I am always very pleased to see that a new book by Louise is on the way. They always grab me, and Nothing Else lived up to my expectations. At the same time heartbreaking, uplifting and compulsively readable, I hope it'll grab you, too. Heather is a piano teacher, a rather solitary woman who lives - perhaps not for her music, but with it. She's not a total loner - her stepparents are dead, she was married and has parted amicably from her ex-husband - but there is a space in her life, which Beech slowly shows us was left by Harriet, the sister from whom Heather was parted in childhood. On an impulse, Heather decides to take the job of pianist on a luxury liner. It's most unlike her to do such a spur of the moment thing, but she looks forward to the change and to the opportunity for some reflection. She will cruise across the Atlantic and then travel to the Caribbean, with a stop in New York. It seems exciting, different, a chance to explore a different lifestyle - and Heather is very nervous. But she's recently received the files Social Service kept on her, and hopes that she may find a clue there about Harriet - what happened to her, and, perhaps, where she is now. Louise Beech The first part of the novel therefore follows Heather as she settles in aboard the Queen of the Seas, makes acquaintanceships among the crew of the ship (a warm friendship with Frederica, who's a writer and aboard the ship to give workshops, not so much with Barry Lung, an old-school comedian who sees the trip as an opportunity to drink and chase the girls) and finds her way playing in the different bars and venues. Heather has a good deal of spare time and we also witness her reaction to reading the (heavily redacted) Social Services files and the memories they stimulate of early life. Heather's own memories have many gaps. Her childhood wasn't easy, and doesn't make easy reading. There are scenes here of domestic abuse, less the gross, physical side than the creeping atmosphere of dread and restraint, the miasma cast over the girls' early life by their controlling father. It is effective and horrible, and the contrast with the more or less carefree life aboard ship (I really loved the sense of place and community that Beech gives to this) only makes things seem, somehow, even darker. Heather wants to know about Harriet, but one senses that there may be ominous secrets to come out. One of the things I love about Louise Beech's books is this ability to create menace and depth in situations which nevertheless remain, as it were, bounded and even appealing. The little world aboard a ship is a good example of that. Heather may have spare time to relive her past but she has so much to do, so much to explore, and a public role in the ship - she has to be be there at the right times, a smile on her face, attractively dressed and ready to entertain - so that the buried memories which begin to emerge can't, they just can't, take over completely. So we get a kind of mystery, a deepening of our understanding of Heather's personality, demonstrated through her love for her mother, through her family's tragedy and in her relationship with Mr Hibbert, who taught her and Harriet piano (his story, glimpsed in passing, is rather sad). But it's demonstrated most of all, perhaps, though Beech's use of Heather's music, her choices of what to play and the descriptions of how she does that. Heather doesn't particularly try to challenge the passengers with her repertoire, but she plays with great feeling and there's a haunting quality to how this is explained in the story, reminding me that Beech's stories often use art or performance to get over the depths of what people are experiencing. That is heightened when Heather plays "Nothing Else", a piece in two parts which she and her sister composed together when their father was at his worst. Heather has never been able to play Harriet's part, pointing at the void left behind, but she is something of a hit playing her own and even becomes a minor online sensation as the music is recorded and shares across social media. I don't want to say too much more about what happens in the story, because, while the general course of it might be something you'll guess, the detailed working out isn't. Rather it's wrapped round the mystery about Harriet's disappearance. And other mysteries too. Beech, as ever, is queen of the taut, suspenseful plot. This isn't a crime novel (at least not in its present-day parts) or thriller, but Beech still serves up a few red herrings and a few clues as to what was going on - and keeps us guessing about exactly how things will turn out. This is a story, at its root, of love and loss, and lost time, but one that testifies to the power of truth and the endurance of love. As a complex piece of music moves towards its resolution, so Nothing Else explores its themes, eventually presenting Heather with a very different outcome from what she might have expected - and forcing some choices on her. Another excellent book from this author - one that I think may just be her best yet (and that's a high bar).

