The Music Shop
By Rachel Joyce
Random House, 9780812996685, January 2018, 320pp.
The Short of It:
If you like sweet, quirky characters and have an appreciation for music, you’ll love this story.
The Rest of It:
Frank owns a music shop and stocks only vinyl, which causes him a great deal of trouble when the vendors refuse to keep him stocked unless he agrees to also carry CDs. But Frank is not just a record seller, he knows exactly what you need to hear and when you need to hear it. His music “prescriptions” have made him a well-loved member of the community but his inability to move with the times threatens to ruin everything he has. One day, a strange, beautiful woman faints right outside his shop and his safe, predictable life is turned upside down.
I really enjoyed The Music Shop. It has a fabulous cast of characters. Do you remember the movie Notting Hill? Well, this story has a very similar group of characters who are really more of a family to Frank that just fellow business owners. They are quirky and lovable and well-meaning. Delightful, really.
As Frank learns more about Ilse, the woman who faints outside his shop, we also learn about Frank’s relationship with his mother and how he came to love music so much. As I was reading this story I compiled a Spotify playlist of all the songs mentioned, only to find out that the publisher already did it for me!
This story is sweet and funny and a real feel-good book. If you enjoyed her other book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you will not be disappointed with this one.
Source: Review copy provided by the publisher via Library Thing.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.
Book Chatter 
I listened to this and struggled with the narrator. Now I wish I’d read it in print instead.
Yes! I remember you saying that. I have to have a really good reader for audio to work for me. I am so picky. But in print, I thought it was lovely.
Okay. You convinced me. I had tried to read her other novel, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy and just could not get into it. I tried it in audio though, so I have always been meaning to get back to it in print. However, because I was so unimpressed with that one, I purposely turned my back on this one. You make me regret not even considering it.
That Queenie book is a follow-up to Harold Fry, if I’m not mistaken. Harold Fry was fabulous in my opinion. I thought the audio for this one would maybe include some audio clips of the playlist but I heard from another blogger that it does not. However, if you grab that Spotify list you can listen to it in between the audio to really enhance the experience.
Wow. This sounds great. I’m so happy you posted about it. I must admit that I like the cover, too 🙂
At first I put it off because I thought it would be too fluffy, if you know what I mean. It’s not but it is sweet and thoughtful and will make you feel good.
You have made it sound delightful!
It’s pretty delightful.
I have the audio of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry so I may get this book whenever I finish it.
This sounds like a lovely book! I like the idea of music as a prescription.
Yes I think I’d like this one! Sort of sounds like the novel High Fidelity which had music in it too. I’m a sucker for these sweet stories. Eleanor Olimphant is a bit sweet too — but with dark issues as well. I plan to get to the Music Shop sometime. I liked Rachel Joyce’s first book
This is going on my TBR! I loved Notting Hill!
Yes. You must read it.