1
of
1
Music in the Dark
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 759 ratings, 121 reviews)
Brief Description
'Wonderful and moving' Clare Chambers 'Utterly absorbing' Sunday Post SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE Jamesina Ross is long finished with men. But one night a stranger seeking lodgings knocks on the door of her tenement flat. He doesn't...
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK
Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock
Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Music in the Dark. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.
Latest News
Kiritapu Allan visits Book Hero
We were lucky enough to have Kiritapu Allan visit the team at Book Hero while...
Introducing The Art and Craft of Stephen King
I've been a fan of the horror genre since I was young, I remember making...
Reading Before Voting
As we head towards our general election on 7 November, I've realised I'm a lot...
Story to Screen - 04/07/26
Welcome to this week's 'Story to Screen Report', where Sacha rounds up the biggest news...
The Grand Line Awaits! New One Piece Plush Toys
New One Piece Plush Toys have arrived at Toy Hero
See more1884. A tenement room-and-kitchen flat in Rutherglen, near Glasgow. A woman with stark injuries to her face and her mind and a man recently arrived from America spend the night together. Through facing their shared past and the brutal events of 30 years ago, they can finally glimpse a future of new possibilities.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
'Wonderful and moving' Clare Chambers
'Utterly absorbing' Sunday Post
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WINSTON GRAHAM HISTORICAL PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE
Jamesina Ross is long finished with men. But one night a stranger seeking lodgings knocks on the door of her tenement flat. He doesn't recognise her, but she remembers him at once. Not that she plans to mention it. She has no intention of trusting anyone enough to let herself be vulnerable again.
A lifetime ago, growing up in a Highland glen, Jamesina Ross wrote songs about the land and the kin who had worked it for generations. But her music was no match for the violence her community faced in the Highland Clearances. Jamesina has borne the disfigurements of that day ever since, on her face and inside her head. Her lodger thinks that if she would only dare to open the past, she might have the chance of a future.
This is a story about resilience, memory, resurrection - and those parts of who we are that nobody can take away.
A beautiful exploration of unlooked-for love in later life, its contrariness and its awkward, surprising joys, Music in the Dark is a story about resilience, memory, resurrection - and those parts of who we are that nobody can take away.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781529345957
Publisher: John Murray Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 25 April 2024
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 26.0mm
Width: 128.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 236g
Pages: 336
Collections
About the Author
Sally Magnusson's third novel delves again into the experience of women on which the historical record is largely silent - this time placing a Victorian washer-woman of low class, despised race, advancing age and brilliant but injured mind into exhilarating light, and exploring the effect of brutal community displacement. Her debut novel, The Sealwoman's Gift (2018), about the experience of a seventeenth century Icelandic woman abducted into slavery, was shortlisted for 6 literary prizes. The Ninth Child (2020) was acclaimed for its blend of historical realism and chilling folklore. She is also the author of the Sunday Times bestselling memoir, Where Memories Go: Why Dementia changes Everything (2016).
Also by Sally Magnusson
View all-
My Perfect Place in Scotland
Sally Magnusson brings together thirty well-known names to discuss their most sacred spots, including golfing legend Catriona Matthew, the Duke of Buccleuch, Richard Scott, Chief Social Policy Adviser to the Scottish Government, Linda Bauld, and Sue Lawrence, the queen of Scottish baking. As we discover their pivotal moments in life through in-depth interviews and delve into the minds of each...Hardback$6500Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Pre-orderThe Shapeshifter's Daughter
Nothing, on earth or below it, freezes faster than the worthless heart. Before she was a hideous monster, the queen of the underworld was simply Hel. Cast as a girl out of lofty Asgard, realm of the gods, by Odin the Allfather, Hel's fate as the terrible goddess of death is sealed. Half beauty, half crone, she has reigned for...Paperback$2799Unit price /UnavailableOut 15 Sep 2026Pre-order -
The Shapeshifter's Daughter
Nothing, on earth or below it, in the skies or under the seas, freezes faster than the worthless heart. Before she was a hideous monster, the Queen of the Underworld was simply Hel. But cast as a young girl from lofty Asgard, the realm of the gods, by Odin the Allfather, Hel's fate as the terrible goddess of death is...PaperbackSold Out -
The Ninth Child
WONDERFUL. ONE NEVER MESSES WITH THE FAERIES. Melanie Reid, The Times AN ABSOLUTE TRIUMPH. Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus EXTRAORDINARILY VIVID. Michelle Gallen, author of Big Girl Small Town Loch Katrine waterworks, 1856. A Highland wilderness fast becoming an industrial wasteland. No place for a lady. Isabel Aird is aghast when her husband is appointed doctor to an extraordinary...PaperbackSold Out -
The Sealwoman's Gift
'A remarkable feat of imagination ... I enjoyed and admired it in equal measure.' — Sarah Perry, author of THE ESSEX SERPENT 1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland and abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them were a pastor, his wife, and their children. In her acclaimed debut novel, Sally Magnusson imagines...PaperbackSold Out
More from Historical Fiction
View all-
The Parisian Chapter
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseInferno
AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...Paperback$3100Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Circle of Days
From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...Hardback$4499Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Soldier's Daughter
The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Lost Bookshop
Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$2500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
All the Diamonds in Paris
Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...Paperback$2999Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Listeners
‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...Paperback$3600Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Song of Achilles
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Mythos
Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...Paperback$2200Elsewhere:$3000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Four Winds
Kristin Hannah is a classic storyteller and The Four Winds sees her at the top of her game - Matt Haig Powerful and compelling - Delia Owens, number one international bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! - Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The...Paperback$2000Elsewhere:$2499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Lost Apothecary
Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary's fate is jeopardised when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking...Paperback$2500Elsewhere:$2799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Limestone Road
From the deserts of Egypt to the rolling hills of South Australia, The Limestone Road is a captivating novel about one soldier's courageous journey home. In the summer of 1944, returning soldiers Canning Christie and his father Michael arrive in South Australia from the desert sands of North Africa. Canning carries the trauma of war and a fractured memory of...Paperback$3400Elsewhere:$3800Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
