The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

by Jennifer Ryan

Featuring specially-recorded choral music!

The village of Chilbury in Kent is about to ring in some changes.

This is a delightful novel of wartime gumption and village spirit that will make your heart sing out.

Kent, 1940. The women of Chilbury village have taken umbrage at the Vicar's closure of the choir now that its male singers are at war. But when spirited music professor Primrose Trent arrives, it prompts the creation of an all-female singing group. Resurrecting themselves as The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, the women use their song and unity to embolden the community as the war tears through their lives.

Dependable Mrs Tilling sees the choir as a chance to finally put herself first and a welcome distraction from thoughts of her son fighting on the front line. For Kitty Winthrop, the precocious youngest daughter of Chilbury Manor, singing is the only way to outshine her glamorous sister Venetia, who isn't letting the war ruin her plan to make every bachelor in the county fall in love with her. Meanwhile, when midwife Edwina Paltry is presented with a dastardly job which she's convinced will make her rich, she will have to misuse more than the trust of the choir's women to carry out her scheme - and nothing is going to stop her.

Filled with intrigue, humour and touching warmth, and set against the devastating backdrop of the Second World War, this is a lively and big-hearted novel told through the voices of four very different but equally vibrant characters who will win you over as much with their mischief as with their charm.

Choral music sung by Mums N' Roses, with musical direction by Craig Hudson

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Historical, Book Club, Audiobook, War

Audible Audio

First published February 14, 2017

About the author

Jennifer grew up in the British countryside with a penchant for climbing trees and a wonderful grandmother who told her hilarious stories about the Second World War.

As an adult, she became a nonfiction book editor, first editing politics and economics at The Economist Books, and then moving on to the BBC, DK, and other publishers, editing books on health, cooking, wine, and history.

All this time, though, she harbored a longing to share her grandmother's stories about the war, and so she embarked on an MA in fiction at Johns Hopkins University. The novel that she wrote while there--The Chilbury Ladies' Choir--became a National Bestseller.

Please visit Jennifer's website for more information and free giveaways.
www.JenniferRyanAuthor.com

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hugely enjoyable novel delivered through the medium of letters and journals. It is a quintessentially British story set in Kent about a community of women contributing to the war effort, trying to survive and live life whilst the world as they know it is crumbling around them. Helping them to cope with the grief and loss is the Chilbury Ladies Choir set up by incomer Primrose, despite the opposition of Mrs B. who thinks its a scandal to have a choir without men. Women are having to step in and do what men have done, they have no choice. The choir becomes important in providing a channel to keep their spirits up, channel emotional distress, provide support and personal development.

With warmth, wit and humour, the author gives us a wide range of characters with all the petty resentments, falling in love, tragedies and intrigue that beset any community. Mrs Tilling is a midwife, who finds herself digging deep into her emotional reserves to support others, expands her world view as she comes to see the humanity in others even when their actions may not appear to deserve it. The lightweight and flirty Venetia comes to be a revelation as her personal circumstances become dire. New relationships are cemented through billeting as with Colonel Mallard. The emotional intensity of the young can be seen through the eyes of the young, such as thirteen year old Kitty. We get a glimpse of the class system where characters like the Brigadier and the Viscount find their established power being undermined. We see what is happening in Europe through Sylvie, a young Jewish evacuee. Edwina struggles to keep her unsavoury secrets and keep her ill gotten gains. All the action takes place where there is a real and tangible fear that Britain might come under Nazi rule.

I became totally engaged with the characters and the pressures they are living under. I particularly loved Mrs Tilling and Prim, women who come to realise they have nothing to lose and can be exactly who they are and so becoming role models for others. In a sense, this is true to varying degrees for all the women. It is through the prism of loss that the women come to understand this and therefore learn to challenge traditional norms. This novel celebrates all that women did during the war and the role that music and the choir provide in inspiring, a route to express grief and providing succour. I think anyone who reads this will enjoy it. Highly recommended. Thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

[MarilynW · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan (Author), Gabrielle Glaister (Narrator), Laura Kirman (Narrator), Imogen Wilde (Narrator), Adjoa Andoh (Narrator), Tom Clegg (Narrator), Mike Grady (Narrator)

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir comes to us through journal entries, letters, posters, and newspaper articles. It's 1940 and the Chilbury Choir is going to be shut down due to the men being away at war and a choir most certainly can NOT exist with no men, according to the stuffy traditionalists of the village. But several of the women choir members are having none of that decree and rename themselves the The Chilbury Ladies' Choir.

There has already been so much loss for the village. Sons, husbands, and fathers away at a war that has taken the lives of so many. The enemy is getting closer, food and other supplies are scarce, and the women must support each other in any way that they can. There is the entertainment value of being able to come together to sing, gossip, and console and the women are not going to give that up.

