"The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" is a wonderful read from author Jennifer Ryan--beautifully crafted, and a splendid illumination of the human spirit as it rises in the most despairing of times

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

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.

In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost.

But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn.
Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury’s new-found harmony.

Uplifting and profoundly moving, THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR explores how a village can endure the onslaught of war, how monumental history affects small lives and how survival is as much about friendship as it is about courage.

MY REVIEW:  Beautifully crafted, and a splendid illumination of the human spirit as it rises in the most despairing of times, "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" is a wonderful read from author Jennifer Ryan. The small English village of Chilbury is trying its best to adjust to the departure of its menfolk for service in the early days of WWII. Even the church choir suffers, as the vicar orders the closing of the choir due to the absence of the men's voices. However, the women will not comply, and thus the "Chilbury Ladies' Choir" is born, and an extraordinary collaboration spreads its reach beyond the church and into the hearts and homes of the village and beyond. As the story unfolds and the war progresses, the tale is enhanced with letters and excerpts from diaries and journals, giving deeper personal insight into the characters and their lives. The specter of loss is ever present, and the heaviness of grief cannot be avoided in time of war. Yet, there is comfort to be found in the simplest of everyday pleasures and the shared experience of those who wait for the inevitable aftermath of global conflict. Splinters of hope peak through here and there like the early morning sun through closed curtains. Women are awesome in their everyday lives as wives, mothers, workers, friends, and lovers, but they are never more majestic than when they refuse to be daunted, no matter how large and fierce the dragons they must slay.

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Reviews

 

"A delightful debut."— People

"This well-written and absorbing tale will stay with the reader for a long time to come."— Bookreporter

"Compelling and exquisitely wrought."— Bookpage"These strong, unforgettable characters will keep you reading late into the night. I could not put this wonderful book down."— The Missourian

“There's so much happening in Chilbury: intrigue, romance and an unforgettable cast of characters who aren’t always as they appear. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a charming slice of English wartime life that warms the soul like a hot toddy."
— Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

"Lyrical, poetic, emotional, funny, endearing, surprising – it is a masterpiece."
— Veronica Henry, author of An Eligible Bachelor

“The Chilbury Ladies' Choir sinks you deep inside the rich, intricate atmosphere of an English village in the middle of war, when quiet lives are upended and secrets unravel. With her unforgettable characters and vivid narrative, Jennifer Ryan creates the kind of wartime novel that plays out over the intimate territory of the human heart—full of soul, full of hope. You’ll be thinking about this book long after the last page turns.” — Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers and The Secret Life of Violet Grant

“World War II in an English village seen through the eyes of the most delicious cast of characters you’ll ever meet—The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a masterpiece of secrets, misdirection, village gossip, and gleeful disregard for anything but the main chance, as the Home Front learns to carry on. Seldom do you find a writer with such a deft touch—Jennifer Ryan sweeps the reader along to the very last page in a remarkable debut. “— Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Ian Rutledge series

 


JENNIFER RYAN SAYS: Hello, I'm the author of National Bestseller The Chilbury Ladies' Choir and The Spies of Shilling Lane. Before I began writing, I was a nonfiction book editor with a passion for the Second World War. My warm and cheerful grandmother would tell stories about that era, both funny and fascinating, and the book is based on these.

If you have read The Chilbury Ladies' Choir or The Spies of Shilling Lane, do get in touch and tell me what you think. And please visit my website for free monthly giveaways. 

www.JenniferRyanAuthor.com