The Chilbury Ladies' Choir: A Novel

I had high hopes for this book based on reviews but I wish I had saved my money. None of the characters or plot threads are in any way believable. The end leaves a major plot issue unresolved. simplistic writing and one dimensional characters. Maybe she'll do better next time.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan was a great way to start my reading year. Although I had read a few novels before this one in 2017, this is my first five-star read. I loved it!

Set in England in 1940 in the village of Chilbury, the story is told in journal entries and letters written by various people who live in the village. When the men leave for the war, the women are left to keep things going at home. At first their choir stops practicing and performing, but soon someone gets the idea to begin a choir composed of only women and the Chilbury Ladies' Choir is born.

Although the focus of the book is not the choir, but the various residents of Chilbury participate in it and find some companionship and purpose in it.

The journal entries and letters share the various goings-on of the residents of the town including a possible baby swap, some black market dealings, an unplanned pregnancy, and bribery. As the story continues these plotlines are developed and kept me reading to find out how they are resolved.

I stayed up late reading this book that reminds me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel set during World War II on the isle of Guernsey. Fans of that novel will fall in love with this book, as will anyone who enjoys historical fiction, World War II stories, books about small towns, and stories that will make you smile as you turn the last page.

Whatever the author intended this novel to be, she failed on many fronts. The characters were not endearing or even interesting. The plot was unbelievable and the situations contrived. That aside, I had a great deal of difficulty with the main character. (Spoiler alert.) Supposedly a pious church woman, her actions were questionable at times and immoral at others. When is blackmail ever to be tolerated? What gave her the right to play God with the lives of the townsfolk and declare it was for the good of the town?
Then she abandons her friends for a life in London when she is offered another option. Although many of the novel's characters were busybodies, Mrs. TIlling wins hands down.
There is nothing religious about this book, which is fine, but I find the title misleading. The Vicar is indecisive and a male chauvinist and his daughter is a "slut". The choir is only a touchstone for the characters to interact. The entire book is a good idea gone wrong. If you're looking for another Gernsey Potato Society, this is NOT it!
I am amazed that this book received so many positive reviews. I read several books a week in different generes and this one falls short of even some chick-lit. I didn't bother to check out the historical accuracy, but it hardly matters. Leave this one on the shelf. Two stars is a generous rating.

4.5 stars

What a fabulous book! World War 2 historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and Jennifer Ryan writes a beautiful story with a very entertaining cast of characters. Chilbury is a small town in England close to the coast on the eastern side. As the story opens in 1941, most of the men have been called up to fight causing the vicar of the local church to disband the choir until after the war. A group of women, lead by a spirited newcomer, rebel against the vicar’s wishes and create The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. The effect of the choir on Chilbury and several neighboring towns is immense, and I laughed out loud and cried many times.

Jennifer Ryan tells the story in a series of journal entries and letters reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and that method is very effective in this novel. The only thing I would change would be to have one or two of the letter recipients write back. I wanted to know a little about them too. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir contains so many lovely sentiments and statements about both the war and life generally. I found myself highlighting many of them as I read on my Kindle so I could back and reread them. My only other comment is about the cover. I definitely choose books by their covers (at least that is what usually catches my eye), and I do not feel like this cover accurately depicts the book – it is very old-fashioned looking. Had I not read the summary and learned it was about World War 2, I would not have chosen to read this book.

I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Worst book I TRIED to read in a long time. Could not finish it. I can not understand how anyone could give this book even one star. I did not have the option of leaving the stars all blank. The characters have NO redeeming qualities. The writing is worse than middle school themes I read when I was teaching. All melodrama. No depth to the characters. Plot absolutely not plausible. I won't even put this book in my own Little Free Library. I never throw books in the dumpster, so this one will go to a thrift store.

I am totally baffled by the five star reviews of this book. It is trite with characters who exhibit no depth. It is full of forced metaphors and the plot is not believable (switching babies in such a cavalier way?). I can't finish it. If you want a read that requires little thought and no depth, maybe this would be a good one. Otherwise, it is not what I would consider literature!

I enjoyed this book despite some rather noticeable flaws. First, this topic has been explored many times in recent and better written books. While I do love reading about British village life in the midst of WWII, the author didn't add much new insight or drama to this familiar theme. The book is told through first person accounts as written in letters or diary entries. Again, this format isn't particularly revelatory, and the most frustrating aspect of the book for me, was how inauthentic some of the characters sounded. Most of the writing is too elaborately descriptive to sound like a letter to a friend or sister. And there isn't enough effort on the author's part to differentiate the 5 narrators. All the writing sounds like the same person. The letters and journal entries were too literary to be believable. The story is also pretty predictable. All of this being said, I still found the book enjoyable in its homey portrayal of a not-too-distant past. The characters become more endearing as the war forces the women to adjust to mounting hardship.

I don't read music but I do read and, unfortunately I can't sing the praises of this novel. It's amateur hour. The choir is an artifice to bring disparate characters together but it doesn't work. We can't hear the "music". One member, Edwina, is witch-like and involves herself in a silly plot to switch babies. Another, Kitty, a thirteen year-old believes she's engaged to Henry who is in love Venita who we are suppose to believe is her sister. Two choir members die but do we shed a tear? No, we hardly know them. In fact, none of the many characters who populate this book come to life. (How can we believe a nurse who manages to reattach a severed hand?} There's a lot of beginning writer mistakes. Bizarre metaphors, telling instead of showing and a sad failure to evoke the atmosphere of English village life during World War II. I stuck it out to the end to see how the plot lines would resolves themselves. Sure enough, a big tidy bow was placed square on top. But the package is flat.

I sing in a church choir, and so couldn’t resist Jennifer Ryan’s debut novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir offered through the store Vine. Although there wasn’t quite as much about music and choirs as I had hoped, this was still a delightful novel.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir opens in March 1940 in the English village of Chilbury. The story is primarily told through the diaries and letters of five women, although there are some other voices heard along the way. When most of the local men go off to war, the local vicar decides to disband the church choir. But then Primrose Trent, a professor of music at Litchfield University, decides to form a ladies’ choir. At first, there are mixed feelings about the choir. But soon, Prim has them singing more beautifully than they ever expected and she even enters them in a contest. The choir will also provide a bond of friendship among the women and teach them that this is just the beginning of the things they will be able to accomplish to pick up the slack for the absent men in the village.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir also deals with other topics including war, destruction, death, mourning, illicit love, romance, and even a crime. This is where we hear the individual voices of Kitty and Venetia Winthrop (daughters of the local lord), Mrs. Tilling (the village nurse), Miss Edwina Paltry (the village midwife) and Silvie (a young Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia). Some of the subplots are a bit like a British soap-opera, but there is enough seriousness here to counterbalance the high-drama. Mrs. Tilling consoles the partner of a soldier she watched die. The partner is weeping and Mrs. Tilling thought that maybe she should leave. “Then I looked out onto the horizon myself and realized that loss is the same wherever you go: overwhelming, inexorable, deafening. How resilient human beings are that we can learn slowly to carry on when we are left all alone, left to fill the void as best we can.” When Prim wants to enter the choir in a contest, there is some debate among the members. Finally, they realize that entering the contest is “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.”

I thoroughly enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and I think this is a good, first effort by Jennifer Ryan. I will look for her books in the future.

If a book is set on the homefront during World War II, I'm there! But set it in the English countryside...Be still my heart! "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir" by Jennifer Ryan is a precious gem of a novel! You watch the lives of these women unfold through journal entries & letters. Their love, struggles, joys & complexities.
These women come together to keep the village choir going, after the Vicar declares it closed. Through being defiant, they bond in many ways. This book has so much goodness packed into it's pages & Jennifer Ryan knows how to bring it all to life with her way with words.

This book is a must read for anyone that enjoys historical fiction!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for my honest review.