Mrs.Tilling, a widowed nurse/midwife whose son is away at war, has her hands full, trying to ferret out the misdeeds of conniving Edwina Paltry, who puts ill gains above all else. Thirteen year old Kitty, from a wealthy family, has her nose into everything although what she thinks is going on is often far from the truth. It seems some of the most vocal and evil of the town are the most funny, with their over the top protests of their innocence and importance. The audiobook version of the story is often hilarious, with the letter/journal writers imitating the voices of the townspeople...the more spit and bluster from a person's mouth, the more you can not trust what they say.

This little village is under attack and not everyone lives. As the story ends and life goes on, with several of the villagers moving to London, we know that their fate is not secure, with all the dangers of war still to come. I'd love for there to be a sequel to this story so that we can continue to follow Mrs. Tilling, Kitty, and the others.

Pub February 21, 2017

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming, delightful, alternating with heartbreak and life's realities in a small English village during WWII. With very few men left in the village, the women in the village decide it is their duty to keep things going, maintain normality as much as possible and this includes restarting the disbanded choir, with women only members.

I love reading books that are written as letters, journal entries, articles etc. I honestly don't think I would have had such a positive reaction to this book of done in straightforward pose, would probably have come off too syrupy or gossipy. This was the perfect form for this story. Just telling glimpses of everyone's lives, their feelings and a general understanding of what was happening in the village and believe you me there is quite a bit going to tell. Love affairs, pregnancies, a amoral midwife, births, death, love affairs old, grief over lives lost, sons and husbands sent to fight. Yet, it is a wonderful telling of women empowerment and their desire to keep the home fires burning.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" is an epistolary novel providing a snapshot of the experiences of a group of mostly women during World War II over the time period from March-September 1940. Able bodied men have joined the war effort and the Vicar has decided to disband the choir saying that only a mixed chorus will do! Enter Primrose Trent, music professor. Prim restructures the choral music for women's voices only, the Vicar concedes defeat, and The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is born. Music is the salve that helps the town cope with loss of friends,spouses and the pain of unrequited love.

Through the use of journal entries, letters, and occasional notices, the lives of several residents are highlighted. Mrs. Tilling, a nurse with a quiet demeanor, finds her true voice while the misdeeds of unethical midwife Edwina Paltry play out. The antics of Venetia, a self absorbed older sister and those of awkward thirteen year old Kitty, a budding singer, are vividly portrayed as they share their thoughts and dreams through the written word. Mrs. B. a control freak and gossip, testy to all, will have to cooperate with the ladies since The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is determined to enter a choral competition. The choir provides a support system for these women. They raise their voices in mournful prayer, when needed, but sing of hope and recovery.

Stylistic use of documents and letters provides excellent character studies of the residents in this town near Dover. We view the growth of Mrs. Tilling and Venetia as well as the demise of Edwina Paltry. We applaud their successes and are tearful for their losses. "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" by Jennifer Ryan was a most enjoyable read.

Thank you Crown Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir".

[Annet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notice pinned to the Chillbury village hall noticeboard, Sunday 24th March, 1940: As all our male voices have gone to war, the village choir is to close following Cmdr Edmund Winthrop's funeral next Tuesday - The Vicar

Lovely book! For the really good and relaxing read, great story, five stars! Sort of a feel-good book with both sad and happy events.... Great and colorful story buildup with each chapter written from the point of view of one of the book's main characters. Central roles for a number of women in the village of Chillbury who decide to go on with the village choir, women only, in absence of the men out to war...

[PorshaJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could you not like a book that uses the word 'higgledy-piggledy' in it....multiple times. The Chilbury Ladies Choir is quite the fascinating read. A different take on WW2 and how people survive during this time. Don't get me wrong, any book on WW2 and the horrors is difficult to read. But this one, I found both sad and fascinating, heartbreaking and funny.

The story is told over a series of letters, newspaper articles, and journal entries and switches back and forth between these and various characters. You learn of the various people in the town of Chillbury. There is the wicked Edwina Paltry and the story of how low one person can sink. Or the saucy tart Victoria Winthrop, who changes, even grows-up during the war. Or bossy Mrs. B and her know-it-all attitude. Then there is the war, the bombings, the lives lost and during this time, the folks of Chillbury. Most of the men have gone off to war and it's up to the ladies in town to stand up and prove that they CAN do it. Such as to start an all female choir, enter a singing competition, become pall bearers, and show how brave they are.

