A Beautiful noise is a literary commercial / book club novel about the difference between hearing and listening, the challenges we face when we get it wrong and the transformative power of love and insight. It is an ensemble piece following four main characters who are each defined by their abilities to use, or not use, sound. Set in the heritage Hampshire village of Bedingford - the Quietest Village in England - at war over an opera festival being staged by the bankrupt Earl, Matthew Wolstenholme, in a last ditch attempt to save his home and heritage. Matthew is also secretly losing his hearing, and fears his last chance to hear music performed. Pip Berry, the main protagonist, is a uniquely talented drummer, betrayed, beaten and stripped of his self worth, he has given up his gifts in search of ‘the life more ordinary’. When he unwittingly gets embroiled in the village protests against the festival it brings disaster on himself, Matthew and all the main characters. By finding the courage to reveal his true identity and the secret behind his unique abilities, Pip is finally able to save himself, and them all, by demonstrating the real meaning of listening. And to discover the power of true love and friendship.