This book sort of reads a wee bit like a TV series (home-front setting), with the reader discovering a little bit more about each character each week. It is a comfortable read, despite all the drama.
The trials and tribulations of the choir members become inconsequential when they get together and sing for Britain. Singing for Britain might seem like an exaggeration, however in times of war when the country is fighting to survive it probably feels as if they are.
There are a lot of different character story-lines connected via the occasional sing-song. The choir becomes the busy traffic junction for all the members. It is something consistent during a time of fear, worry and turbulence.
I think the author should have emphasized the choir more and the moments of pure harmony between the singers. Those few minutes of joy and happiness struggle to stay afloat in the sheer volume of sub-plots. It was a little disjointed, perhaps because it needed more focus on one boat in a sea of ships.
*I received an ARC/free copy of this book courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.*

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is the type of good book I like to curl up to at night after a busy day or take a break and read over my hurried lunch at work. It helps me to escape to another world while telling a compelling story full of fascinating characters. The worst part of this book was that it had to end. I hold out hope that there will be a part two in the future.

In the beginning days of WWII in England, the start of the war has meant the disappearance of the sons of the village as well as the dismantling of the church choir. Taking matters into their own hands, the women band together to make the first Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. Told through letters, diaries, and snippets from newspaper articles, the intersecting stories of the village ladies unfold through the growing horrors of war. Venetia Winthrop is the spoiled older daughter of a landed gentry Brigadier General who has fallen in love with a handsome new stranger, who may also be a spy. The Brigadier’s only son has died in the war, causing chaos as the estate will be entailed away without a male heir. Not wanting that to happen on his watch, the Brigadier hires a near do well midwife to help ensure that he will have a son. The only woman who can stand in her way is Mrs. Tilling who is a nurse and has been trained as a midwife. Alone after her son has left for war, she has a Colonel stationed with her that drives her batty. And so on as more lives of the village intersect within these stories. Will the Brigadier get his son? Will Mrs. Tilling find happiness and uncover the great baby intrigue? Will Venetia find true love?

I loved the intersecting stories that fell along the life of a small village. I thought all of the story lines were strong and I was equally intrigued by all of the characters, which is a great feat in itself. Usually in stories with more than one narrator, I tend to like one best. I thought the way the story was told through the letters, diaries, and headlines was unique and carried the storyline through tremendously. I liked the everyday lives and how they were affected by the war. There is a real and present danger as the Nazis get closer. This book reminded me of another one I loved, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer. It also helped with my Downton Abbey blues. It was a different time period, but the story of all in the village from the high and mighty to the maid and the midwife was fascinating. I loved the romance of the novel, but it was the intrigue in the story with spies and the great baby mystery that really kept me going. I loved the spirits of the women and their can do attitudes.

A few of my favorite quotes:

“My mother told me that women do better when they smile and agree. Yet sometimes I feel so frustrated by everything. I just want to shout it out.”

“Maybe we’ve been old that women can’t do things so many times that we’ve actually started to believe it In any case, the natural order of things has been temporarily changed because there are no men around.”

“Another life just begun and already over. A faraway star glows brighter and disappears into the void. What an insignificant, unprepared army of souls we are.”

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

“That realizing you’re going to die actually makes life better as it’s only then that you decide to live the life you really want to live, not the one everyone else wants you to live. And to thoroughly enjoy every minute.”

“And I realized that this is what it’s like to be an adult, learning to pick from a lot of bad choices and do the best you can with that dreadful compromise.”

Overall, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is an immensely enjoyable WWII novel about a group of plucky women, their lives in their village, and the great strength they had to get through the war’s many changes to their lives. I highly recommend it. It would also make a great book club selection.

Book Source: A review copy as part of the TLC Book Tour. Thank-you!

It's 1940 and we are in the fictional village of Chilbury in south east England. The women of Chilbury have decided to form their own Ladies' Choir, as all the local men have gone off to fight in the Second World War. Written in the form of diary entries and letters, it focuses on five of the choir participants. There is Mrs Tilling, a widow who is feeling bereft having sent her son off to war; the beautiful Venetia who collects admirers and is determined to seduce the one man who shows no interest in her; her younger sister Kitty who is pining for one of her sister's admirers; Silvie, a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia, who is living with Venetia and Kitty's family; and Edwina Paltry, a grasping midwife who senses an opportunity to turn her fortunes around. All of them will experience dramatic changes in their lives.

The last couple of books I've read have been hard going and depressing which probably contributes to how much I enjoyed this delightful book. I picked it up expecting something lightweight and frothy, and certainly it could be described that way, but it also incorporates genuinely touching elements as the realities of the Second World War impact on the lives of the villagers.

In fairness this was probably a four star rating but it came along at the perfect time for me and I truly loved it.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
By: Jennifer L. Ryan

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

If you loved the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or The War That Saved My Life then you will love, love this book. It was simply a magnificently written book. I loved it so much and want to make sure that I do the author justice in my review

Overall Theme:
The story is told through a series of letters, notices, and personal journal entries over the course of a few months from March 24, 1940 to September 6, 1940. Yes, this is a very short period of time but the growth and change in this small village is what drives the theme of the book. The ladies of the Chilbury Ladies Choir are immersed In the ugliness of war. Indeed, the very first chapter takes place during a funeral for a fallen war hero (brother of two of the choir members). However, throughout the course of the book, as the town folk learn to band together, as the women of the choir grow in strength and purpose, they find beauty and share it with the readers.

Characters and Plot:
The Vicar of Chilbury decides to disband the local choir because of the lack of male voices. The women, under the leadership of a charismatic newcomer, determine to resurrect the choir. They start out wobbly, each woman coming from a weak, prewar condition. Can they do this without men? Can they survive without the men in general? It hasn't been done before but each woman discovers her own strength and path.

The story is told through the alternating view points of various women in the community. We only meet the men through the narration of the women. We meet an unethical midwife (Edwina Paltry) who covers her fear with dishonesty and sneakiness. Mrs. Tilling is the moral core of the town and keeper of secrets. Even though she is so immersed in this town, she eventually finds that her future lies somewhere else. We also meet the two sisters of the slain war hero from Chapter One. Venetia is the self-centered older sister who seems bent on self destruction. She blunders into true love and matures into true beauty. The younger sister, Kitty, is perhaps the character I love best. Her journals display her unique voice and were a joy to read. She too starts out so unformed; her relationships based less on reality than on self delusion. I loved to see her character solidifying as the story developed. Each of the characters receives support and often a hearty dose of mercy and forgiveness from the others.

The one weak character was Silvie, a Jewish war refugee. It felt as though her character was added in an attempt to tell another side of the war story. The reader, however, can easily anticipate Silvie's story arc and it doesn't lead to much character development. Her plot line would be fascinating as it's own book. Indeed, i think her story is fascinating. I just think it gets lost amid the rest of the rich Chilbury stew.

Music as Atmosphere
One of the things the author does so beautifully is creating atmosphere. She takes sounds and smells and uses them to help the reader understand mood and plot. I was especially moved by the use of music. I love singing myself and certainly understand how it makes you feel. Ms. Ryan though has a gift for putting words on paper that make you hear the music and feel the emotion. I never thought that I could enjoy reading descriptions of someone singing but the authors does just that. At each key point in the narrative, we have a song that conveys just the emotion occurring. It was magical and made me feel I was there participating. Truly, I was left brwthless.

Book Research:
The author did much research listening to her grandmother as well as delving into historical documents found online and through an organization called "Mass Observation" (MO) housed at the University of Sussex. I looked this group up and the U.K. Is so lucky to have this resource. The MO began encouraging everyday Britains back in 1937 to send in their personal journals and diaries. Amazing, right? I was fascinated to learn how all of this material has been saved and can be accessed today.

Conclusion:
More please!

This book has its charms. The story is told in through letters and journal entries written by different women in the small English town during the early days of WWII. There are multiple female voices that are telling the stories of the home front and the significant changes in the lives of women during the war. Some of the characters are more real than others, and it was their voices that I wanted to hear. The story opens with the disbanding of the church choir because of the absence of men. The choir is reinvented by a dynamic newcomer as the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. The book is not just a story of the choir, but the choir is an example of how all aspects of life were affected by the war. Participation in the choir and its leadership was an agent of change and the choir was part of the war effort. The choir was also a main point of intersection for our narrators. I enjoyed reading this book, but I never got so tightly connected with the characters that tears came at emotional points. In a five star book, I would have been reaching for a tissue. The method of telling the story and the multiple voices may have been part of that lack of tight connection. However, it was interesting to read that journals and diaries were officially encouraged during the war and that there are collections of these materials that are available for study. I would have liked the book better without the baby-switching subplot which just seemed over the top.