I started this one ages ago and life got in the way. So I decided to switch to the audio recently. I loved the narration and the different voices and accents. And a bonus....choir music was included at the most perfect times. I did have a few nitpicks with this one though, hence the lower rating. I didn't care for the audio narration where it would indicate a male spoke. Sometimes the narrator, usually female, would do this odd voices for say, gruffy older men. And the precocious child Kitty,narrating into her journal, who at 13 used phrases that no 13 would know what they mean (the sirens were blistering, her talk of the black market). But those are minor items. Overall, an enjoyable read and one that I'm glad I finally finished.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Diane Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed in this book. I looked forward to reading a WWII novel set in a English Village, an epistolary novel written from the viewpoint of the women left behind when the men went off to war. Let me say right off that it was a very good story with some intrigue, some mystery, and an unusual plot.
What bothered me was that the letters and journals seemed a bit contrived. I've never yet seen a journal that quotes entire conversations verbatim, with quotation marks. Most of the journal entries were written as straight narrative, which may have been a better way to connect the events.
The characters all seemed wooden and one-dimentional to me, more like characatures than anything else. As a result, I could never feel close to any of them, with the exception of Sylvie, the 10 year old Czechoslovakia refugee. She didn't really fit into any mold, and came across as a real person.
The ending was a bit contrived as well, wrapping everything up very neatly with happy ever after for all.
I think what I'm trying to say is that I expected more depth from this novel, and it ended up being just a routine chick-lit, which is sometimes just fine, but not what I wanted right now.

[♡ Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Die Geschichte spielt in England im Jahr 1940, Zweiter Weltkrieg. Die Männer sind an der Front, die Frauen müssen nun weitestgehend ohne Männer auskommen. Auch der Chor wird aufgelöst, doch das wollen sie nicht hinnehmen und gründen einen Frauenchor.

Die Geschichte wird erzählt aus vier verschiedenen Perspektiven von vier ganz unterschiedlichen Frauen/Mädchen. Erzählt wird in Tagebuch- und Briefform.

Ich hatte anfangs ein paar Schwierigkeiten, mich in die Handlung einzufinden, aber als ich dann erst mal etwas durchblickte, hat mich die Geschichte sehr gefesselt!

[Margitte · Rating 5 out of 5]

First funeral of the war, and our little village choir simply couldn’t sing in tune. “Holy, holy, holy” limped out as if we were a crump of warbling sparrows. But it wasn’t because of the war, or the young scoundrel Edmund Winthrop torpedoed in his submarine, or even the Vicar’s abysmal conducting. No, it was because this was the final performance of the Chilbury Choir. Our swan song.

...It was the funeral of Edmund Winthrop, the Brigadier’s despicable son who was blown up in a submarine last week. Only twenty he was—one minute a repulsive reptile, the next a feast for the fishes.

...Beside her, that foreign evacuee girl looked petrified, like she’d seen death before and a lot more besides.

And so begins a novel, with Miss Edwina Paltry's letter to her sister (quite a fitting surname given the different meanings: small, meagre, trifling, insignificant, negligible, inadequate, insufficient, scant, scanty, derisory, pitiful, pitiable, pathetic, miserable, sorry, wretched, puny, trivial, niggardly, beggarly, mean, ungenerous, inappreciable, mere).

The fictional tale and characters are based on the real diaries and journals which were written during the first year of WWII in Britain for an organization called Mass Observation. They published a newsletter in which the hearts, minds and souls of the ordinary citizens were shared.

The epistolary character of the novel is the result of the author's commemoration of these writers, and the stories her grandmother shared about the war. Four main narrators share through their diaries and letters the funny, racy, touching or terrifying events in Chilbury during 1940, leaving the reader in the midst of a richly textured novel populated by the citizens of the fictional village of Chilbury.

The main narrators are:
Miss Edwina Paltry - in letters to her sister:

Brace yourself, Clara, for we are about to be rich! I’ve been offered the most unscrupulous deal you’ll ever believe! I knew this ruddy war would turn up some gems—whoever would have thought that midwifery could be so lucrative! But I couldn’t have imagined such a grubby nugget of a deal coming from snooty Brigadier Winthrop, the upper-class tyrant who thinks he owns this prissy little village. I know you’ll say it’s immoral, even by my standards, but I need to get away from being a cooped-up, put-down midwife. I need to get back to the old house where I can live my own life and be free.

Mark these words: her little scheme would have her flustered like a bluebottle in a jam jar in the end.

Kitty Winthrop - in her diary - thirteen years old: she saw people as beams of a rainbow, and her eighteen-year-old sister, Venitia, as simply a vile beast.

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.
Me—purple, as brilliant and dark as the sky on a thundery night
Mama—a very pale pink, like a baby mouse
Daddy—soot black (Edmund was also black, but black like a starless sky)
Mrs. Tilling—light green, like a shoot trying to come up through the snow
Mrs. B.—navy blue (correct and traditional)
Henry is a deep azure blue, to match his eyes.

Silvie - in her diary - the much younger Jewish evacuee from Czechoslovakia with her terrible secret.

Venitia Winthrop - in her letters to the vicar's daughter, Angela Quail.

Mrs. Tilling - in her journal - a nurse and the local billeting agent.

Two male voices appeared in their own letters as well.

Flt. Lt. Henry Brampton-Boyd - the most sought-after bachelor in the village. He had many a nasty nail out on dainty little ladies' fingers and a lot to answer for. Even Elsie the parlour maid got her head around something.

