Read this book so long ago and unfortunately didn’t post my review in time! Review to come, apologies for the delay

This book is an absolute gem.
It is just so beautiful.
The writing was on another level. It was so moving in places.
One of the best books ever.

This is the story of Ella & Robert. All the things they should have said, but never did. A story of love and near misses. My goodness, simply stunning. The sort of book you want to read again and again. Intoxicating in every way.

When the Music Stops is a poignant tale of music, love and missed opportunity. The protagonist, an elderly woman suffering the early stages of dementia, awakes on a floundering boat following a raging storm - frighteningly alone, apart from her baby grandson. As the boat gradually slips beneath the waves, we flash back to various passages of her life, all linked by her guitar playing.

I thought this was a truly wonderful book. You should read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The characterisation is so strong that the reader can identify with Ella, even when her life choices take her to some very dark places. All of the players in this story are well drawn, as they come in and out of Ella’s life.
The style of writing is very different, and to begin with the narrative is a little puzzling. But then it becomes clear how the two timelines are connected.

A poignant page-turner
Ella is 87 and has dementia. She was on a yacht with her family, making for the Greek Islands. Now she is alone at sea (in both senses), except for the baby she is trying to look after. Long-dead faces from her past come to join her on the journey. Through these people, we learn about her interesting life with music. She has lost her ability to play piano and guitar due to her illness, but still hears it in her head. Love the music sheets between each chapter. An important book that deserves to win awards.

Joe Heap is just a genius. After reading, The Rules of Seeing, I didn’t think he could write a better book but he has hit this one out of the park.

No review will do it justice. It’s just an amazing book about love, loss and friendship. All I can say is READ IT PLEASE!!!!

Gorgeous novel, a wonderful read!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

This is a poignant story-within-a-story, as we meet Ella in extreme circumstances at the very start, and clearly suffering from a degenerative memory-eroding illness, then travel with her through seven songs (The Child, The Maiden, The Lover, The Rebel, The Matron, The Mother and The Crone), which correspond to seven key moments in her life and seven important people, from childhood to her recent circumstances.

Those flashbacks tell a story of what might have been, but wasn’t, as Ella and Robert meet and part repeatedly to a backdrop of music, memory and a painted guitar.

Reminiscent of stories like Life of Pi or Mitch Albom’s afterlife oeuvre, there are suggestions of unreality to Ella’s journey aboard the boat, Mnemosyne (very clever!), but her journey through her memories is rooted in the small details of realism that anyone might recognise from their own earlier days – the clothing, the food, and above all else, the music.

An incredibly sad exploration of grief and aging, this story is also a testament to strength, love, and living a full life… however long you get.

What a lovely original, unusual and charming book. This is the story of one woman’s life told via those she has lost. It’s not macabre but sweet and gentle. I loved it and all the characters within it. Thoroughly recommend

While Rules of Seeing was an original slant on a psychological thriller this book is far more of a mystical experience. It is, at heart, the story of two people who meet, part, love and, above all, make music but it is framed by one woman's experiences on a yacht, floundering in a storm near Greece. As her aging body and mind begin to fail her she relives episodes from her past. These range from her childhood in Glasgow, to a career as a professional musician and involve key people from her life. As each episode passes the woman, Ella, finds that she is now accompanied by the person involved. This makes the story strange and magical, while still being rooted in the reality of Ella's experiences both past and present.

A beautifully told story of Robert and Ella following them from Glasgow in the 1940s to London in the 1960s and beyond. This is a beautiful book about love and loss and what connects us. It is written with great love and empathy for the characters. Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

This was a lovely read all about love and friendship. A really uplifting story. I loved the journey and definitely recommend.

This book. This book... Guys, this book is a real gem.

This is the story of Ella and Robert, whose lives began on the same Glasgow Street and which are intertwined through both loss and music through the decades. Structured around the seven modes in which music has been arranged since ancient times, this story takes us from present-day Ella - elderly and stranded in a perilous situation - back to pivotal points in her life where Robert and a cast of other wonderful characters played defining roles.