Maybe I am just burned out on WWII women's fiction. Or maybe this novel, told as a collection of journal entries and letters, is just too pat and predictable, with flat and unrealistic characters. Most of the men are off to war so the vicar wants to cancel the choir. Luckily, a new choir director arrives and the (gasp, unheard-of) all-women's Chilbury Ladies' Choir is born. Okay, it's a decent idea for a story, and actually, the episodes revolving around the choir, its musical choices, rehearsals and performances are really good: honest, heartfelt and engaging. But that must not have been enough for a whole novel. And the rest of the story is pretty lame.

The problem comes in the format and its restrictive nature. With no independent narration to tie the letters and journal entries together into one cohesive story, the reader is stuck with the separate writers and their observations to carry the action, but only two are up to the job. Mrs. Tilling is an alto in the choir, and a widowed nurse whose only son is leaving for the war. She is the strongest of the characters and her journal entries reflect her experiences and capacity for growth. Her job allows her realistic movement around the community, and her journal entries are mostly believable. She reluctantly houses a military officer, and his letters home are also well-written and add to the narrative. But the other characters/writers are not strong enough to develop the story: the lead soprano who happens to be to be a boy-crazy 13 year old girl from a wealthy family; her beautiful, spoiled and very self-absorbed older sister; the young Jewish refugee girl their family has taken in (whose few entries should have been much stronger); and an unlikable, unrealistic and unsympathetic midwife whose entire story line is a garbled mess. Unreliable and self-absorbed characters don't provide good insight into their own actions, let alone the actions and motivations of others. So all the peripheral characters (the cruel and angry father, the put-upon but well-meaning mother, the mysterious butler, the saintly pregnant neighbor, the badgering older woman, etc.) are so one-dimensional as to be mere stereotypes. None is developed well enough to feel real or interesting; they are just limited because we can only see them through the letter and journal writers.

This isn't a bad novel, but it is a limited and not very well-developed one. I expected more after reading all the positive reviews.

Beautiful story of life on the home front during WWII. Powerful, kind, and while WWII is a difficult topic, this is a heartwarming read.
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan takes us back in time to WWII Kent, England, in the fictional village of Chilbury in the year of 1940. The vicar has decided to disband the choir, due to the fact that there are hardly any men in town. What follows is a story of hard work, determination, kindness, blackmail, love, loss, and friendship. I loved this book!
Told in letters, journal entries, and diary entries, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir was a nice, different WWII read. The focus of this book is the home front, and the ladies who, while not fighting on the battlefront, fought their own battles to stay positive and continue on, without knowing what the war would bring.
Our main characters are a meddling, scheming midwife named Edwina Paltry, the kindly, widowed Mrs. Tilling, whose son, David, is about to go off to war, and sisters Venetia and Kitty Winthrop. Venetia is eighteen and the town beauty, and is in love with the mysterious Alistair Slater, an artist who doesn’t want to fight. Venetia’s sister, Kitty, is thirteen, and dreams of becoming a professional singer. Besides our main four characters, there is the fierce Mrs. B, whose antics with the Chilbury Invasion Committee had me laughing out loud (beware the woman with a three-tiered cake stand trying to defend her house from Nazis!), sweet Silvie, a ten-year-old Jewish evacuee, Prim, who takes over the choir leadership, and Hattie, Venetia’s friend who is about to give birth. All of these characters were well-rounded, and memorable, and each had their own unique viewpoints and voices. I enjoyed reading about every one, even if some of them were nasty individuals, especially the terrible Brigadier, the father of Venetia and Kitty.
What I loved about this book, besides the characters, was the sense of life and love of living that came through. As the characters contemplate life and death and war, there are really some beautiful statements made about life and love that made me tear up.
Since the focus is WWII, there are some very sad sections in this book, especially as the Nazi planes start flying overhead. There were places in the book where I held my breath, praying that certain characters would survive, and other scenes where heroism comes from the most unlikely of characters. This is a book about humanity, all the terrible things that humans to do each other, but also all the wonderful things that humans do as well. And with the humanity comes music, and how music helps to heal in times of sadness, and lift those up when needed.
I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, or tales about humanity and the human spirit. There are definitely some unsavory characters here, but there are also beautiful characters that grow and change and inspire. While the setting of WWII is sad, this is a hopeful book, and I would call it heartwarming and inspirational. A must-read for those who love historical fiction, and this would be an excellent book-club selection!
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book, thanks to NetGalley for the copy. This review first posted on my blog, luvtoread.

From the previews that I read about this book, it appeared to be something that I would enjoy. They were correct and I couldn’t put it down. This story covers a period of six months, from March 1940 to September 1940. It takes place in Chilbury, Kent. World War II is in progress. Most of the men from Chilbury are off at war and the choir must be disbanded for the lack of male voices. Then a member had a revolutionary idea, to have an all ladies’ choir, something unheard of in this time. This begins a series of events that help the women of the town realize that they can survive and thrive in this new world. The story is told mostly thru diary entries and letters of four women from the village.

I love Ms. Ryan’s writing style. She allowed you to see the effects of the war on four completely different classes of people from a young girl to an older widow. By having a glimpse into their letters and diaries, it appears the characters are talking directly to you. You experience their fears and desires first hand. You share humorous and tragic events from each of their prospective. This technique keeps you breathless and turning pages to discover how each one handles the different dilemmas.

I highly recommend this book. It is a great work of both historical and women’s fiction. It allows you to get a taste of what life was like in England during World War II and the fear that was experienced, never knowing if or when death would come and who it would claim. The women are courageous and rise and flourish in the occasions that they are forced into. It can be enjoyed by both teen and adult readers and is a wonderful way to get a glimpse into life in this period.

I received this book for review from Blogging for Books.

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.

"The Chilbury Ladies' Choir", by Jennifer Ryan, is a captivating delight! This epistolary novel is chock-full of interesting characters of every ilk. Set at the beginning of WWII in a country town near London, the denizens of Chilbury live surprisingly passionate lives. There is Mrs. Tilling, backbone of the town, who is a kindly nurse, Miss Paltry who is the town mid-wife and holder of dark secrets (that she's willing to sell), the Brigadier Winthrop, who must have a son to inherit his estate and is willing to do ANYTHING to get one. His 13 year old daughter Kitty, and 18 year old daughter Venetia, who have their own agendas, and new-comer, Mr. Alastair Slater who is Cary Grant Handsome and very mysterious. And there is sweet 10 year old Silvie, a Jewish evacuee from Czechoslovakia, Miss Prim the new music teacher, and many more.

"The Chilbury Ladies' Choir will shoulder the weight." one character says as the women hoist a casket and become pall bearers...not only are there almost no men left in town to sing in the choir, those left are unable to perform the pall bearer task. But the women of Chilbury step up, as we know millions of women in England did during the war. The camaraderie, love and support that the women of the Ladies' Choir show one another is entirely in keeping with my own experience singing in a community chorus for the past 30 years. I recognized all the hymns and classical pieces the choir performed, and I certainly recognized that "esprit de corps" that comes with ensemble singing.

Clear your calendar and prepare to be consumed by Chilbury and all it's intrigues. There are heartbreaks, mysteries, catastrophes, and joys recounted during these 6 months in 1940 that comprise this novel...dare I hope that this is the first of a series? There is a lot of WWII left to endure and characters am not quite ready to lose track of!

Yes, it's a bit reminiscent of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", by Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer, which I also highly recommend, as well as the PBS series "Home Fires" and "Foyle's War".

The vicar of the Chilbury church has disbanded the choir because the war has taken all the men away from the community. The women of the church have come together to try to overthrow the vicar's decision by forming a Ladies' Choir. There are a number of interesting characters who comprise this choir. Kitty Winthrop, the thirteen-year-old daughter of Brigadier Winthrop, has a clear, perfect-pitch voice and decides to take voice lessons from the director of the choir. Venetia Winthrop is Kitty's sister. Sylvie is the Czech refugee living with the Winthrops. Mrs Tilling is a nurse/midwife and also the billeting officer for the refugees who come to Chilbury, but doesn't want to billet anyone in her own home. Mrs. B wants to be in charge of everything. Edwina Paltry is the other midwife in town and the Brigadier wants her to make sure his wife's baby is a boy.