Colonel Mallard - in his letters to his sister Mrs. Maud Green. He arrived as curmudgeon old Mr. Bear, and left as snuggly Mr. Toodles, well .... sort of. Life would drastically change for him in Chilbury, that's for sure.

Miss Primrose Trent from London moved into Chilbury to become the Professor of Music at the Lichtfield University. She revived the choir, now deprived of all the men who went off to war. The Vicar Quail was convinced that all the oxygen and raison d'etre left town with the men. The women would prove him wrong. The choir gave women their voices. The voices they thought they never had. And therein lies the charm of this story of courage, endurance, resilience and hope.

The peripheral characters brought much more color to Kitty's rainbow. They read like the Chilbury telephone directory, but what a wonderful, unbelievable, atmospheric tale they all brought alive.

I'm not going into the plot or storyline. It is for the readers to discover and enjoy through the picturesque prose.

GREAT READ!!! Just absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

RECOMMENDED

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reminding me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, this book is written as a series of letters, journal or diary entries. As opposed to a single writer, here we have a variety of writers of all ages and stripes. Starting at the beginning of WWII, the village is dealing with the absence of most of its men. The vicar disbands the choir as it lacks the necessary tenors and basses. But here comes a new music instructor to the nearby University and she forms The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. “It is time for us women to do what we can as a group to support each other and keep our spirits up.” As someone who has sung for years in a choir, it's a true sentiment. There is something uplifting about making music with others. In fact, she is spot on about all things involved in singing- that moment before coming in on a note when singing a capella, the fear of the solo or the community from singing together.

Ryan does a great job of fleshing out each character. And there are some real characters here. Kitty’s writing does seem very grownup for a thirteen year old but that's a minor quibble especially because Ryan does capture the girl’s crush on Henry perfectly.

This novel manages to blend humor, warmth, sorrow and depth all within its pages. The book is based on her grandmother’s stories of a choir she sung in during WWII and the freedoms women had because of the war.

For those who enjoyed The Summer Before the War or the tv series Land Girls or Home Fires, I would recommend this novel. A full five stars!

My thanks to netgalley and Crown Publishing Group for an advance copy of this book.

[Sabaa Tahir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book over a couple of months because I didn't want it to end. Such detail, such heart, and some excellent village intrigue and cabal, all set agains the backdrop of World War II. One of my favorite adult books of recent memory. Jennifer Ryan is going to be an auto-buy for me from now on.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

"NOTICE PINNED TO THE CHILBURY VILLAGE HALL NOTICEBOARD,
SUNDAY, 24TH MARCH, 1940

As all our male voices have gone to war, the village choir is to close following Cmdr. Edmund Winthrop’s funeral next Tuesday.

The Vicar

Tuesday, 26th March, 1940"

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, told through letters and journals, and “lists” of things, is a story set in a small village in England, as WWII ravaged the landscape, lives and changed an entire generation, and those that followed. A town with a few people trying to find ways to do what they can to improve life for their small corner of the world, whose enthusiasm is infectious and, to begin with, while their men are away fighting the war, decide to start an all-female choir – The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. You wouldn’t think this would create such division, as though it were scandalous behavior.

There’s plenty of charm, and also plenty of reminders that there is a war going on. War is always present, in little reminders, in one of the characters thoughts or another’s actions.

”List of things to make note of before someone
leaves for war
The shapre of their body—the blank cutout
that will be left when they’re gone.
The way they move, the gait of their walk, the
speed at which they turn to look.
The crush of smells and scents that linger
only so long.
Their color, the radiance that veils everything
They do, including their death.”

There’s so much about this that makes it clear that it’s a story from another time, another place, and I loved that the things that characterized the time and place seemed so naturally to belong then and there.

There’s much about the haves vs the have-nots in this, as one wanders through these lives in this village, there are those who do not want, and there are those who know little else but want and need.

”The opulence of the room was dazzling, with the floor-length blue silk drapes, the majestic portraits of repulsive forebears, the porcelain statues, the antiquity, the inequity.”

War is hell, as the saying goes, places and people are damaged, destroyed, annihilated. So much devastation all around. One thing that brings light to these people are these women who have the courage to do things previously unheard of for women. Sing, yes, in an all-women choir, but it goes beyond that with so many men gone, the women have had to keep their town, their country running. And they learn a lot along the way about themselves. And as more courage is found, and more women are enjoying contributing their time and efforts, there’s another light growing stronger, bringing to light some deep, dark secrets, as well.

"Music takes us out of ourselves, away from our worries and tragedies, helps us look into a different world, a bigger picture."

So many of my friends loved this, and they wrote wonderful, very convincing reviews. I added this a while back, what seems like long ago, and have been waiting for my turn to read it since then! So glad I finally had a chance to read it, and so grateful to my goodreads friends, and goodreads for this forum to help determine which books to read.


Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!

