Night Music

By: Jojo Moyes

Narrated by: Clare Corbett

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The Spanish House is a mixture of designs, Georgian, Gothic and Moorish, as if whoever started it had simply got bored. It has long been known as an architectural folly to locals, and is now nearly derelict to boot.

When its reclusive owner dies intestate, the Spanish House is left to his city-dwelling niece. For Isabel, recently widowed, the house is a potential lifeline - the only hope she has of providing for her two children without having to sell her most treasured possession.

But for neighbour Matt McCarthy, the house is revenge - on the family who ruined his father. For his wife it's the key to the perfect family life, while a struggling property developer sees in it a whole new future. As desires clash and intertwine, lives and loves are demolished - and the Spanish House becomes a true folly indeed...

©2008 Jojo Moyes (P)2008 WF Howes Ltd

the volume of book could use work

The story was catching but the volume of the reader was all over the place. The volume would go from barely audible to very loud.

Great human story

A great story of how we can go through so many ups and downs and learn so much about ourselves and other people.

Hauntingly Beautiful Story of Human, Flawed People

I really liked this story of a widow with two children who inherited a huge Spanish house in the country. Isabella, the young widow, whose deep passion for her violin and music, perhaps is too high a priority, has to learn a totally new way of life. But what I appreciated and most loved about the story was the honesty in which it was written. People DO have to go through hardships and work through grief in order to value what is most important in their lives. This isn't a cheap or tawdry tale, although there are some in the small town who make some unfortunate and selfish choices. There are MORE that make better choices and are loyal and end up doing right by their neighbors. The novel is hauntingly beautiful and meets my criteria of having an ending worth the wait.

A good book but not a great book

What did you love best about Night Music?

Picturing the scene where the house was set - the village and characters.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

It was ok I think. I listened to this book about 4 weeks ago and I cannot actually remember the ending...so I guess it wasn't very memorable!

Would you listen to another book narrated by Clare Corbett?

Yes.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really, it was a bit predictable. I liked the Byron character, so I think his relationship with the young boy would be the most compelling relationship of the story - therefore a bit moving I guess.

Any additional comments?

An easy listen...not overly memorable or anything...but 'nice'.

Another great jojo moyes

Loved this book. Like all her other books, the characters are well developed. The story is interesting with lots of twists and turns. It’s great!!

Classic Jojo Moyes

Just enough twists and suspense to be interesting and not overly predictable, with all the feel-goods. Pretty sharp swing from not liking the main character to respecting her.

An everyday contemporary escape story

I remain a big fan of Moyes. Her writing is natural and easy, while also remaining rich in descriptions. Characters are intersting and unique without being overly weird. It feelike you kniw people like them. The magic, scary and whole feelings of the old Spanish house, lake and wood is a big part of the intrigue. You feel like you want to sit in the big bay window and read this story (or listen to it) right there.
I enjoy the idea of second and third chances. Challenging preconceived ideas that we have of strangers. It exposes some personal thinfs that people have to deal with in all walks of life.

Good story, Bad volume performance.

The volume changes were way too loud and hurt my ears in the car.

Extremely valuable book!

It was thanks to this book that I got all the windows in the house washed -- inside and out -- the garage floor swept and both the linen closet and the sewing room reorganized. I couldn't stop listening -- I had to find some way to justify taking the time to keep listening.

This was my first exposure to Jojo Moyes -- never heard of her before, never come across any of her books before this one, when I rolled the dice on yet another really great Daily Deal. "Night Music" won't be the last -- except that I expect I'll listen to this one a few more times before I'm finished with it.

It's funny, I see other reviewers saying that this isn't Moyes best book, which just blows my mind. Can't quite see how any of them could be better than this, but... hey, I'm willing to try.

Maybe it's just me, but there's something about a battle over a house that attracts me. Another of my favorite books (not the film) is Andre Dubus III's "House of Sand and Fog" which also involves a house everyone wants, and the emotional pull such an embattled dwelling can bring about. "Night Music" is very different from that book -- maybe even better -- but I felt the same compulsion to keep listening until it all got worked out. Of course "Night Music" is really about the people -- the fragile, wounded, too-trusting professional violinist who inherits it, the corrupt builder who pretends to help restore it, but has evil plans of his own, the children caught in the middle of it, the guy who's camping out, unknown, in the boiler room... and the rabbits. Can't forget the rabbits.

What can I say? Don't miss this one. Your own house will be a whole lot cleaner by the time you finish!

Brilliant Book

Isobel is a gifted violinist, spoiled by her husband and two children, who have allowed her to live cocooned lost in her music.
A tragic accident forces her to drastically change from an ineffectual mother into a grown up and take charge of hers and her childrens' lives. She inherits a dilapidated old mansion in the middle of nowhere and uprooting her family moves in. The local builder and close neighbour has coveted the mansion for years and pretending to be their friend in reality does all he can to make them leave, with disastrous consequences.

This book gives a delicious depiction of small village life. There's the lovely gay couple Henry and Asad inexplicably called "The Cousins". They own the village shop: "Where are the handmade cards, Henry? We don't stock the ones with ages any more, all the fours and fives would go and you'd be left with a ton of elevens"!!!


The good ol' gossip Mrs Linnet: "Word will get out (she said mysteriously, tapping her nose). We'll become a magnet for all sorts of undesirables. It'll be paediatricians next"?!?

These are of course only 3 of the characters. All the characters were believable and could be related to on some level.
Clare Corbett was also brilliant with the delivery of the story