In amongst all this drama are deals, side deals, and underhanded deals. The story of this choir is told through journals and letters in the voices of the characters themselves. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is one tough book to put down. I read it in one day. I understand this is Jennifer Ryan's first book, and in baseball parlance, she hit it out of the park. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a winning choir competition number.

My thanks to Blogging for Books for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received a copy from LibraryThing Early Reviewers, and it's one of the most enjoyable I've ever received.

I had heard the buzz about this book without having read any details. WWII England is a favorite setting and time period for me, so I assumed I would probably enjoy the book.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is set in 1940 Chilbury, Kent, England. If you like Home Fires on Masterpiece Theatre, my guess is you would enjoy this book. There are fewer male characters than in Home Fires, but you get the same "slice of village life".

The changing, maturing relationship between sisters Venetia and Kitty keeps unfolding and is interesting. At first, they're both somewhat spoiled brats, but by the end, they've each grown into more decent human beings, unlike their father or brother, the Brigadier and Edwin.

Mrs. Tilling also has some growing to do although one might think a widow with a grown son going off to war wouldn't. She finds her backbone and herself.

There are intrigues, blackmail, bombs, deaths, births, in short, plenty of action in the village to keep one entertained.

After all the super intense books I’ve been reading lately, I was in some pretty desperate need for something light and fluffy. And while war is never exactly fluffy…stories about it can be kept light and romantic. That’s how The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is–some big action written into a lovely easy read that would be welcome alongside a cozy fire or on a sandy beach.

There are some interesting characters in this book, for sure–and as with most WWII novels, some pretty strong women. There’s a few men around, but mostly the ladies run the show and all are incredibly unique. That said, there isn’t much actual diversity in this book, which is disappointing. The only attempt at a diverse character is one homosexual soldier, whose only real role is to further the moral curiosity of one of the leads. I liked that soldier…but he wasn’t in the book enough to really count as more than a diverse prop–not what we are going for, authors.

That’s really the only criticism I can give, and while that is a big one, I did enjoy reading the book. It was a nice, pleasant read. I’m not bouncing off the walls wanting to hand this to everyone, but it was a good way to spend two days. I feel refreshed and ready for something that requires more digging.

Lately, I have been on a kick with reading books set during WWII. It began with The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah and I am definitely not slowing down. I am not typically a fan of war books and that is why I have really shied away from reading books set during a war but what I love about the books I have been reading is that they're telling the story from the aspect of those lives who are left behind during the war- the women, the elderly, the children, and the men who can't serve. Every single person is left to worry about air strikes, Nazi invasions, will their loved ones be safe, rations and so on.

Chilbury Ladies' Choir is absolutely beautiful for more than one reason. The story is told in journal format from more than one viewpoint and each viewpoint brings an important bit of what life is like while telling the story of the war. The reader gets to experience the flippant and narcissist games of Venetia while also getting to experience her personal growth and experiencing her tragedy, her love, and her maturity.

Venetia's young sister, Kitty, shares her views through the eyes of the arrogance of being a teenager- the selfishness, the gloating and most importantly- the changes and the harsh reality of life.

Silvie shares a little but not a lot as the viewpoint of a Jewish smuggled out of Czechoslovakia. Instead, we get to experience Silvie's through the eyes of the family giving her a safe home.

Mrs. Tilling is a midwife whose son has gone to war while billeting an officer of the war. Mrs. Tillings growth is amazing and frankly, she became my favorite character through the book.

Miss Prim brings life to Chilbury. She encourages every woman in the village that they're important and that they can carry on their choir without men. She gives each and every one of the villagers a purpose, strength, and life. I absolutely adored her.

The story of Chilbury Ladies' Choir is beautiful and the reader gets to experience class struggles, love, fear, loss, heroism, and strength. The entire book is absolutely endearing and charming. Every character was engaging and unique.

I really, REALLY hope for a sequel. I want to know about their lives after the war.

Come on Jennifer Ryan- PLEASE LET THERE BE A SEQUEL!

I highly recommend Childbury Ladies' Choir.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review

This was a fantastic book. I laughed out loud and I shed a few tears while I was reading it. The most outstanding part of this book is the characters that the author created. At times they were supportive of the town and each other and at other times they disagreed strongly with each other but were still supportive of their friends and their city.

The book takes place in a small town in England at the very beginning of WWII. The vicar has told the women in the church that the choir had to be disbanded because there were no men left to sing and there was no way to have a choir without male singers. The women didn't agree with him and started a Ladies Choir. The choir was made up of women both young and old from all levels of society. By working together in the choir, they learned that they could support each other and their village during this tragic time of war and loss.

The book is told through diaries, newspaper articles and letters and there are a lot of characters but I enjoyed the way that the author moved the story along. It was a comforting and uplifting book and I definitely enjoyed it. I wanted the book to continue and I would love to see a sequel to find out what happened to these characters as the war continued.

Thanks to LibraryThing for a copy of this book

This is a village saga based in Kent in the time of the Second World War. It’s beautifully presented and reads very quickly and easily right from the start.

Things that drew me to this book were: Firstly, the cover caught my eye. The village tale appealed, and the musical angle too. The character diaries are equally charming and amusing in their turn of phrase and descriptions of the locals.

On top of all this pleasant village setting we soon have intrigue, secrets and lies. I was only 4% into it and I was already imagining it as a TV mini-series, I think it would be great material for that medium.

I loved how this was done: The story is mostly told through the characters’ journals, diaries and letters. Having read Jennifer Ryan’s author bio on Goodreads and that this is her first novel I could hardly believe it as it seems incredibly accomplished right from the early stages.

A cosy village yarn with a bit of scandalous activity. Well-paced with some dramatic scenes in the last stretch. Addictive reading! A wonderful, wonderful book.

I read a pre-publication copy of this book from Netgalley.

This book was a challenge for me to read. It started out slowly and I lost interest on more than one occasion. However, it eventually caught my interest and I'm glad to have finished reading it - it was a really nice novel.

Jennifer Ryan tells us the story about the ladies' choir in the small town of Chilbury. The second world war has just begun and there are no men to sing in the local choir, so it's announced that the choir will not perform until after the men return. The vicar's edict is not a very popular one, so when Primrose Trent comes to town and announces that the choir will continue, there are mixed emotions on the women's parts.

The story is told by a few key characters (five actually), via their diary entries and letters. There are a few stories being told and I have to say that I needed to flip pages back and forth in order to keep up with who was who and who was doing what with whom...

I liked the characters (even the unlikable ones) because Ryan really lets us get to know her ladies (and gents). They all seemed so real, I was imagining their voices and wondering about their clothing and mannerisms that I wasn't reading!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you enjoy historical pieces. It has romance, slight mystery and humor, and you may shed a tear or two (I know I did!)

I really enjoyed reading The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir! I felt as if I was living right there in Chilbury. This story takes place in England in 1940 during World War II. It is a story mostly about Mrs. Tilling, Mrs. Brampton Boyd, Ms. Paltry, Mrs. Winthrop, and Mrs. Quail, and their families. It is told through journal entries, diary entries, and letters, but it reads like a story. I often forgot whose words I was reading as I read through the pages. The story has a dark, solemn undertone with the war going on and the events that occur because of the war. Daily, they have to deal with food rationing, blackouts, air raids, and the very real possibility of their loved ones’ deaths. The formation of the choir and the singing help to lessen this dark war atmosphere. The ladies begin to gain strength and learn to stand together. Don’t think this book is just about the ladies’ choir! There are many surprises along the way that will keep your emotions going up and down. There was one particular moment in the story where I was laughing out loud and couldn’t stop laughing! If you like historical books or books about small towns, you will love this book!

If you were left wishing there was a sequel at the end of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan is a book that you should add to your reading list.

Set during World War II, this book describes life in a small village as told through alternating view points of various women in the community– the slightly nefarious midwife, the increasingly brave widowed nurse, the spoiled older daughter of the manor, and the younger sister of that same manor.

Each character has her own personality and voice, but the stories are inter-twined enough that the changes in perspective are not distracting from the story. While there were some mysteries to be resolved in the book, I thought it was more a story of relationships and the drama of living through a war.

This was a fantastic story and I was sad when it ended. It made me long for that sequel to the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society all over again! Perhaps Jennifer Ryan will oblige with a sequel to her book!