[Brenda ~The Sisters~Book Witch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is an endearing, uplifting and refreshing story about five members of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir who are left behind as the men go off to fight in the war. It's a story of grief, deception, struggles, romance and hope as the threats from the Nazi’s reaches their village and shattering lives.

Through journals and letters we see how the women grow and change, forge a bond and draw strength from togetherness.

Even though I found there to be some dramatic plot lines, it worked for me as it added some mystery and romance to the story and I couldn't help but love the ladies of the chilbury choir and their stories.

All of Norma's and my reviews can be found on our Sister Blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...

[Roman Clodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This comes with comparisons to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Summer Before The War: but the likenesses are superficial only (epistolary narrative, women in a home-front setting): Ryan is undoubtedly well-meaning but writes with the insight of a teenager - everything is writ large with very little subtlety or nuance, and it's ridiculously easy to see exactly how the various plots are going to work out from very early on. We even have to believe that someone high up in British Intelligence tells another woman whom he barely knows that a third man is a British spy and one of the best they have merely out of the goodness of his heart to help along a pair of star-crossed lovers...

The writing itself is bloated and full of similes that just bog it down: a morning is 'as wet as a slap round the face with a fresh-caught cod', mourners are 'sitting all plumped up and groomed like a row of black swans', and someone describes themselves as 'flustered as a bluebottle in a jam jar'.

There is a kind of cosy warmth about it all, to be fair, with some nice touches (Dunkirk happening in the background, for example) but overall this feels like a BBC Sunday teatime serial that needs some charismatic actors to bring the whole thing to rather cheesy life. Not for me, I'm afraid.

ARC from Amazon Vine

[Ines · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars.
I have conflicting thoughts and emotions about this book that i have just finished, and I can’t quite put my finger on what the history wants to give to the reader.
As a first impact it seemed to me a novel that never managed to take off taking a clear and precise direction, so many ideas and beautiful aspects but never fully developed...
Let’s take the musical aspect, The Choir, pivot on which the narration turns, for me the author has never been able to give to the reader a taste why exactly certain choices are made, how it is possible that women can in a single lesson sing the "Lacrimosa" from Mozart’s Requiem.
You find them there in church and in one second, here they sing you the music without a hint of preparatory narrative how they come to put together a piece like this..... It is as if everything is always taken for granted in this narrative, even events, yes for the love of God, are always logical, but all given to the reader as "done for fact thing" to which we cannot ask ourselves "Excuse me, wait a minute but why did that other character come to behave like this? what push them to take and do certain actions?" The characters are definitely interesting, a nice variegated of humanity...from the ruthless without morals to women all of a piece, to which you would entrust your son forever...; but there is always a limit, you cannot get attached because they always remain on a bi-dimensional aspect, there is almost never a decisive psychological development of the people you will meet in the reading, perhaps the only one that is somehow more cured under this aspect is Venetia, certainly not a character that captures the liking of the reader (girl of easy costumes and behaviour).
It’s just a shame, because the structure of the book is very beautiful and captivating..... narration in first person alternated with long epistolary parts between the various characters.
The only two people I was interested in were Mrs Tilling and little Sylvia.... These two, more than any, were able to see beyond the "behavioral mask" of the inhabitants of Chilbury.
I finished the book unfortunately not satisfied.



3,5 stelle
Ho dei pensieri ed emozioni contrastanti su questo libro appena terminato, e non riesco bene a farmi chiarezza su ciò che la storia vuole donare esattamente al lettore.
Come primo impatto mi è sembrato un romanzo che non è mai riuscito a decollare prendendo una direzione chiara e precisa, tanti spunti ed aspetti bellissimi ma mai pienamente sviluppati...
Prendiamo l' aspetto musicale, Il Coro, perno su cui la narrazione gira, ecco, qui l'autrice non è mai riuscita a far assaporare al lettore perchè esattamente vengono fatte determinate scelte, ne come sia possibile che le donne riescano in una prova a cantare il "Lacrimosa" dal Requiem di Mozart...... le ritrovi lì in chiesa e zac, ecco che ti cantano laparte senza un minimo di propedeutica narrativa a come arrivino a mettere insieme un pezzo così.....E' come se tutto sia sempre scontato in questa narrazione, anche gli eventi, si per l'amore di Dio, sono sempre logici, ma tutti dati in pasto al lettore come cosa fatta a cui noi non possiamo chiederci ne domandarci " Scusa, aspetta un attimo ma perchè lei quell' altro personaggio sono arrivati a comportarsi così? cosa lì a spinti a prendere e fare certe azioni?" I personaggi sono sicuramente interessanti, u bel variegato di umanità...... dagli spietati senza morale a donne tutte di un pezzo, a cui affideresti tuo figlio per sempre...; ma c'è sempre un ma, non riesci ad affezionarti perchè rimangono sempre su un aspetto bidimensionale, non vi è quasi mai un decisivo sviluppo psicologico delle persone che incontrerete nella lettura, forse l'unica che viene in qualche modo piu' curata sotto questo aspetto è Venetia, di certo non un personaggio che cattura la simpatia del lettore (ragazzetta di facili costumi).
E' proprio un peccato, perchè la struttura del libro è molto bella ed accattivante.....narrazione in prima persona alternata a lunghe parti epistolari tra i vari personaggi.
Le uniche due persone che bene omale mi hanno interessato di piu' sono state la Signora Tilling e la piccola Sylvia.....proprio loro due, piu' di tutti, che sono state capaci a vedere oltre la "maschera comportamentale" degli abitanti di Chilbury.
Ho terminato il libro purtroppo non soddisfatta

