Rachel Joyce

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - "A beautifully written, extraordinary quest in which two ordinary, overlooked women embark on an unlikely scientific expedition to the South Seas."--Helen Simonson, author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand WINNER OF THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZE - From the bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes an uplifting, irresistible novel about two women on a life-changing adventure, where they must risk everything, break all the rules, and discover their best selves--together. She's going too far to go it alone. It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life, surviving on scraps. One day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and small existence to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist--the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is the last person she had in mind. Fun-loving Enid Pretty in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that exceeds all expectations and delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship. Praise for Miss Benson's Beetle "A hilarious jaunt into the wilderness of women's friendship and the triumph of outrageous dreams."--Kirkus Reviews

Året är 1988, Thatcher och punken regerar England. På Unity Street i en liten engelsk industristad ligger Franks skivbutik. Frank säljer i princip all sorts musik, bara den är pressad i vinyl. En dag när han spelat Vivaldis De fyra årstiderna för en kund kliver en ung kvinna i ärtgrön kappa in i butiken. Men hon vänder genast på klacken och försvinner ut genom dörren, bara för att svimma på tröskeln. Vem är denna mystiska unga dam? Det visar sig att hon heter Ilse Brauchmann och efter några veckor är hon tillbaka för att suga i sig Franks encyklopediska musikkunskaper. Deras diskussioner på ett närbeläget kafé blir allt mer djuplodande och inom kort står det klart att de är förälskade i varandra. Men Frank drar sig undan, rädd för kärleken som han är efter en ungdomsförälskelse med katastrofal utgång. Ilse blir sårad och försvinner spårlöst. Frågan är om Frank förmår uppbåda allt det mod han saknar för att hitta sin Ilse. Kan musiken föra dem samman som den en gång gjorde? Det ser för mörkt ut för Frank och hans vinylbutik, nu när cd-skivan gjort entré på skivmarknaden och butik efter butik slår igen på Unity Street.

"An unforgettable story of music, loss and hope. Fans of High Fidelity, meet your next quirky love story."--People NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE TIMES (UK) AND THE WASHINGTON POST 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. Praise for The Music Shop "Captures the sheer, transformative joy of romance."--The Washington Post "Love, friendship, and especially the healing powers of music all rise together into a triumphant crescendo. . . . This lovely novel is as satisfying and enlightening as the music that suffuses its every page."--The Boston Globe "Magnificent . . . If you love words, if you love music, if you love love, this novel] will be without question one of the year's best."--BookPage (Top Pick in Fiction) "Joyce has a knack for quickly sketching characters in a way that makes them stick. The Music Shop] will surprise you."--Minneapolis Star Tribune "Rachel Joyce has established a reputation for novels that celebrate the dignity and courage of ordinary people and the resilience of the human spirit. . . . But what really elevates The Music Shop is Joyce's detailed knowledge of--and passion for--music."--The Guardian

Året är 1988, Thatcher och punken regerar England. På Unity Street i en liten engelsk industristad ligger Franks skivbutik. Frank säljer i princip all sorts musik, bara den är pressad i vinyl. En dag när han spelat Vivaldis De fyra årstiderna för en kund kliver en ung kvinna i ärtgrön kappa in i butiken. Men hon vänder genast på klacken och försvinner ut genom dörren, bara för att svimma på tröskeln. Vem är denna mystiska unga dam? Det visar sig att hon heter Ilse Brauchmann och efter några veckor är hon tillbaka för att suga i sig Franks encyklopediska musikkunskaper. Deras diskussioner på ett närbeläget kafé blir allt mer djuplodande och inom kort står det klart att de är förälskade i varandra. Men Frank drar sig undan, rädd för kärleken som han är efter en ungdomsförälskelse med katastrofal utgång. Ilse blir sårad och försvinner spårlöst. Frågan är om Frank förmår uppbåda allt det mod han saknar för att hitta sin Ilse. Kan musiken föra dem samman som den en gång gjorde? Det ser för mörkt ut för Frank och hans vinylbutik, nu när cd-skivan gjort entré på skivmarknaden och butik efter butik slår igen på Unity Street.

