Isabel is newly widowed, and suffering financial difficulties. All Isabel ever wanted to do was devote her life to her music, but now with her husband gone, she has to try to provide for her children. When she finds out that she has inherited a house in the country, it seems like a great new start for her and her two children. But when they arrive, they realise that the house is much more than they bargained for, and the amount of work it needs is enormous. As it is a country book there is some animal hunting which, whilst it doesn't go into minute detail it did still make me uneasy to read it. The story has some ups and downs, personal growth, a little bit of sex, manipulation, lies, family secrets and problems just to name a few of the themes within the book. This is an early JoJo Moyes novel that features the Delancy family living in London, but the accidental death of Isabel's husband leaves her devastated, grieving and in dire financial straits. The exclusive lifestyle she had become accustomed to is now well beyond her reach, and what is more she is ill prepared to adapt to her new circumstances. She is a violinist whose entire world had consisted of music, she is a mother of two children, Kitty and Thierry, but is a hopeless mother who had left the childcare to others. Out of the blue, she inherits a rundown property in the countryside, the Spanish House, from a distant relative and uproots her family to live there. Kitty has to grow up fast as she tries to pitch in and help, but Thierry has had serious issues ever since the death of his father.

Though her financial situation is dire, Isabel can’t bring herself to sell her violin. The instrument brings her a great deal of comfort, and music is a part of her soul—but the money she could make from the sale would improve her family’s situation considerably. Was it selfish of Isabel to hold onto the violin for so long, or was she justified in keeping something so meaningful? What would you do in Isabel’s position? This is a great story of loss, bereavement and obsession. It has quite sinister undertones in places and the character of Matt is especially well created - starting out as the local friendly builder and gradually getting darker and more threatening as the story evolves. Even though the incompetencies of Isabel frustrated me a lot, I can resonate with her because her music is her only power and sometimes those artsy minds dedicated their souls to create new compositions and they slowly separate from the responsibilities and obligations of real life. Isabel’s unique talent helps her endure her pain but it also drift her apart from her burdens needed to be handled immediately. What I really like about Jojo Moyes' books are that they are all so different, she certainly does not write to a formula, each book is very unique. As she fights to make her house a home, passions and lives collide. Isabel will discover an instinct for survival she never knew she had— and that a heart can play a new song. . . .The story revolves around the lives of a number of characters, which I always enjoy. I like there to be more than one POV, and feel it often helps to round out the story and flesh out the figures. Welcome – The Romantic Novelists' Association". rna-uk.org. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017 . Retrieved 5 November 2015. Moyes first won the Romantic Novelists' Association's Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2004 for Foreign Fruit [26] and again in 2011 for The Last Letter From Your Lover. [27] She is one of few authors to have received this award twice. [28] Summary: Believable characters in a moving family drama of bereavement, deception, and obsessions with an old house. I don't think that I will ever come across a Jojo Moyes book that I don't enjoy. There is just something so great about her writing.

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. This is a novel about obsessions. Matt and his wife Laura are obsessed with the idea of owning Spanish House when its cantankerous and demanding owner Mr Pottisworth dies. For this reason, Laura has pandered to Mr Pottisworth for many years. She takes meals to him and endures a barrage of criticism and complaint. However, despite hinting, he has never actually promised that they will inherit his house. So it's no surprise when we learn that he has a distant relative who is in fact his heir. There are some stereotyped minor characters such as the elderly village gossip, and the helpful and thoroughly nice gay village store owners. That's OK. Stereotypes feel familiar, after all, and I knew these people would remain in character and play their parts correctly. The main characters are much more of a realistic mixture of traits, and I found Isabel's children particularly likeable. I thought the premise had potential, but then I realized I have been here before with so many other stories like this, so, I immediately found myself bored.Jojo Moyes". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011 . Retrieved 5 November 2015. Her neighbours, Laura and Matt, do nothing in the slightest to make her feel welcome to the village; on the contrary Matt is out for revenge and Laura is lost in her ever crumbling world.

These are of course only 3 of the characters. All the characters were believable and could be related to on some level. But, did you know that some of her earlier work includes some historical fiction books as well? I enjoyed those just as much as her newer contemporary fiction books.Night Music is my first Jojo Moyes book and I am thoroughly disappointed. I was expecting something along the lines of Nicholas Sparks. The Giver of Stars was shortlisted for the 2020 Fiction Book of the Year in the British Book Awards. [36]