[Malia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Perhaps there is something good that has come from this war: everything has been turned around, all the unfairness made grimly plain. It has given us everyday women a voice - dared us to stand up for ourselves, and to stand up for others." -Jennifer Ryan, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

This book had a little bit of everything I look for in a story. Beautiful writing, multi-dimensional characters, a wonderfully illustrated setting, and a dose of rich history. The story of the formation of the Chilbury Ladies' Choir during the spring and summer of 1940, is told through the voices of four very different women. I love a book told through multiple POVs, and in this case it was done perfectly. All characters' voices are developed to give a deep and rounded picture of who the woman is, and considering that this book is a normal length, that is quite a feat by the Jennifer Ryan.
Possibly my favorite part of this book was the way the author painted a picture of community in this small English village during the war. There is something so touching about neighbors, broken families, friends and even foes banding together in times that are so our of the ordinary. That being said, this book isn't cheesy or overly sappy. There can never be a completely happy ending in a book that deals with the Second World War (or any for that matter) but there is still a strong sense of hope that runs through the whole story, and for that and all the other above mentioned attributes, I think I can already say, even though it is only January, this will be one of my favorite books this year.
If you enjoyed books like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or Letters from Skye, I think you will love this as much as I did.

I won my copy of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir in a Goodreads giveaway, and have written what I think is a fair and fitting review. Thank you!


Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in 1940 in a small English village of Chilbury, whose occupants notice effects of war through shortages of food and men disappearing into unknown. And those who come back are “the cripples, the amputees, and the ones so disturbed they’d never sleep soundly again.” To keep their spirits up and the normality of life, the women of the village create all women choir with encouragement of a new music tutor. She convinces the Vicar to continue the choir with women only.

The story is being told through journal, letters and diary. Mrs. Tilling “starts a journal, so that I can express the things I don’t want to say out loud.” Her son leaves for the front in France. When he is gone, she makes his room available to a colonel who is in need of a roof over his head. She doesn’t like the colonel, but with encouragement of the new music teacher, she gives it a chance to get to know the colonel better before setting a judgement. As they get to know each other, she sees that they have a lot in common. As she grieves the devastation of war, she notices one positive outcome. “It has given us everyday women a voice – dared us to stand up for ourselves, and to stand up for others.”

Miss Edwina Paltry, midwife, reveals her story through letters to her sister Clara. She is bought with money to switch babies at birth, only if it’s a boy. She and some other characters at the beginning sound pretty deranged. But as the characters reveal their stories, they become more and more likeable.

My favorite character remains Mrs. Tilling, who through war learns a lot about herself and grows to be a very strong woman. Beautiful character.

As the story starts, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But the dry sense of humor keeps the pages turning. And with developing characters, the story exposes a deeper meaning.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prim was right. It's not about winning. It's about finding humanity in the face of this war. It's about finding hope when everything around us is collapsing.

This was a great WWII centric book that takes place in an English village in 1940. The entire novel is a collection of letters, journals, diaries, and telegrams written by a number of women in the community. Jennifer Ryan writes a compelling story about a group of women who join together and sing their hearts out to uplift their community as they wait for those fighting to return.

Music takes us out of ourselves, away from our worries and tragedies, helps us look into a different world, a bigger picture. All those cadences and beautiful chord changes, every one of them makes you feel a different splendor of life.

After the vicar announces that there will be no more choir, the new music teacher in town, Prim, decides to take on the job of choirmistress. Her piano student, thirteen year old Kitty Winthrop serves as the naive but very curious character watching all the comings and goings of the local townspeople. Of course, her biggest target is her older and very vain sister, Venetia. In Kitty's eyes, Ventia is trying to steal her man right from under her. Venetia on the other hand, has no interest in her local boy suitors, especially when a mysterious artist takes up residence.

Of course, Kitty and Venetia's father, the Brigadier, has his own set of issues. His wife is expecting and the war took his only heir. He will do ANYTHING to get what he wants. Including making a deal with the devil- in this case, the cunning Miss Edwina Paltry, Chilbury's midwife.

Finally, my favourite Mrs. Tilling, the local nurse who has sent her only son off to war and is quite jarred when a local Colonel( who I did adore too) is set to lodge in her home. Nothing gets by this character and she is both a comfort to some characters and a pest to others. Most of my favorite quotes come from her journal excerpts.