What a wonderful book. From start to finish it filled my heart with every emotion going, joy, heartbreak, loss, sorrow etc. Louise Beech always writes with such elegance whilst touching on some hard hitting subjects. I am by no means a musician but thoroughly enjoyed all the descriptions of Heather and Harriet’s life in music and the joy and sorrow they felt. I am also deaf so certain parts of it completely resonated with me as although I love music I often “feel” it these days rather than “hearing” it although my bone anchored hearing aid does let me hear a lot better. The story ambles along with us learning more and more about the troubled childhood both Heather and Harriet suffered but always coming back to their love of music. All in all a fabulous book which I defy anyone who reads it not to be moved by it.

5 big stars to Louise for Nothing Else. It is a hauntingly beautiful and moving story of 2 sisters who get parted a t a young age but who although lose touch are always together through a piece of music they wrote to hide the noise of violence in there home. If you haven't read Louise Beech's books start now. They are all completely different but tug at those heartstrings. I can't recommend her highly enough.

This is a story of love – of the unbreakable bond between sisters – but also about being brave enough to acknowledge the past, to face the memories, to overcome loss and grief, and to live life in the present. It’s also very much about the healing power of music – and the melodies continued to haunt me long after I finished reading, because the whole story and the author’s simply wonderful writing had once again touched my heart. Heather is now in her forties, an accomplished pianist who has turned her talents to teaching others, always preferring to work with older children – she relishes the challenge, but also finds it easier that they don’t bring back painful thoughts of her lost sister Harriet. But one day she agrees to teach a younger child who looks uncomfortably like the sister who is never far from her thoughts, and it throws her life off kilter – the memories flood back, and she’s unable to carry on with her teaching. At the urging of a friend, she decides to take a job on a cruise ship, playing the piano for the happy holidaymakers three times a day – but, before she departs, she also decides to apply for her care records, taking them with her in an attempt to understand exactly what happened all those years ago, with the possibility of trying to find her sister. Told in a series of flashbacks, we find out about her early life – the loving mother, the cold and abusive father, the atmosphere of fear and control permeating the home where the girls escape into music to cover the sounds of violence coming from downstairs, but are only too aware of their mother’s bruises the next morning. And then there’s the unexpected arrival of a piano – to be played when their father is absent, with any idea of lessons in how to play strictly forbidden. Their mother takes an extraordinary risk – having secretly introduced them to the beauty of the music of Chopin (and I’m filling up with tears just thinking about that moment…) she defies her husband and arranges sessions with a music teacher, and both girls discover that they have an innate talent and ability on the keyboard. Together they devise a four-handed piece, the Nothing Else of the book’s title, sitting together on the wide piano stool, Heather the primo on the right, Harriet to her left – and creating the melody becomes their escape. And then their parents die – and they find themselves in a children’s home, the music and their tight bond sustaining them… until the day that Harriet disappears. And, in the present, we follow Heather’s life on the cruise ship – a fascinating look at life below decks, the friendships and alliances, the characters, the crew parties, punctuated by her performances at lunchtime, early evening and late at night in the three main (and wonderfully described) lounges, and her solitary moments revisiting the layers of her memories. And she finally feels able to play her own music – including Nothing Else, despite her pain at the absence of her sister at her side. And then, the focus of the narrative shifts… and the story follows an unexpected path, but one that was immensely powerful and moving, and delivered everything I could have possibly asked for. It’s quite impossible how deeply this book affected me – it’s filled with moments that seared themselves into my memory, from the elusive image of the piano being in the garden in their childhood to Heather, serene and detached and in her element, seated at the piano while the dancers swirl around the dance floor. Its characters – major and minor – are perfectly drawn, the settings vividly recreated, the emotional content so very powerful and entirely engaging. There are moments of lightness and sheer joy, times of laughter – but also moments of darkness in the sisters’ past that made me ache unbearably inside. I loved the way she conveyed the healing power of the music – there are times when I’d swear I could hear it, rising and falling in the background, and I found that intensely moving. The unfolding story entirely enthralled me from beginning to end – the strength and originality of the author’s storytelling took my breath away. This book is perhaps rather different from her others, although it’s probably fair to say that her books are never entirely what you might be expecting – it might surprise some readers, but it certainly won’t lessen their enjoyment. I’ve declared every one of her books my new favourite, and this time is no exception. This book is simply stunning – a story that entirely engrossed me, beautifully told, powerful and intensely moving, tender and overflowing with love, infused with its characters strength and bravery, gloriously positive and uplifting… and I loved every single moment.