What a delightful book! More accurately, this is a 4.5 star book. With the barrage of British WWII novels set in rural or small towns, this one was definitely my favorite out of them all--The Nightingale, A God in Ruins, Atonement, etc.

The style of letter correspondences and diary entries is rather cute but it was more of the simplicity of the writing that made the pace so lightning fast and easy to follow. It would have been just as easy to write the whole novel in one 3rd person narrative because the details and dialogue Ryan forces into those entries are rather unrealistic. I don't know anyone who writes pages upon pages of exact, word for word dialogue into letters.

The characters are pretty interesting and readers immediately get a good sense of who they are just by the other characters' interactions. Some descriptions of the choir songs were over the top but I suppose it is difficult to put into words what a melody sounds like.
Overall, I just loved picking up this book every night and finished in record time despite the length. I look forward to anything else by Ryan.

As someone who LOVED The Nightingale and has since been looking for a book that even comes close to how good it was, I think I finally found one! The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan was amazing! As I have mentioned in past reviews, I love WWII novels. Not because of the tragedy or sadness, but because those times were so interesting. Everyone from the soldiers to their families, they all played a role in the efforts to conquer the Nazis. Although the story is set in the 1940's it doesn't feel at all dated. It is a different take on the war than I have read in the past. The story is told through a series of letters and journal entries by the women in the English town of Chilbury. When the story begins, all of the able bodied men in the town have been sent to war which means the Chilbury Choir cannot go on. The opinion by the town Vicar is that the choir must have men to be successful and proper. The ladies are devastated when they find out that the choir will be discontinued because for them it has been an outlet and a source of joy in these hard times. When a new music tutor named Prim moves to Chilbury, she convinces the Vicar to allow the choir to continue and rightly renames it the Chilbury Ladies Choir, hence the name of the book. The women begin practicing for a choir competition which livens their spirits and brings them joy even as all around them young soldiers are being killed and families are being broken apart. What I love about this book are all of the interwoven stories and characters. There is young thirteen year old itty who longs to be a singer and whose older sister Venetia is as Kitty says "Beastly". Venetia flirts with all of the boys in town and flaunts her beauty around as if it was currency. She is pretty beastly to her little sister Kitty as well as their Czech (Jewish) evacuee Silvie who's parents we able to get her out of the country before the Nazis invaded. Silvie's parents stayed behind and their fate is yet unknown. Mrs. Tilling and Miss Edwina Paltry are the towns nurse and midwife who become entangled in a paternity scheme in which The Brigadier (Kitty and Venetia's horrible father) pays one of them to switch his wife's baby with Venetia's friend Hattie's baby in the event that his baby is not a boy. The Brigadiers inheritance depends on him having a son after the death of his older son Edmund in the war. All of their stories tie in to one another which such ease and interest that I found myself very invested in them all. I liked each and every character even the ones who were portrayed as villain's because they all had redeeming qualities. Even cranky old Mrs. B! Something else I enjoyed about the book was that they were very realistic about the war. They killed off some characters that I thought would for sure be there until the end. I always feel more invested in a book when I know characters lives are actually at stake. Jennifer Ryan's writing is very beautiful. I found myself writing down quotes many times. Here are a few examples:

"But if we don't think of our death until we die, how can we decide how we want to live?"

Another quote I like when a solider from Dunkirk has died:
"Another life just begun and already over. A faraway star glows brighter and then disappears into the void. What an insignificant, unprepared army of souls we are."

"We have prayer enough to light up the whole universe, like a thousand stars breathing life into our deepest fears."

Pick this one up if you love WWII books, if you love stories told and written by women, and if you enjoy a wonderfully written, fully realized book,

Thank you to Blogging For Books for the copy of this book. It was easy to give an honest review since I loved it so much.

This was one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to in a long time. The narrators were amazing and truly brought the story to life. I couldn’t wait to get in my car each morning to see what the ladies of Chilbury were up to! Told mainly through letters and journal entries from four women living in the town of Chilbury, Kent, this novel follows the happenings of a small town during WWII. The main story centers around the title group, The Chilbury Ladies Choir – controversially created (“But how can we sing with no men?”) after the men of the town all left for war, the woman of the Ladies Choir have thrown convention to the wind and find comfort in music as they forge ahead through the awful times they are living in. The characters in this novel were absolutely superb! They were multifaceted and sympathetic – I even loved (or loved hating) the resident baddie, Edwina Paltry – swapper of babies, shady dealer, and malicious gossiper. You know an author is doing something right when they can put together a fantastic, dimensional baddie. ? The writing was so rich and lovely that you felt like you were right there in Chilbury. Very descriptive, but I never felt disengaged or bored – the pacing was lovely. I also adored the music that was sprinkled into the audiobook production.

How It All Stacked Up:

4.5/5

The Chilbury Ladies Choir made me think of Cold Comfort Farm and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, so if you enjoyed either of those, pick this one up. (Definitely get the audio book if you can, I’d highly recommend it!)

“Perhaps there is something good that had 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. We have less to lose in this world of chaos and death, after all.”

I received a copy of this book from Blogging for Books.

The majority of the men of Chilbury, Kent have left to fight as England becomes entangled in World War II, prompting the Vicar to end the Chilbury Choir, much to the dismay of many of the women in the choir. However, music professor and consummate optimist Primrose Trent posts a notice that the choir will go on…as the Chilbury Ladies Choir.

While some believe this to be a sacrilege, many, including Mrs. Tilling and Kitty Winthrop are ecstatic. With some encouragement, the ladies come together to sing, and through their efforts, the choir is not the only thing that is revitalized.

Through a series of letters and journal writings, we come to know several of the women of Chilbury, from the timid widow, Mrs. Tilling, who thinks she cannot go on after her only son leaves for the war, to the somewhat abominable Venetia, who thinks she is the be-all and end-all of the town. Then there is Kitty, who so desperately wants to be grown, but still has a few things to learn about life. And dear Silvie, a Jewish refugee, whose parents sent her away from Czechoslovakia to avoid Hitler’s wrath against the Jews.

Through the letters and journal entries, we see how each life is lived and then changed by the war and how each person makes his or her mark on the village and those around them in a time when everything seems to be literally crashing down around them.

Jennifer Ryan has a way with words: “The morning…was cold and wet as a slap round the face with a fresh-caught cod.” She also has a way of guiding the reader through a little bit of intrigue, to young love and the heart-wrenching issues of life and death as World War II begins its march on England’s soil. These women work to hold their village together, to reach others in need, and to not just survive, but to thrive as war rages around them.

It took me a little while to get into this book because I wanted it to be similar to The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. While it is quite different, it is still a good book in its own right. Even though the characters are very different, as is the storyline, the essence is very much the same, a time when women take great strides to hold together their lives as war does its best to crush them.

All in all, this was a really good book, and I think many people will find it very comforting and uplifting.

This story takes place within a small English village during World War II. It made me laugh a little and cry a little. Parts of it just made me incredibly angry. It's a beautiful story, for the most part. It takes a horrific time in history, and shows what life might have been like for the average woman in England. The story is mostly told through letters and journal entries from 5 women, though there's the occasional letter from other people, to fill in a few plot details.

I loved how strong most of the women were portrayed, and how the war made them stand up for themselves. There's a few men within the story that were horrible men. There's also some wonderful men that were portrayed as brave and strong, yet gentle to their woman.

The ending, overall, gave a decent wrap-up of things, but it still left a good bit open. I prefer more of an ending than what I got. Some of it was a little too unbelievable, and some of it left me sad. There's a couple of parts that I'll try to pretend that things work out to my liking, since it's left so open. Overall, though, I was pretty pleased with it.

Content: There's some mild profanity, along with one or two uses of religious profanity. (I read the first part of this book and then ended up putting it aside for longer than I intended. My memory is not as well as I'd like for remembering the language. I *don't* think any F-bombs were used.) There's some sexuality, but nothing overly detailed that I recall. There's some violence. There's one particularly disturbing scene(for me) involving a beating.