From the author of the world-wide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry: ' A beautiful novel, a tonic for the soul and a complete joy to read.' Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. 1988.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes "a poignant, searing tale" (O: The Oprah Magazine) about a young boy who is thrown into the murky, difficult realities of the adult world. "A powerful book, rich with empathy and charged with beautiful, atmospheric writing."--Tana French A nice house in a tony neighborhood. A hardworking husband. A private school for the children. From the outside, Diana has a perfect life. But her sensitive and observant young son notices that the other kids' mothers are not like his own. They dress differently. Byron's father prefers that his wife dress formally, in slim skirts and pointy heels. He gives Diana a Jaguar so neighbors will sit up and take notice. And they do. Then, one morning, during a shortcut to school through a poor neighborhood, something happens that Byron cannot shake and his mother refuses to acknowledge. Until she has no choice. In the weeks that follow, the fa ade of a happy family shows signs of distress. Diana makes a questionable friend, and an increasingly tense dance begins--between guilt and resentment, envy and regret--all leading to a tragedy and a shattering revelation.

As read on Radio 4, seven linked stories set in the Christmas holidays - all as funny, joyous, poignant and memorable as Christmas should be:A Faraway Smell of Lemon: The School Term has ended.

Amanda Hale and Tom Burke star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, adapted by Rachel Joyce. Orphan Jane learns at an early age that self-control is the surest means of retaining self-respect in adversity. It is a lesson that serves her well in the years ahead as she endures the misery of life with her cruel, uncaring aunt, followed by the harsh regime at Lowood Institution, a charity school for poor children. After taking the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, she meets the master of the house, the brooding, enigmatic Edward Rochester, and finds herself falling in love with him. It seems as if happiness may finally be within her grasp – but a series of strange events leads her to believe that Rochester is concealing a dark secret. When the truth is revealed, the heartbroken Jane will need all her inner strength and resilience to face up to it... Dramatised for radio by bestselling novelist Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), this iconic love story stars Amanda Hale as Jane and Tom Burke as Rochester. Suffused with romance, passion, mystery and danger, it is a spellbinding tale that is as real and relevant today as when it was first published in 1847. Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry comes an exquisite love story about Queenie Hennessy, the remarkable friend who inspired Harold's cross-country journey. "This lovely book is full of joy. Much more than the story of a woman's enduring love for an ordinary, flawed man, it's an ode to messy, imperfect, glorious, unsung humanity."--The Washington PostA runaway international bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry followed its unassuming hero on an incredible journey as he traveled the length of England on foot--a journey spurred by a simple letter from his old friend Queenie Hennessy, writing from a hospice to say goodbye. Harold believed that as long as he kept walking, Queenie would live. What he didn't know was that his decision to walk had caused her both alarm and fear. How could she wait? What would she say? Forced to confront the past, Queenie realizes she must write again. In this poignant parallel story to Harold's saga, acclaimed author Rachel Joyce brings Queenie Hennessy's voice into sharp focus. Setting pen to paper, Queenie makes a journey of her own, a journey that is even bigger than Harold's; one word after another, she promises to confess long-buried truths--about her modest childhood, her studies at Oxford, the heartbreak that brought her to Kingsbridge and to loving Harold, her friendship with his son, the solace she has found in a garden by the sea. And, finally, the devastating secret she has kept from Harold for all these years. A wise, tender, layered novel that gathers tremendous emotional force, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy underscores the resilience of the human spirit, beautifully illuminating the small yet pivotal moments that can change a person's life.

From the author of the 2 million+ copy, worldwide bestseller, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, an exquisite, funny and heartrending parallel story. When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked.

En roman fra forfatteren av "Harold Frys utrolige pilegrimsferd". Forfatteren viser igjen sin store evne til å skape personer som engasjerer oss. I 1972 ble to sekunder lagt til tidsregningen. Det ble gjort for å balansere klokkeslettet med jordens bevegelser. Elleve år gamle Byron Hemming visste dette fordi James Lowe hadde fortalt ham det, og James var den smarteste gutten på skolen. Men hvordan kunne tiden forandre seg? At viserne beveget seg jevnt og trutt rundt på klokken var jo like sikkert som at de alle hadde en gyllen framtid. Så, en dag de er for sent ute til skolen, gjør moren til Byron, Diana, en katastrofal feil. Byrons perfekte verden går i knas. "Perfekt" er historien om hans kamp for å holde familien sammen når verden går av hengslene. Var det de to ekstra sekundene som hadde skylden? Og kan det som følger, noensinne gjøres godt igjen?

Summer, 1972: In the claustrophobic heat, eleven-year-old Byron and his friend begin 'Operation Perfect', a hapless mission to rescue Byron's mother from impending crisis. Winter, present day: As frost creeps across the moor, Jim cleans tables in the local cafe, a solitary figure struggling with OCD.