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amchica 's review for:
The Music Shop
by Rachel Joyce
I don't know what I liked more about this book - the characters or the music education that went along with reading it. Music shop owner Frank falls for mysterious German stranger Ilse, and a love affair over music ensues - kind of. This is one of those novels in which the plot isn't particularly original or important, but the characters and the attention to detail draw the reader into the lovely world of the book.
How can you not root for Frank? Poor Frank was raised by a mother who refused to let him call her Mom or any other related word, and gave him little in the way of motherly affection. But she gave him a musical education - and an emotional education through the music - that formed his character. I'm not always a fan of flashbacks, but the way Joyce wove the flashbacks to Frank's time with his mother in with relevant moments from the present was flawless.
In addition to Frank, the whole cast of characters from the dying street of shops spoke to my heart.
There's a former priest who's a recovering addict Frank saved with his music, a bumbling, but well-meaning shop assistant, and a female tattoo shop owner who is secretly in love with Frank.
The little details of the story - the cactus Ilse brings to Frank, the pencil sharpener she fixes (or was it a tape dispenser, oh well?) - set it apart from other books. Joyce creates a vivid portrait that comes to life for the reader. I was a little hesitant to read the book at first, because Joyce's previous work "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" came off as a bit corny to me. I didn't feel that way about this book.
I found myself searching for online recordings of the music mentioned throughout the book and playing them as I read along - especially "Moonlight Sonata" and Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The effect was fantastic.
I know this book has drawn lots of comparison to Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" - which I enjoyed as well - but I feel like it's a different story completely and works well on its own.
This will be one I will re-read. I almost hope it gets made into a movie, because that would be lovely, but then again, maybe not.
How can you not root for Frank? Poor Frank was raised by a mother who refused to let him call her Mom or any other related word, and gave him little in the way of motherly affection. But she gave him a musical education - and an emotional education through the music - that formed his character. I'm not always a fan of flashbacks, but the way Joyce wove the flashbacks to Frank's time with his mother in with relevant moments from the present was flawless.
In addition to Frank, the whole cast of characters from the dying street of shops spoke to my heart.
There's a former priest who's a recovering addict Frank saved with his music, a bumbling, but well-meaning shop assistant, and a female tattoo shop owner who is secretly in love with Frank.
The little details of the story - the cactus Ilse brings to Frank, the pencil sharpener she fixes (or was it a tape dispenser, oh well?) - set it apart from other books. Joyce creates a vivid portrait that comes to life for the reader. I was a little hesitant to read the book at first, because Joyce's previous work "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" came off as a bit corny to me. I didn't feel that way about this book.
I found myself searching for online recordings of the music mentioned throughout the book and playing them as I read along - especially "Moonlight Sonata" and Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The effect was fantastic.
I know this book has drawn lots of comparison to Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" - which I enjoyed as well - but I feel like it's a different story completely and works well on its own.
This will be one I will re-read. I almost hope it gets made into a movie, because that would be lovely, but then again, maybe not.