Summary:
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 take: 3 looks
This is one of those books that, the father you get in the story, the better. At first, I had an easy time putting it down, and even read two more books while I had this one checked out from the library. Because I had been in a reading slump, and this was an easy read, I forced myself into it. Once I got serious about spending some time in the pages, I became more invested in it.
It takes place in the late 1930s, as Hitler is starting his European campaign. The people of this little village are, of course, affected. The choir, which was co-ed, disassembles after the men go to war. However, in sweeps a free spirit and talks the women of the town into creating a ladies’ choir.
Told in my favorite writing style, epistolary, the reader meets several of the town’s ladies though journal entries, letters, news articles, and jotted down notes. With this new choir, the death of some of the townsmen, the coming of age of a few young ladies, and the billeting of a soldier in one of the homes, the women of Chilbury really come into their own. It was a nice, light read, even though there are some losses. The end is heartening and the author deals with the subject handily.
Recommended.
