Description

BBC Radio 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME from 17-28 July. From the author of the world-wide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, a new novel about learning how to listen and how to feel; and about second chances and choosing to be brave despite the odds. Because in the end, music can save us all …
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 re-open and a past he will never leave behind …

LISTEN WHILE YOU READ! You can find specially collated The Music Shop playlists for Father Anthony, Kit, Maud and Hector on Spotify.

This hardback edition is beautifully produced, with stunning decorated insides.

Publisher Review

"Rachel Joyce tells wonderful stories. In her hands, ordinary lives are given dignity and triumph. She is a champion of humanity, and The Music Shop is no exception. It is a joyous love song that pulses with hope and benevolence and laughter." -- Sarah Winman, author of When God Was a Rabbit and Tin Man "Her speciality is writing with empathy on the quirkier aspects of life...[The Music Shop] has the feel of a summer hit: warm-hearted, unusual and romantic, with a sense of hope pervading all manner of misfortunes... Joyce's gift is in using simple language to convey profound observations on human nature." -- Will Hodgkinson * The Times * "The Music Shop is wonderful - a tender and moving love story which captures brilliantly the healing, redemptive power of music and its ability to console, empower and reassure. I adored it." -- Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us "Rachel Joyce hits all the right notes with her love letter to vinyl... This is the most beautiful ode to music, community and love, that overflows with charm and warmth." -- Jane Craddock * The Sun * "[Joyce] writes with unquestionable charm and and with her considerable heart never far from her sleeve. Joyce's charm and good-heartedness remain undiminished, as does her ability to create a highly appealing, semi-magical world... and to make us root for her characters all the way." -- James Walton * The Daily Telegraph * "Rachel Joyce deploys all her trademark charm... on a journey of redemption, of confronting the demons from the past and of healing." * Stylist * "A beautiful novel, a tonic for the soul and a complete joy to read." -- Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep "Nobody writes with quite that mixture of clear eyed humanity and downright authorial mischief that Rachel Joyce brings to The Music Shop" -- Patrick Gale * twitter * "The Music Shop tells us that our drum beats may well be different, but we can still dance to a harmonious and funky rhythm. Rachel Joyce is a genius with words and full of soul. This is another uplifting and utterly heart-enlarging novel." -- Bel Mooney "Frank in The Music Shop has taken my love of vinyl to a much higher level. He introduced me to music I've never heard before and has given me a new way of listening to all music. Rachel paints her odd ball bunch of characters with a delicate deftness of touch. You cannot help but love them all." -- Johnnie Walker, MBE "BEST SUMMER READS: I loved this moving story about the healing power of music." * Woman&Home * "A tender, funny compelling and hugely resonant story" * Radio Times * "Such a touching and gently didactic story - melts your heart." -- Veronica Henry * twitter * "A happy book" -- Jane Garvey * BBC Radio4 Woman's Hour * "What joy. A big-hearted, beguiling story full of charm, gentleness and humour and peopled with glorious characters. A love song to beauty on the margins, friendship, and the intrinsic power of music." -- Keggie Carew, author of DADLAND "I especially adored the music bits; fascinating snippets about everyone from Liszt to Led Zep." -- Wendy Holden * Daily Mail * "An uplifting read, full of humour and authentic characters." * Press Association * "This nostalgia hit will lift your spirits." * Closer Magazine * "Rachel Joyce has established a reputation for novels that celebrate the dignity and courage of ordinary people and the resilience of the human spirit." * Observer * "A tender novel about heartache and redemption, full of humour and perceptive observations," * Daily Express *