Funny how a bit of singing brings us together. There we were in our own little worlds, with our own problems, and then suddenly they seemed to dissolve, and we realized that it's us here now, living through this, supporting each other. That's what counts

In addition, the author has included information about the inspiration behind the novel, some wartime recipes, and a detailed map plan of the community of Chilbury. Just an all around great novel to relax with!

 Perhaps there is something good that has come from this war: everything has been turned around, all the unfairness made grimly plain. It has given us everyday women a voice-- dared us to stand up for ourselves, and to stand up for others.

[Marilyn C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

The ladies of Chilbury, England are not going to let the devastation of war hold them back, as most of the men in their small village have gone off to fight and the women are now are left to support each other. The first thing they establish is The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, as they realize the power of music will not only help them get through the war, but help build a sense of community with the other townspeople.

This is an endearing story that is filled with friendship and camaraderie as the women lose loved ones and face hardship, but use their choir time and music as a way to work through their pain and loneliness. However, this is not your typical war novel as Jennifer Ryan uses letters and journal entries to show how scandalous secrets are being kept and how romance has found its way into the village. The characters are well developed and you will even find yourself laughing out loud at times, but then you also feel their sadness as the war descends upon their little town.

This book is somewhat of a lighter twist on World War ll fiction, but that doesn't lessen the enjoyment of this engaging story. This was a great debut and getting to know the ladies of Chilbury was time worth spent.

[Karen R · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel that unfolds via letters and journals? Yess!! I am a sucker for this type of book so snatched it up. And what a fabulous book it was. Jennifer Ryan’s “The Chillbury’s Ladies Choir” sits right up there with my other favorites written in this style. The letters and diaries truly felt authentic.

“There is a way of life here that I don’t believe any war can crush, that will endure long after we’re gone.”

This story begins in an English village in the early days of World War II after the men of Chilbury have left to support the war effort and a village ‘ladies only’ choir is born. Chapters cover the next 6-months and alternate mostly via four distinctive female perspectives. Oh how I loved each of these characters and being privy to the more ‘scandalous’ events and domestic drama unrolling via their diaries and letters. The tone of the book is upbeat but there are plenty of sobering moments as the war disrupts and impacts their lives.

Jennifer Ryan has a wonderfully creative style of writing which celebrates the spirit and bonding of the women left behind during War.

[Maria Espadinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Guerra Contamina a Moral


A guerra levou os homens e o Coro está em vias de acabar. Mas as mulheres persistem e recusam-se a deixar de cantar!

“A música tira-nos de nós mesmos, afasta-nos das nossas preo­cupações e tragédias, ajuda-nos a ver um mundo diferente, uma imagem maior. Todas as cadências e belíssimas mudanças de acordes, cada uma delas nos faz sentir um esplendor de vida diferente.”

Nós, leitores, não iremos ouvir cantar mas sim contar...

“As mulheres do Coro de Chilbury” é uma miscelânea de retalhos de vida, que mostram como a guerra afeta o quotidiano e... corrompe a moral dalguns!...

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was totally in love with this audiobook book. It is a debut novel by Jennifer Ryan - I can only say it was enthralling. Set in southern England in a small village in 1940, it examines the life of the people as they start to face the reality of most of the men gone to war.

Up until now there has been a choir, but now with the men gone the vicar has cancelled the choir. But... soon the women are rallying around Prim the choir mistress and they are setting up their own group.

The story is told by four or five characters through letters and journals. However it is seamless and actually doesn't feel like letters and diaries. Rather the story told from different points of view. That's where the narrators come in, they do an amazing and outstanding work of bringing this book to life. By itself its a great story, with the narration absolutely brilliant. I see on Jennifer Ryan's website that the book has had the TV rights optioned by the makers of the makers of Downton Abbey. I sure have my fingers crossed that this will go ahead.

The characters are really interesting, they feel like real people, some of them are rogues and worse, one of them rather precocious but delightful, others kind and compassionate and already the war is changing many of them. The women are strong and resilient and were mostly a joy to follow, even the rogue amongst them.

[TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War II fiction has become a passion of mine, and this book is a true standout representing The Greatest Generation. Told in letters and journal entries written by those on the homefront in a quaint English village, this book is superbly written, emotionally rendered, and full of interesting characters. A must-read tale of friendship, love, and a community coming together when it is needed most. I hope the author plans to write a follow-up because I am not ready to let these characters go! Thanks to Goodreads and the publisher for the complimentary copy.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely, warm, often humorous story about a small village in England and the social changes it undergoes during WW2. Chilbury in Kent is largely made up of women now that the men have gone off to war and the story is largely brought to life through the means of journal entries and letters written by the women. When the vicar disbands the church choir because there are no male voices left, a newcomer, Miss Primrose Trent (Prim) announces that she will start up a choir just for women to help keep their spirits up and so the Chilbury Ladies Choir is born.