Too many underdeveloped characters, too much narrative in a "journal" to satisfy verisimilitude, too many violently abusive men, one too many saving-baby- from -a- burning- building scenes, too much melodrama, too many unwanted pregnancies, too many beatings that cause miscarriage, and too many silly similes for this reader to fully enter the village of Chilbury. Yeah, OK, I get it: women don't need men, unless, of course, they are dashingly handsome "spys pretending to be artists pretending to be black marketeers." Someone needs to tell Ms. Ryan that adolescent literature is written for teenagers, not literature that sounds like it was written by a teenager. Oh, and that handsome and sensitive dreamboat: there was no remorse or even a mention of the miscarried love child he fathered. Jennifer Ryan conveniently made it just go away. You'd think with all the editors and agents Ms. Ryan has, a little more depth could have been achieved.

While there are many stories about World War II, only a small portion of those offer a focus on how the war affected those on the home front. Jennifer Ryan's The Chilbury Ladies' Choir highlights the efforts of the women of a community made to survive the war.

When the men of England are needed to fight in the growing battles of World War II, one village's choir is discontinued, but soon reestablished as a ladies' choir instead. Within this new choir ladies of varying statuses, ages, and opinions are brought together and, as a result, new bonds of friendship and support form between them. Through the written perspectives of five ladies within the village of Chilbury, the tale of the choir's rise and the setbacks they face are depicted alongside the varying events in their personal lives and the often brutal developments of the war.

Composed of letters, journals, and public notices, the novel navigates through the minds of five women of Chilbury, showing the ways in which the war impacted their lives, often in the harshest of ways, by offering readers an intimate look into their experiences and the new realities they face (though some details provided didn't feel natural to the medium used nor fit what a particular character might know). Utilizing a variety of personalities for the cast of characters within the village, the narrative depicts joys, sorrows, hopes, schemes, and disagreements between people, which provides an entertaining and emotional ride through the horror of a war. The way the women grow and slowly come to the realization that they are powerful and can do as they wish was well presented with each of the ladies reaching this conclusion in their own way.

*I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Written in a unique manner that consists entirely of letters and journal entries, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a delightful tale about the trials and tribulations that the citizens of a small town in England go through as their country is plunged into World War II. When the story begins, most of the men in the small town of Chilbury have been sent off to war, leaving behind all the women of the town as well as the older men from the ruling families to carry on as best they can. The village's Vicar decides to disband the long-running Chilbury Choir because he feels they "can't have a choir without men," however when music professor Primrose Trent arrives in town, she convinces him to allow the choir to be reinstated. Under Prim's leadership, the Chilbury Ladies' Choir is formed and not long after that, the group takes on the important role of uniting and uplifting their small community as it struggles to deal with the chaos brought on by the war.

The story is told from the perspectives of multiple characters who record in vivid detail the day-to-day happenings in their small village. Through these' characters' letters and journal entries, we as readers get to bear witness to everything from local town gossip to major issues of life and death, but throughout it all, we get to see the fighting spirit of this wonderful group of women who all contribute to the war effort in their own ways. At times funny and heartwarming, especially when depicting the minor squabbles between villagers, yet also tragic and heartbreaking when lives are lost during the first raids on the village, the book actually covers quite a bit of ground on the emotional spectrum. Content-wise, it deals with a variety of issues ranging from class system, gender stereotypes, society conventions and expectations, to family relationships, love and romance, scandals, betrayals, the resilience of the human spirit, etc., all set against the historical backdrop of the war and its impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

For me personally, I enjoyed reading about the different characters and how their backgrounds shape their actions and experiences throughout the book. Almost all of the characters (except for one or two) are likable in some way and even the ones that are flawed have redeeming qualities that make it difficult to hate them even when they do unscrupulous things. It was also interesting to see how the same situation / event could be viewed in completely different ways and how the actions that we take based on that can result in drastic consequences. I also like how the characters were portrayed realistically, which made it easier to relate to what the characters were going through. As I was reading, I kept drawing similarities of some of the characters to people I know in real life (for example – the exceedingly annoying Mrs. B, who is pompous and rude and loves to flaunt her wealth but is actually a good person underneath). This made the reading experience fun and enjoyable, despite the at times heavy subject matter.

I definitely recommend this book, especially for its uplifting, "feel-good" quality, which is hard to come by in a book set in the WWII era. This is actually one of the few war-related books I've read in recent months that didn't leave me feeling sad and depressed. Enjoyable and delightful read!

Received advance reader's copy from Crown Publishing via Blogging for Books and NetGalley.

Special thanks to Blogging for Books and Broadway Books of Crown Publishing for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I have long been a fan of historical fiction, and I have found myself most drawn toward books about women during World War II. As a result, I have read many amazing books about the lives of women during such a powerful time in world history, and although many of them focus on similar themes and events, none of them have been quite like The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan.

The events in The Chilbury Ladies' Choir take place over the course of one summer in 1940 in a small village in the English countryside called Chilbury. Told through a series of journal entries and letters, with a few short notices and briefings, the book primarily focuses on four women--Kitty Winthrop, Venetia Winthrop, Margaret Tilling, and Edwina Paltry--but includes insights into the lives of several other women in the village as well. The beginning of the book sees Edwina Paltry, the local midwife, hired to ensure that Brigadier Winthrop's soon-to-be born child is a son after his eldest child and the heir to his fortune is killed in battle. Meanwhile, Kitty and Venetia navigate a world of love and loss in an unhappy home with their abusive father (Brigadier Winthrop), timid mother, and a Jewish child named Silvie taking refuge with them in their manor. As for Margaret Tilling, she learns to cope with her son David's absence after he volunteers for the war and struggles to come to terms with his room being occupied by a military colonel billeting with her. After being notified that their choir has been disbanded due to a lack of men in the village, the ladies decide to start their own choir, which causes them to develop a new sense of community and family.

Describing everything that was incredible about this book seems impossible. There were so many different elements to each woman's story that made me find myself quickly immersed in the text and invested in their lives. However, what ultimately made this such a powerful book for me and what set it apart from the other WWII novels I have read is how dynamic the characters were. The growth they each experienced as a direct result of the events of the war as it became reality for them was an incredible reminder of the very real impact that war has one everyone. From Kitty's naivety to Ventia's superficiality and Mrs. Tilling's meekness, Jennifer Ryan set her characters up for a tremendous amount of change, and by telling their stories from their own perspectives through their letters and journals, readers gradually become aware of their attitude shifts and the small changes in their personalities that leave them as very different characters by the end of the book.

Meanwhile, Ryan approaches the topic of WWII with all the severity it deserves, but she also demonstrates that daily life, although altered, carried on for the women left behind when the men went off to fight. Those women carried heavy weights, but they still sought out joy and laughter and learned how to carry on. One of my favorite moments in the entire book is when Kitty recounts the confrontation between the Chilbury Defense Volunteers and the Chilbury Invasion Committee, and I found myself laughing out loud, which rarely happens when I read. Later, during a particulary emotional performance by the Chilbury Ladies' Choir at a funeral, I found myself crying real tears. I became incredibly attached to the women of Chilbury. When their hearts broke, so did mine, and when they experienced joy, I felt it for them as well.

Jennifer Ryan's writing is beautiful, and her characters are developed magnificently. She has written a wonderful book that somehow encompasses all the heartbreak, hope, and healing that the fictional women of Chilbury experienced as a result of the events of a single summer in the midst of WWII, and I couldn't love this gem of a novel more.

Set against the backdrop of World War II, The Chilbury Ladies Choir alternates between the lives of 5 women from this English village. When the men go off to war, the ladies defy the vicar who wants to close the choir and they form their own. Are narrators are an eclectic and interesting group and range in both ages and backgrounds. Their stories are told through letters and journals and is reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, but for me, it was even better. While I certainly liked some of the narrators better than others, they all gained strength from each other that changed and helped them to grow as individuals, during this harrowing time. “It has given us everyday women a voice---dared us to stand up for ourselves, and to stand up for others.” This debut author has crafted a well written historical novel told in beautiful and vivid detail. The town and its inhabitants comes to life as you read it, creating an insightful and poignantly told tale of the strength of family, faith, and the beauty of art that transcends the forces of evil.

"But with a cautious smile, I realized that there are no laws against singing, and I found my voice becoming louder, in defiance of this war. In defiance of my right to be heard."

It all starts with a posting nailed to the door of the church. WWII is underway and all the men have reported for duty. But that won’t stop the ladies of Chilbury.

