Meeting date: July 24, 2018 ;
Star rating: 2.2/5 stars
It is 1988. On a dead-end street in a run-down suburb there is a music shop that stands small and brightly lit, jam-packed with records of every kind. Like a beacon, the shop attracts the lonely, the sleepless, and the adrift; Frank, the shop’s owner, has a way of connecting his customers with just the piece of music they need. Then, one day, into his shop comes a beautiful young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who asks Frank to teach her about music. Terrified of real closeness, Frank feels compelled to turn and run, yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems, and Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen, as well as a past it seems he will never leave behind. Can a man who is so in tune with other people’s needs be so incapable of connecting with the one person who might save him? The journey that these two quirky, wonderful characters make in order to overcome their emotional baggage speaks to the healing power of music—and love—in this poignant, ultimately joyful work of fiction.
Comments from attendees:
Star rating: 2.2/5 stars
It is 1988. On a dead-end street in a run-down suburb there is a music shop that stands small and brightly lit, jam-packed with records of every kind. Like a beacon, the shop attracts the lonely, the sleepless, and the adrift; Frank, the shop’s owner, has a way of connecting his customers with just the piece of music they need. Then, one day, into his shop comes a beautiful young woman, Ilse Brauchmann, who asks Frank to teach her about music. Terrified of real closeness, Frank feels compelled to turn and run, yet he is drawn to this strangely still, mysterious woman with eyes as black as vinyl. But Ilse is not what she seems, and Frank has old wounds that threaten to reopen, as well as a past it seems he will never leave behind. Can a man who is so in tune with other people’s needs be so incapable of connecting with the one person who might save him? The journey that these two quirky, wonderful characters make in order to overcome their emotional baggage speaks to the healing power of music—and love—in this poignant, ultimately joyful work of fiction.Comments from attendees:
- We loved the music aspect, like music therapy!
- The ending was horribly cheesy.
- Sometimes too many emotional bits; "violins playing in the background"
- Uses stereotypes poorly, which can be done well - this is not an example of good use
- Ensemble cast of characters, worts and all! This feature of the book was well-liked.
- WE HEART MAUDE.
- This can be a surface book. It could be a deep book, but it fell short.
- The community Frank finds himself in is a beautiful part of this book.
- Frank is the worst suitor!
- Both Frank and Ilse are guarded - the ensemble had to do a lot of the emotional heavy-lifting in this one. Characters are not honest with each other.
- Plays on some or too many tropes
Lowest rating: 1
Highest rating: 4
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