I love the way the characters evolve as the war goes on. They are beautifully written with love and affection. Not all are pleasant and some have nasty secrets. Mrs Tilling, a WWI widow whose son is off fighting, is the local nurse and the one who changes most, transforming from a shy, mousy woman who always defers to others to a confident woman in charge of her own life and prepared to speak up for others. Along with Mrs Tilling, the two sisters, 18 year old Venitia and 13 year old Kitty tell much of the narrative. Venetia about the artist in the village and her attempts to ensnare him and Kitty about her singing lessons with Prim, the choir, the doings of her beastly sister Venetia and her adventures in the woods and fields with their Czech evacuee, 11 year old Sylvie.

Grief and heartbreak do come to Chilbury during the war along with the rest of the nation and the Choir serves to support the women and give them some moments of joy and beauty. A wonderful read if you enjoy a heartwarming story about women discovering their own strengths and a very accomplished debut..

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more from this book, but it turned out to be conventional women's fiction with gossip, jealousy and unwanted pregnancy set during WWII. Since the story was told in the form of letters and journal entries, it was a little disjointed. Also, this stylistic convention wasn't convincingly done. I don't think people usually include full conversations in their correspondence and journals. I didn't hate it, but it was a very slight story.

I received a free copy of the ebook from the publisher, but I wound up borrowing and listening to the audiobook from the library.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I simultaneously read a Kindle e-book edition and an Overdrive audiobook edition, both borrowed from my public library. Pandemic style reading.

The audio was wonderful. There is often singing and music when singing and music were happening in the story. Lovely. I wish it was done for all the songs/music.

The characters are wonderful and varied. Some are a real hoot. They’re all interesting and thoroughly entertaining! There were a few that really touched my heart. The story, stories really, have more depth than it first seems they will. I enjoyed all the letters and journal entries that tell the story.

I enjoyed the plentiful humor and the sadder and suspenseful parts also. It’s charming and fun.

The title of the book is really only a relatively small part of the plot though an important one.

There was a map of the village (it would have been easier to refer to had I been reading a paper edition) and there were many pages of interesting extras at the end.

I really liked it. I found it a bit of slog (I had to rush to finish it before the editions were taken off my devices) but I attribute that to my mood & circumstances and not the book.

[Belinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,75 sterren - Nederlandse paperback 🌹🌹🌹
Dit boek was een verrassing voor mij. Gevonden in de minibieb, had ik niet in de gaten dat het boek bestond uit brieven, dagboeken ect. Ook dat een dameskoor centraal staat, in een Engels dorp aan het begin van de oorlog is een mooi gegeven wat als een rode draad door het boek loopt. Er zitten lieve karakters in, vervelende karakters, gemene, oudere dames en jonge dames. Het verveeld geen moment en het was zeker goed te lezen. Inmiddels is hij terug naar de minibieb voor de volgende lezer. Ik vond het interessant om te lezen dat de Engelse staat in de oorlog had opgeroepen dagboeken te schrijven en op te sturen. Als een herinnering maar ook voor informatie. Deze dagboeken zitten verwerkt in dit boek. Een boek wat voor mij zeker de 4,75 heeft verdiend. 🦋🦋🦋

[Marialyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars for a lovely story of woman who find their inner strength during WW 2. With the men all gone to war, the ladies step up and find that they are able to do everything the men had done. In their newfound abilities, they find an ability to see themselves in totally different lights. They are not the docile meek woman anymore but acquire the wherewithal to be what was needed. The characters are great, so real and yet quite able to stand up for themselves sometimes not for the good either. Resiliency is the core of this novel and certainly these ladies are the embodiment of that word.

[Stephanie Anze · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It´s us women in charge now," she said in more of her old cavalier style. "The Chilbury Ladies´ Choir will rule the world."

After the majority of the men leave to fight in the war, the town of Chilbury is left primarily with women. The vicar, believing that the choir will not work without men, disbands it despite the women´s objections. That is until a newcomer to town rallies the women together and asembles the Chilbury Ladies´ Choir, the first women-only choir. While not everyone is in agreement, these women seek that their singing keeps the morale of the town up.

I absolutely loved this novel! Something about WWII stories set in England are quite appealing to me, I find myself coming back to these without a specific agenda. Remniscent of such novels as ´The Summer Before the War´ and ´The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society´, this novel had charm, heart and wit. The cover compliments the print beautifully. Narrated through letters and journal entries, the focus of the novel were the women as they rally to put their choir, as well as their community, together. Told from varying perspectives, from a 13-year-old girl to a venerated nurse, the novel was both uplifting and thoughtful, even humorous in spots. The character progression was done very well for I found myself rooting for characters that initially I disliked. Through acts of bravery and compassion, the ladies´choir formed a camaraderie that in turn upheld the town of Chilbury. A must read for any WWII historical fiction fan.