“All the men have gone,” I whispered back, aware of our voices carrying uncomfortably through the funeral crowd. “The Vicar says we can’t have a choir without men.”

Through the personal journal entries of Mrs. Tilling, a widowed nurse with a son at the front, and Kitty Winthrop, the youngest daughter of the wealthy Brigadier, and the letters of Edwina Paltry, an immoral, scheming midwife, and Venetia Winthrop, the flirtatious eldest daughter of the Brigadier, we see a gentler side of war. The women are left to cope in a village stripped of it’s men- their fathers, husbands and brothers. They experience a seismic shift in their daily life and with that they gain a newfound boldness.

"I felt like clearing my throat and telling her that she was wrong, and before I knew it, I was saying out loud, “Maybe we’ve been told that women can’t do things so many times that we’ve actually started to believe it. In any case, the natural order of things has been temporarily changed because there are no men around.” I glanced around for inspiration."

Throwing convention to the wind, they reinstate the Chilbury Choir under a new name, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, with a renewed sense of purpose. In a time of uncertainty, these women band together and form a support system of the utmost importance.

"The volume swelled with passion and deliberation as we poured our emotions into every darkened corner of the church. Every dusty cloister and crevice reverberated, reaching a crescendo in the final chorus, a vocal unison of thirteen villagers that cold, still night, pouring out our longings, our anxieties, our deepest fears."

Each narrative shines with the personality of the character that pens it and we begin to see to the heart of the village, which for some may be less than honorable. A crime, a bribe, and a potential Nazi spy add a bit of color to the events in Chilbury proving the saying that ‘it takes all sorts’. In tandem, new friendships and romances are forged, shining a bright light during a dark time.

“Music is about passion. It’s about humanity. We need to bring our own passions to our voices.” She wound her baton thoughtfully through the air. “We have to imbue every note, every word, with our own stories. Think of what our members can bring: Kitty’s exuberance, Silvie’s courage, Mrs. Quail’s joviality, Hattie’s gentleness, Mrs. Tilling’s diligence. Even you, Mrs. B., bring a gusto and verve to our singing. Every joy, every pain we are feeling from this war will be put to use in our music.”

When the reality of war comes to England, to the front doors of Chilbury, the women are forced to dig even deeper within themselves to ensure the safety of their homes. They lean heavily on each other where they find strength and courage.

"And a new dread crept into our singing, as if we were singing for them, for everyone who had lost someone, or could. By the time we reached the powerful chords toward the end, we were almost crying with our song, louder, more raucous than before, until the final Amen, when we all stood together, firm in the power of our choir to face this war together."

All at once charming and sorrowful, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is an inspiring tale about strength of character and the fierce spirit of women.

"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."

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.

What a wonderful book -- I hated to see it end. If you enjoyed the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society you will love this as well. The story is similar in that it is told primarily in letters and it takes place on the English coast before and during WW II but the stories and characters are beautifully written. I listened to the audio book which was a special treat because there were occasional snippets of the choir music mentioned in the story sung by a women's choir which you obviously wouldn't get to hear if you were reading the book but either way you owe it to yourself to read the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. It's a real treat!

This ensemble tale of a diverse, fascinating group of women – young and old - introduced to you by Jennifer Ryan, are not only dealing with the looming terror of WW 2 in their small village of Chilbury, but their hopes, loves, losses, strengths and weaknesses. All in times when it wasn’t fashionable for women to show strength and ability to cope in their own way with difficulty. These women will draw you in to their lives and make you care for them, make you feel their joys and sorrows – and it will do so with ease. It will make you feel the joy of what music can accomplish, how music can sooth and encourage souls, both shattered and whole. What a well written story this is. I found it hard to put this book down, and spent far more time during the night reading than I should have spent sleeping. It’s sheer delight to discover a novel like this and I can not wait to see what else unfolds from the mind of this author.

The place and time: the village of Chilbury, England, during the beginnings of World War II.

Most of the men are away at war, and the remaining women are left to carry on. Despite edicts from their vicar and others, they do carry on. They establish an all-women’s choir (something apparently unheard-of at that time), which does experience some success. They go through births, lives, deaths, bombings, and even some intrigue to do with two births in the community.

This novel is epistolary, meaning that it is in the form of letters and journal entries of the people of Chilbury – mostly women, yes, but also a colonel who is billeted to the village. The point of view and tone shift, of course, from one character to another, so readers need to be prepared for that.

I found this to be a very enjoyable novel. When I sat down to read, it was hard to stop when the time came to stop.

If you like mid-century fiction, do try this novel. I will be looking for more from this author.

"The Chilbury Ladies' Choir," written by author Jennifer Ryan was a great book. I have to admit, when I saw all the characters involved, I wasn't sure I was going to follow along or stay with it. I'm so glad I did! Ms. Ryan did an excellent job keeping their personalities alive with letters and journey entries. She made me care about each of them and how they came together in the story. I looked forward to each chapter, waiting to see what would happen next. There were many twists and turns.
I'm looking forward to more stories from Jennifer Ryan.

(I picked up a hardcover copy of this book at our Mid Continent local library.)

What a silly book. And silly me to have bought it without sampling enough of it to realize how silly it is.

It's so disappointing to buy a book to read on a cross country plane flight only to find out as you get a few pages into it that it's a silly book. That's why I now find myself tapping out a review of the silly book on a cell phone keyboard at 35,000 feet - because that is more engrossing than reading the silly book.

It is a well designed book in the graphic sense. The cover is pretty, the typeface is pleasing, and it includes a charming little map showing the village of Chilbury. I am a sucker for books that include maps of the setting so I blame the map for influencing me to buy this silly book. It looked like it should be a quality book… but it wasn’t.

Why is the book silly? Well, mainly because it reads like it was written by a young teen who has no real concept of writing. The author chose to use the device of journals and letters from multiple characters to advance the "plot". While I normally enjoy this device, in this instance, the letters don't read like letters. The journal entries don't read like journal entries. The characters' voices all sound the same.

The characters are not well developed. The plot is preposterous with the midwife’s totally unbelievable storyline absolutely taking the cake. The language is flowery, and I found numerous instances of words not being used correctly (Hello, editor? Are you there, editor?). The entire work lacked a feeling of authenticity for the period and setting. I was shocked to read the author’s bio and see that she graduated from a quite well-respected university; based on her alma mater alone, I would have expected better.

I am honestly not sure why I read the book to the end. It must have intrigued me on some level; sadly, I think that level was just wonderment that something with such a convincing facade could be so silly on the inside.

Don’t be fooled like I was. There are many great books out there, but this isn’t one of them. I don’t recommend that you spend your precious reading time on this silly book.

This book became quite the surprise! It is NOT all about a group of ladies starting a choir like some of the synopses said. It's so much better than that!

At first, it WAS a struggle to get into because I felt that the author was way over-describing characters instead of letting them reveal themselves in more natural ways. Ryan tells the stories of the women, children, and few men left in a quaint English village during WWII through diary entries and letters. That was, however, what also made the over-describing, a bit jarring because it's just NOT how people talk or write or journal, in my opinion. A good bit of the dialogue was like that, but the dramas of the characters envelope you anyway! The book becomes a riveting tale of hidden pregnancies, secret lovers, scandals, and wartime sacrifices.

I loved the way the characters developed because Ryan makes you really want to root for them, and I'm a sucker for strong, independent female characters. The ending was a bit strange and out of place as Ryan introduces an entirely new character on the last page. It was as if the author was inserting herself as a character. I liked the ending, but it didn't need a new character . . . unless there's a sequel. It was definitely set up for one, and I would absolutely read it!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

The parallels between this book and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are obvious – both epistolary novels about women on the homefront of England as WWII heats up, telling the story from several women's points of view. Here there is a choir instead of a book club, but it is the story of villagers coming together to endure the horrors of the war at home.

Regardless, though, this is a lovely book. The likeable characters are very likeable, and the unlikeable ones are truly loathsome (at about the halfway point I was all but praying for the death of one). The women's individual voices as evidenced in letters and journal entries are fairly distinct, especially the youngest, Kitty, the precocious had–been–youngest child of the local blue bloods. Her voice might be a little too precocious, a little too adult, in its language, but its attitudes are pretty much dead on.

