Publisher: 6th August 2020 by Random House UK, Transworld Publishers
Pages: 368 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: womens fiction, romance, contemporary
My Rating: 4 cups
Synopsis:
This is the story of a love song . . . And like any good love song, it has two parts.
In Australia, Arie Johnson waits impatiently for classical pianist Diana Clare to return from a world tour, hopeful that after seven years together she’ll finally agree to marry him.
On her travels, Diana composes a song for Arie. It’s the perfect way to express her love, knowing they’ll spend their lives together . . . Won’t they?
Then late one night, her love song is overheard, and begins its own journey across the world.
In Scotland, Evie Greenlees is drifting. It’s been years since she left Australia with a backpack, a one-way ticket and a dream of becoming a poet. Now she spends her days making coffee and her nights serving beer. And she’s not even sure whether the guy she lives with is really her boyfriend or just a flatmate.
Then one day she hears an exquisite love song. One that will connect her to a man with a broken heart . . .
My Thoughts
‘What was that thing you were playing?’ he asked. She looked up at him and shrugged. ‘Just a . . . song.’ ‘It was beautiful.’ He was right. It was beautiful..’
Love music? Then this tale is sure to take you on an enchanting journey as the musical notes reach far and wide, touching lives in a story centred around love and loss. A bittersweet story surrounding the inception of a love song, a song that was lost then found and ultimately travels across continents impacting upon those that hear the notes - notes that say so much more than words ever could. Yet, mind you, Minnie’s writing here is absolutely exquisite at times:
‘Emotionally, he felt her pulling away from him, like a tethered boat in a storm. The ropes were creaking, and there were days when the idea of letting go of her was so tempting, to the point that it sometimes even seemed like the right thing to do. But then he would look more closely at the horizon of that particular storm and know that he had to hold on, no matter what–even if she slammed against him with all her power, even if she broke him apart.’
The journey of this song is told through an array of serendipitous interactions between those who come within earshot of this musical composition. The reader witnesses the journey and the impact the music has on them in their current situation. There are a number of characters (too many?) who each contribute unknowingly to not only the passage of the song but also both the song and the listeners overall evolution. At times you will question the introduction of yet another new character/link until it becomes clear what their purpose is on this seemingly predestined journey. Some of the interludes are more relevant and engaging than others. The ending, of course, is to be expected yet this is a story about a love song so that can hardly be surprising.
‘She wondered, as she read, if the process of growing up was the process of learning not to want, or to squash the wanting deep down inside you where it couldn’t be seen and could only be felt dimly, until something happened to sharpen its edges. Like hearing a love song in a train station.’
A love story it is, yet with such a unique twist, not only through the song itself, but also the chain of events that witnesses ‘love’ celebrated in all its many forms - lovers, friends, family etc. This is clever storytelling about the power of music and the role of hope in our lives and the possibility of second chances. It is beautifully written and the overall theme concerning the universal language of music is heart soothing. Recommended for some sweet escapism.
‘I don’t think you’re meant to believe that it really does end there,’ she’d told him. ‘I think you’re meant to believe that it goes on and on, forever and ever.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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