The next selection on my
summer reading list was
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan. It is delightful! The story takes place in a sleepy little English village during World War II. We learn about the goings-on through the letters and journal entries of our main protagonists: a timid widow who is worried about her son on the front, the self-absorbed town beauty who is embarking a real romance after flirting with the boys of the village all her life, her awkward younger sister who inadvertently discovers an intrigue, a young Jewish refugee hiding a secret, and a midwife in over her head in a sinister plot. With so many men away, the women must pick up the pieces to keep life in Chilbury as normal as possible. When a music teacher named Primrose Trent comes to the village she decides to revive the church choir with just the women, much to the consternation of the village busybody. The choir provides solace when the events of the war impact Chilbury and it emboldens the women to change their lives for the better. I loved this book because it has a definite Miss Marple feel to it with a charming little village with more intrigue going on than meets the eye. All of the characters are very well developed and each have a unique voice. They all have very satisfying character arcs, including Edwina Paltry whom I found very unsympathetic in the beginning. As someone who enjoys World War II novels I really appreciated the perspectives of ordinary women in ordinary circumstances trying to cope with the devastation of war and I really enjoyed the hopeful tone.
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is humorous and heartbreaking and I highly recommend it!
Note: Have you read
The Chilbury Ladies' Choir? What did you think?
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