This book blends shades of One Day and The Five People You Meet in Heaven with ghosts, music and a building sense of tragic tension to create something totally unique.. From Glasgow during WW2 to the London beatnik scene, recording studios to a burns unit, bedsits to a luxury cruiser, we visit Ella in every stage of her life. And carrying us through is Heap's simple yet gorgeous prose, with a touch of whimsy to stop this book ever being dark or bleak. And of course, there is the music. Almost a character itself, its power hums through the pages. I really appreciated how the importance of music in dementia patients is really core to this book, and linked it all together.

I adored this story, and will definitely be adding Joe Heap to my auto-buy authors!

I really enjoyed this book. It's a story that reflects back on key moments and important people of an old lady's life. I was so sad to come to the end and wish there had been more pages. I have recommended this book to so many people, who have also loved it.

WHEN THE MUSIC STOPS; LYRICAL, EMOTIONAL AND CAPTIVATING

For me I found When The Music Stops a beautiful, poignant surprise. When I was approached to read and review this new novel from award winning novelist Joe Heap, from its description I guessed I would really like it. However I underestimated the subtle emotional depth and beauty of the narrative that is so skilfully enhanced by its structure. I also underestimated the impact it would have on me.

When The Music Stops is the story of Ella who has known Robert since childhood. Sensitively told through snapshots of Ella’s life it portrays these two characters as ‘people whose lives are so tangled up. Like two trees that grew too close together and their roots got all...’. The metaphor is symbolically never finished.

Spanning decades from pre-World War Two to London during the swinging sixties and beyond, Ella and Robert’s story starts in Glasgow. I’m from just outside Glasgow and I have to say that I absolutely love Joe Heap’s portrayal of a Glaswegian childhood. Even though Ella is almost 50 years older than me, there are elements of Ella’s childhood that really resonate with me. For example I felt so nostalgic when Robert gave Ella a block of tablet. Tablet is a part of almost every Scottish childhood as relatives make it for you and friends of relatives make it for you and so on. It also made me smile as Ella’s mum made tablet just like my mum.

However as Ella’s story progressed, it took me in an emotional direction I never expected. And Ella as a character really surprised me – as well as the story, she also went in a direction I never expected. I’m not going to lie – Ella shocked me. I didn’t like it but I admired her for it.

When The Music Stops is about the relationship of two people throughout the course of their life; but it is so much more than Ella and Robert’s tangled relationship. It is also a beautiful and hopeful portrayal of death, grief and survival. Yes it is a story of lost love but paradoxically it is also a celebration of life. This had a profound impact on me and I found it extremely comforting.

Thank you Joe Heap for writing such a subtle yet powerful and truly beautiful novel. I also feel the need to comment once again on the structure of this novel as it is so clever. In my view it really helped drive the emotional depth of Ella story. However I would of also have loved to read the same story from Robert’s point of view. He is a character that makes me so curious.

Thank you also Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me to read and review When The Music Stops as part of its blog tour.

When The Music Stops was published by HarperCollins on Thursday 29th October 2020. It is a truly beautiful read that will take you away from the stresses of lockdown living; as I feel this is something we all need at the moment I urge you to read this book.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
A great story. I loved the musical links and the writing is good. It is unusual and different from the usual. The characters are fascinating and well crafted. The story draws the reader in quickly and doesn't let go.

Beautiful, poignant and incredibly moving - a really beautiful book that captures love and loss in their purest forms

A poignant, moving and highly enjoyable story that moved me and kept me hooked.
I loved the storytelling, how the music mixes with the storyline and the great characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was a really lovely read. Watching the characters develop over the years and the bond they had was truly magical. The flashbacks using music and the characters appearing on the boat was such an inspired idea. Highly recommended.