The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce

May I begin by saying how much I love Rachel Joyce?  From the moment I read "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" and "Perfect" I have been in love with her writing style and her ability to turn a narrative of a very simple story into something lovely.

So when I got the opportunity to read "The Music Shop" thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing, I jumped at the opportunity.  The writing did not disappoint.  The characters on the dying street in small town England were vivid and well developed.  I felt like I had driven down the street, like I had wandered around the square and past the cathedral and the chain-linked bomb site.

At its heart, this book is a love story. Not just between the two main characters, but with music.  I even created a playlist with all of the musical references that were in the book and closed my eyes to listen to it with the intensity that was suggested by the descriptions in the novel.  As a former choir/band nerd, I instantly connected with the thread that music plays throughout a person's life.

The only thing that kept this from being a true five star read although it is a solid 4.5, was the ending.  Although I can appreciate the simplicity of what Joyce was trying to accomplish, it seemed a bit abrupt after the 20 year wingspan of the book.

I highly recommend this novel - read all that you can of Rachel Joyce's beautiful literature.

Goodreads Rating: 4.5 stars