The music shop: a novel

Like the long-past heyday of London's Unity Street, its shops and shopkeepers are also well past their prime, their relevancy revoked in the names of progress and technology. Foremost among them is Frank, his shop jammed with an esoteric collection of vinyl records: no CDs allowed! His knowledge of music is nuanced and deep, a gift from his unconventional mother, who imparted life lessons through listening sessions devoted to everyone from Vivaldi to Miles Davis. Frank has a knack for giving his customers exactly what they're looking for, even when they don't know what that is. Aretha for a brokenhearted bridegroom; Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings for a tough tattoo artist. Frank's biggest challenge comes in the form of a frail young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who hires him to teach her how to listen to music. Whether on foot, as in her novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2012), or track by track, on this unlikely musical odyssey, Joyce (The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, 2015) excels in enveloping readers in epic journeys of lost connections and loving reunions.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2017 Booklist

Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) has a winner in this deceptively simple love story about Frank, owner of a London hole-in-the-wall music store selling vinyl records in 1988. Adamant about not selling cassette tapes or CDs, Frank is a loner raised by an eccentric but loving mother who taught him to cherish all kinds of music. His extraordinary gift is knowing the precise song people need to hear at a particular time in their lives, and his musical selections have miraculous results. Frank's small circle of friends own shops on this out-of-the-way street: Maud, who secretly pines for Frank, has a tattoo parlor; ex-priest Father Anthony sells religious artifacts; the twin Williams brothers run a family funeral business. Frank's life is upturned when a mysterious stranger, Ilse Brauchmann, appears outside his store and promptly faints. The magical trajectory of Frank and Ilse's relationship is nicely balanced against the thread about a threatening real estate company that wants to destroy Frank's tiny store. Joyce's odes to music-from Aretha Franklin and J.S. Bach to Puccini and the Sex Pistols-and the notion that the perfect song can transform one's life make this novel a triumph. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) takes a small run-down street filled with broken dreams, graffiti, and old timers and shines a spotlight on the magic occurring in a small music shop. Owner Frank has the uncanny ability to know when his customers walk in the door exactly what need to hear, be it Aretha Franklin, the Sex Pistols, or jazz. One day, a women comes into the shop and Frank is stunned, not only by her beauty and charming accent but by her stillness. He can't read her or figure out what music she needs. Together these two charming odd ducks navigate friendship, demons in their past, and music in the late 1980s. Steven Hartley's rich, resonant voice is instantly captivating and his wonderful narration elevates the story to a new level. -Deeply funny, moving, and inspiring, this story illustrates the power of music and community. It is filled with unforgettable characters and amazing music recommendations. VERDICT This superbly narrated audio-book will be a great addition to any collection. ["Joyce...continues to enchant and break hearts with her lovable misfits trying to survive in a modern world determined to pass them by": LJ 12/17 starred review of the Random hc.]-Erin Cataldi, Johnson Cty. P.L., Franklin, IN © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Stocking only vinyl in his London music shop, Frank Adair has the ability to select the perfect song to ease each customer's spiritual crisis.The son of a music-obsessed mother, Frank grew up learning about Beethoven's silences, Vivaldi's funeral, Bach's eyes, and Miles Davis' sly sense of humor. By the time he was a teen, he was teaching his mother, Peg, about Joo Gilberto, Joni Mitchell, and Van Morrison. After Peg's death, Frank opens his store in a small cluster of shops. Defying land developers and CD-pushing record reps, Frank eschews alphabetical and genre-based organizational systems in favor of delightfully placing Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," ABC's "The Lexicon of Love," and Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" in the same binafter all, each is a concept album. He's a musical therapist, dosing heartache with Aretha Franklin and fussy babies with the Troggs. With his exuberant assistant manager, Kit, and fellow shopkeepersincluding Maud, the tattoo artist; Mr. Novak, the baker; the Williams brothers, funeral directors; and Father Anthon, who has left the church to run a religious souvenir shopFrank is part of a cozy, quirky community, well-insulated from the risks of falling in loveuntil Ilse Brauchmann faints in front of his store. Immediately smitten with each other, Ilse and Frank realize they are star-crossed when Ilse admits not only that she has a fianc, but alsoeven worseshe doesn't listen to music. Yet she asks Frank to describe music to her; thus begins a journey into the emotional terrain charted by "The Moonlight Sonata," "Ain't it Funky Now, Parts 1 and 2," and even "God Save the Queen," the Sex Pistols' version. Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, 2016, etc.) sets up a charming cast of characters, and her spirals into the sonic landscapes of brilliant musicians are delightful, casting a vivid backdrop for the quietly desperate romance between Frank and Ilse.From nocturnes to punk, this musical romance is ripe for filming. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Like the long-past heyday of London's Unity Street, its shops and shopkeepers are also well past their prime, their relevancy revoked in the names of progress and technology. Foremost among them is Frank, his shop jammed with an esoteric collection of vinyl records: no CDs allowed! His knowledge of music is nuanced and deep, a gift from his unconventional mother, who imparted life lessons through listening sessions devoted to everyone from Vivaldi to Miles Davis. Frank has a knack for giving his customers exactly what they're looking for, even when they don't know what that is. Aretha for a brokenhearted bridegroom; Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" for a tough tattoo artist. Frank's biggest challenge comes in the form of a frail young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who hires him to teach her how to listen to music. Whether on foot, as in her novel The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (2012), or track by track, on this unlikely musical odyssey, Joyce (The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, 2015) excels in enveloping readers in epic journeys of lost connections and loving reunions. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Best-selling author Joyce first boomed big with the Man Booker long-listed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which was swiftly followed by the LibraryReads pick The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy. Set in 1988, her new title features record store owner Frank, who can find exactly the record each customer needs among vinyl-only merchandise ranging from classical to punk. Quiet and questing, Ilse Brauchmann is a different sort of customer altogether; she wants Frank to tell her about music itself.

