NATIONAL BESTSELLER • “A delightful debut.”—People For readers of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir unfolds the struggles, affairs, deceptions, and triumphs of a village choir during World War II.As England becomes enmeshed in the early days of World War II and the men are away fighting, the women of Chilbury village forge an uncommon bond. They defy the Vicar’s stuffy … village forge an uncommon bond. They defy the Vicar’s stuffy edict to close the choir and instead “carry on singing,” resurrecting themselves as the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. We come to know the home-front struggles of five unforgettable choir members: a timid widow devastated when her only son goes to fight; the older daughter of a local scion drawn to a mysterious artist; her younger sister pining over an impossible crush; a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia hiding a family secret; and a conniving midwife plotting to outrun her seedy past.
An enchanting ensemble story that shuttles from village intrigue to romance to the heartbreaking matters of life and death, Jennifer Ryan’s debut novel thrillingly illuminates the true strength of the women on the home front in a village of indomitable spirit.
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This was such a fun charming read–I love books written in letter format, something I don’t think I could ever do. I’m a sucker for Small English Village stories anyway. The weaving of the background of Dunkirk and early stages of the Battle of Britain made it all the more intriguing.
I loved everything about this book, especially its wonderful setting and the thoroughly engaging characters who grew and developed in unexpected ways throughout the story. This is a terrific book with a beating heart at its core.
Great entry into the WWII fiction category. Fun, but poignant read
I loved the strong female characters and different narrative voices in this World War II English village setting. A great choice for Anglophiles or those who enjoy historical themes… perfect if you enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
This was a marvellous book. The book is set in Chilbury England which is a small village near the coast in Kent in the UK. The timeframe is five months of 1940, when the war in Europe had just begun. It runs from March to early September. The truly fascinating thing about this book is it’s entirely made up of letters and personal journals kept by the ladies in Chilbury. This is a very intimate way of telling a story. We meet some truly wonderful ladies who have been left behind in their village while their men have gone off to war, and the proximity of Chilbury to Dover coast raises some valid concerns about the bombing eventually hittling their small village. The book opens with the announcement that the Chilbury choir is shutting down bcause there are no men left in the village to sing. The women are devastated, and then the new music teacher in town suggests that they will resurrect it as a ladies’ choir, these amazing women grab onto this idea with both hands and become a strong and driving force in their community. We see very real glimpses of the war with a neighbouring town being bombed, with Chilbury itself bombed and some citizens lost, but that doesn’t stop these women. This is a truly wonderful book, and one that I will remember for a long while.
Oh my! What a lovely, lovely book. It was more like an experience, as if being in the village of Chilbury with these fascinating women, feeling the summer breeze on your skin, the singing of the choir wafting along it. Such a real world, one I truly enjoyed inhabiting for awhile. And it is not just atmospheric–it is adventurous and full of action that does not come across as the least contrived. It all feels so very real and yet new and terribly interesting. It’s written as journal entries or letters, so it’s told in first person (which I adore!) which really helps to draw you in as you read. The time period is one I know really very little about and I found it a much more enchanting way to learn about what happened in England during WWII than any movie I have seen. I don’t know quite how to categorize it; it’s not a mystery, though there is mystery involved, it is very romantic but it’s not structured like a romance novel. It’s perhaps best labeled as Women’s Fiction. Very much worth a read!
If you liked the “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”, you will absolutely LOVE this book! Written in the same format – each chapter being told through letters back/forth from different characters, it covers the everyday life & drama of the small village of Chilbury during WWII. This book has a LOT of very interesting and realistic drama going on that could happen anywhere, and be just as tragic, but in this small village, it really shakes things up. In my opinion, I think this book was a bit better than “Guernsey” simply because there was more emotional response – definitely grab your tissues, but also get ready to laugh because there are some really endearing moments to balance it all out. And, it also ends well, so you don’t walk away feeling unsettled. I can see reading this one again later on – it was just a really good book!
I read this book a few months ago but it’s the exact sort of book I’m already thinking of dipping back into. It’s just packed with the drama of small village life, set during WWII in England. There’s even an evil midwife! I mean, talk about drama! Super read.
I loved this book and its characters. It was quirky and fun and made me very happy.
How I loved this book! I truly enjoyed reading it from the characters’ hearts and thoughts. The value of music, the influence of women, the tragedy of ruined dreams and devastation of war was the power that radiated from page to page. Great book of values, without being “preachy”. Every woman should read this to understand her value and influence.
This was a lovely story about so much more than the ladies’ Choir in Chilbury, England. It is set in 1940, from spring to fall. The lives of the women of this choir are told through letters and diaries.
It is a village in the southeast of England dealing with war–bombs, rationing, men gone off to war, etc.
There are stories of unrequited love, schoolgirl crushes, unwanted pregnancies and more. The characters are believable–
a scheming midwife willing to arrange abortions
a precocious 12 year old girl with fantasies of true love
a widow still grieving over her husband, dead for several years
a flirtatious teen about to become a woman
the local lord of the manor, a nasty bully
and the new music teacher, choirmaster
All interact so well that I read this book in 3 days, reading the last 200 pages in one day.
Some quotes:
Funeral service “At the front, the Winthrops and their aristocrat friends were sitting all plumed and groomed like a row of black swans.”
Kitty, precocious 12 years old girl’s diary “I like to see people as colors, a kind of aura or halo surrounding them, shading their outsides with the various flavors of their insides.”
On starting a ladies only choir because all the men are gone “What will God think? one of the Sewing ladies piped up. He couldn’t have intended women to sing on their own.”
I rate it 4.5 out of 5 stars(rounded up to 5).
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book.
I liked this book. It kept me interested.
Interesting page turner. I recommend it.
Those who are interested in World War II and England will find this book to be a very good read. I highly recommend it!
Good start, but inevitably way too schmarmy.
Absolutely lovely!
A nice glimpse into English life at home during WWII, and how some people’s moral values need to evolve in its early stages.
A little two dimensional but an interesting WWII tale….character development is a little too lightweight.
Despite the gravity of the war raging on, the lovely ladies of this small village are inspired by a newcomer who brr try kings the disparate group of women together to bring joy in a time of uncertainty
This is so well-written, the reader doesn’t want it to end, at least this reader certainly didn’t want it to.. The setting (Chilbury England, 1940) is spot on with description, events, attitudes of the period. The story is told via the different character’s eyes and viewpoints, through their diary, letters, and journals. The novel is informative, dialogue and events endearing and in places absolutely charming.
Loved the book and can’t wait to read Ms. Ryan’s next book, The Kitchen Front – during the same era.