Louise Beech is the kind of author who seems to reinvent themselves with each and every new book. Whilst you can always rely on her to provide a compelling and beautiful narrative, and to be able to elicit emotion from even the hardest heart, when you open up any of her titles you can expect something completely new. She is the author who refuses to be pigeon holed and, once again, with Nothing Else, she delivers an entirely different experience. Yes, it's a story which is full of emotion, contemplation and complex relationships. There is even an air of melancholy through a large part of the book. But much more than that, there is the real sense of hope wrapped up in a story of two sisters, torn apart by fate. This is the story of Heather, a pianist turned piano teacher who has struggled through life, haunted by memories of her past and the little sister she lost years ago. When a new student sparks memories of her past, Heather makes a life changing decision, applying for and accepting a job as a pianist on a cross Atlantic cruise ship. For her this is a chance to perform again, but also the start of a new chapter in her life as she makes the momentous decision to request her records from social services, determined to try and find out what happened to her sister. It is the start of an emotional journey for both character and reader, one full of surprises, heart wrenching scenes and ultimately full of hope. The opening of the book is told from Heather's point of view. Moving back and forth in time between her present and memories of her childhood, we begin to build a very vivid picture of the tragic events of the past and how they have come to inform the present. The scenes from the past bring forth a whole host of emotions, from laughter to tears, the bittersweet memories of a mother who was adored and a father who was feared, really drawing me into the story. It's a very familiar story, one in which you cannot help but feel for the two children caught up in the tension, but from which we are given some respite in the moments that the two girls, Heather and her little sister, Harriet, start to learn to play the piano. It is their respite, their secret, and it is in these scenes we see the two girls blossom, and where I felt a stronger connection to Heather. The Heather of the present is quiet, cautious and clearly affected by her past, and Louise Beech has done a brilliant job in portraying her character in a believable way, one which elicits sympathy and understanding, an area of narrative that she particularly excels at. When in the present, we experience Heather's time on the cruise ship, of the joy and elation she feels from finally performing once again. The friendships she builds and the power of the music to move and inspire not only her, but others really shines through, her bravery in playing a piece of music that has such an emotional impact upon her proving to be the turning point in her journey. It leads us into the second part of the book, one in which much more of the children's past is explained, and we come to understand the nature of the tragedy that broke up Heather's family. I must admit that these chapters were not quite what I expected but no less emotive, fate intervening on more than one occasion to direct the course of Heather's future. I am a music lover, and I fully understand the power of the perfect combination of notes, and there is one recurring song, the eponymous, Nothing Else, that comes to resonate with more than just Heather. It is no wonder that there is a suggested soundtrack to accompany the book, and I am sure this would make an intriguing audiobook because the only difficulty of reading a book about music is that you cannot always hear the song in your head. As always the characters, both central to the story and those on the periphery, are perfectly portrayed, each one adding their own notes to the story and helping to generate moments of laughter, poignancy and even, at times, fear. As for the setting, whilst I have never been on a cruise -well I spent a couple of days on a junk boat on Halong Bay but it's not the same - I had a real sense of place, a feeling of authenticity of the way in which Louise Beech has recreated life both above and below deck. I could picture the opulence of the passenger levels and the minimalism of the crew quarters so clearly, and I'm almost, almost, convinced I'd like to try a cruise myself. The ending to the book is full of hope, the warmth of feeling that comes with new beginnings. Did I expect what came to pass? I'd be lying if I said I hadn't, but then that's not an issue and probably to be expected with this book. This is not a mystery, not something where you are waiting for the big reveal and preparing to be shocked by an explosive twist. This is a story of family, of belief and of second chances. Of the power of music to move and inspire and of the powerful bond of two sisters, even when separated by both time and space. You can tell that this was a very personal book for the author, and if you like a story which is driven by strong emotion, this could well be the book for you.