In 1988, shop owner Frank is a kind of vinyl-only music whisperer. People come into his store and tell him their troubles. He listens and sends them into one of his homemade listening booths to hear just the right track (jazz, rock, classical) that cures what ails them. Frank and his fellow business owners, a close-knit, ragtag group hanging on in their cul-de-sac to a vanishing way of life, are being pressured by developers to sell and get out. Then Ilsa Brauchmann literally falls into their lives when she passes out in front of the music shop. These gentle, damaged people find common ground in the weekly lessons about music Frank gives to Ilsa, and there's instant attraction, as his boundless knowledge of music both charms and terrifies her. Misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and a catastrophic accident threaten the fragile bonds that begin to draw them together. VERDICT Joyce, a British actress and playwright, whose first novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, was longlisted for the Man Booker, continues to enchant and break hearts with her lovable misfits trying to survive in a modern world determined to pass them by. Irresistible. [See Prepub Alert, 7/3/17.]—Beth Andersen, formerly with Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry) has a winner in this deceptively simple love story about Frank, owner of a London hole-in-the-wall music store selling vinyl records in 1988. Adamant about not selling cassette tapes or CDs, Frank is a loner raised by an eccentric but loving mother who taught him to cherish all kinds of music. His extraordinary gift is knowing the precise song people need to hear at a particular time in their lives, and his musical selections have miraculous results. Frank's small circle of friends own shops on this out-of-the-way street: Maud, who secretly pines for Frank, has a tattoo parlor; ex-priest Father Anthony sells religious artifacts; the twin Williams brothers run a family funeral business. Frank's life is upturned when a mysterious stranger, Ilse Brauchmann, appears outside his store and promptly faints. The magical trajectory of Frank and Ilse's relationship is nicely balanced against the thread about a threatening real estate company that wants to destroy Frank's tiny store. Joyce's odes to music—from Aretha Franklin and J.S. Bach to Puccini and the Sex Pistols—and the notion that the perfect song can transform one's life make this novel a triumph. (Jan.)