top. I don't know, maybe I expected more from this, which is why it lead to a 3/5 review.