Except … I continually find it deeply frustrating that girls and women who know better engage in the sort of behavior Lavinia (?) does. "I'm being careful", she says. And then she is shocked – shocked, I say! – when after sleeping with her inamorato every chance she gets she finds herself – gasp! – pregnant. Never saw that coming! Passion. I get it. I do. But for heaven's sake, why does "passionate" automatically mean "stupid"? I mean, if you go to the worst part of town and leave your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition, you have basically requested that your car be stolen. If you drink for several hours and then weave your way out to your car, you have tacitly agreed to having – or causing – an accident. If you decide to play golf with some nice metal clubs in the middle of a thunderstorm with heavy lightning, you have indicated your willingness to be struck by lightning. And if you have unprotected sex with someone who just doesn't care … well. The girl is young – but she's not stupid, and – as evidenced by her comment about being careful – she knows that sex leads to pregnancy, unlike girls left in ignorance in previous centuries, when sex was too awful a subject to be discussed and so girls really are shocked by what that nice man wants to do and by the result. Just once, I feel like I'd like to see a reaction from someone more along the lines of "Welp, that was predictable."

But, still and all, it was a very enjoyable book, slotting neatly into the shelf next to "Guernsey", with enough of its own personality to remain discrete. "We have prayer enough to light up the whole universe, like a thousand stars breathing life into our deepest fears." Nice. Very nice.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

Reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Shaffer and Annie Barrows, the story written by Jennifer Ryan in The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is similarly based on letters and diary and journal entries. Through these epistles written by Ryan’s characters we are told a story of a group of women who dared to take on their church vicar who thought the choir should disband since there were no men left to sing the male voice parts.

Led by a strong-willed music professor in the character of Primrose Trent, the women come together and through shared effort and struggles The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is born during the early days of World War II in England. Fears, apprehension, and loneliness mark the women’s days and their letter and journal entries.

Drawing the women together into the choir creates a community of support and encouragement. Fears are shared. The pain of missing sons who have left for war can be talked about with other mothers. Wives can share their struggles without their husbands at home. And then there is the joy of the music–bring lovely sounds to the air when all else seems to be fall at their feet.

Ryan develops her characters to the fullest. These characters are realistic, each with a unique personality. Some characters may clash from time to time, but all in all the women basically get along and help one another in times of need.

The book is based on the author’s grandmother’s stories of a choir she sang with during World War II, and stories of the freedoms women had because of the war. Ryan’s début novel blends humor, warmth, sorrow and depth in a sensitive and beautiful way.

If you read and enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Society and Helen Simonson’s The Summer Before the War, you will enjoy reading The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. The women and their stories will stay with you for days to come.

***

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy for reading and reviewing.

This book is written as a set of letters and journal entries. It's based around the Chilbury ladies' choir in world war 2. It has a fictional English setting near Kent. It is full of gossip, love stories and crazy going on's of a small village.

I've just had a baby. Therefore, parts of this book sit a little uneasy with me. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who has just given birth due to unethical midwife practices. Or maybe it's me and my hormones.

This book had its moments and made me smile in places. It's charming and moving. If you are looking for something different, like gossips and meddling women, this is the book for you. It has a bit of everything and some interesting characters.

The men are going to war, and the choir is singing its final number. There can't possibly be a choir without men. The book is set in a time when men dominated the world but the women are starting to gain more responsibility, and something is needed to boost moral. Professor Primrose Trent is a newcomer to the village and a music enthusiast. She wants to bring the women together and start an all-female singing group. The vicar isn't the most open man, but she isn't a pushover. She works her charms, and The Chilbury ladies' choir is formed. This is their stories. It has scandal, romance, heartbreak and so much more.

If you want a fictional historical diverse read, this book is for you. Each character has their own story intertwined into one book. Some you will love and some you with loathe.

Overall I have mixed feelings about this book however that can be what makes a book so good. I've decided to rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

*I was gifted this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Before she decided to write a novel, debut author Jennifer Ryan was a nonfiction book editor. Her novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, shows remarkable talent for a beginner. I believe she is going to be a writer with many national bestsellers if her first outing is any indication. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not perfect, but I believe that this work shows incredible talent.

The story takes place in England beginning in March 24 and ends on September 6, 1940, as England is inching closer and closer to joining the world at war. The local vicar of Chilbury has decided that since no men are available to add their voices, that the choir should be suspended.
The village women completely disagree with the vicar.

It’s not easy, what with the shortages and all. But they form their own little Band of Sisters and vow to keep going. This is their story: the struggles, the heartaches, deceptions, romances, sacrifices.

The story is narrated in an epistolary manner, through journal/diary entries and letters. AN ensemble, five different women, narrate the events of the five-and-a-half month time period. And boy is there a lot going on! At first it was difficult to tell the speakers apart, but after about 50 pages, it was very easy to discern each individual voice.

According to her bio, Ryan based her novel “on the stories of my grandmother who was twenty when the Second World War began, mostly hilarious tales about bumping into people in the blackout, singing in the air raid shelters, and the freedoms women had during the war years--the excitement and romance. She also belonged to a choir, and her choir stories dramatized the camaraderie and support they all took away; the knowledge that they weren't in this alone. The The Chilbury Ladies' Choir uses my dear grandmother's stories as its backdrop.”

I enjoyed the highs and lows the ladies endured. Their last performance at the book’s ending satisfying, but the story seemed to wrap up a bit too quickly after that. For this reason and the earlier difficulty, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. I would lie to add that I would like to see these characters again, perhaps in future novel. I want to know how, and if, Mrs. Tillings; Venetia Winthrop and her younger sister, Kitty; Sylvie, the Jewish refugee, and the local midwife, Edwina Paltry, they make it through WWII.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

About the Book:

"Just because the men have gone to war, why do we have to close the choir? And precisely when we need it most!"

As England enters World War II's dark early days, spirited music professor Primrose Trent, recently arrived to the village of Chilbury, emboldens the women of the town to defy the Vicar's stuffy edict to shutter the church's choir in the absence of men and instead 'carry on singing'. Resurrecting themselves as "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir", the women of this small village soon use their joint song to lift up themselves, and the community, as the war tears through their lives.

Told through letters and journals, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir moves seamlessly from budding romances to village intrigues to heartbreaking matters of life and death. As we come to know the struggles of the charismatic members of this unforgettable outfit -- a timid widow worried over her son at the front; the town beauty drawn to a rakish artist; her younger sister nursing an impossible crush and dabbling in politics she doesn't understand; a young Jewish refugee hiding secrets about her family, and a conniving midwife plotting to outrun her seedy past -- we come to see how the strength each finds in the choir's collective voice reverberates in her individual life.

In turns funny, charming and heart-wrenching, this lovingly executed ensemble novel will charm and inspire, illuminating the true spirit of the women on the home front, in a village of indomitable spirit, at the dawn of a most terrible conflict.

My Review:

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir reminded me so much of novels written in the 1950's. I loved the nostalgia of this story and the words written about these women. The second World War takes the world by storm as well as the lives of several people in the families of these women. In this story we are ask to follow along as these women cope with the war among their daily lives.

We watch and see how they react and how it affects each and everyone of their lives and how they respond to it. I loved watching how each lady responds to the controversy surrounding the war and how their lives are changed by it.

i don't want to give too much away but the stories behind each of the characters was refreshing and it will tug at your heart strings, for sure. The writer does a fantastic job of taking us inside the lives of each character and and convinces us who to root for in the midst of their struggles. It was a great read and I hate that it was over.

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author. All opinions are my own.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, Jennifer Ryan, author; Gabrielle Glaister, Laura Kirman, Imogen Wilde, Adjoa Andoh, Tom Cllegg, Mike Grady, narrators
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir tells the story of a typical small community in England during the early days of WWII. Entirely through the journals, diaries and letters of the characters, over a period of about six months, from mid March to early September, 1940, the author highlighted their perceptions of the war and how long it would last. She coupled that with their slow realization that the war was indeed real and the battles would soon come to their little hamlet, with the harshness of the loss of their loved ones and the brutality and violence of the bombings, forcing them to deal with the consequences, the death and destruction. In the process, the author showed the fortitude and courage of some and contrasted it with the abominable behavior of some scoundrels who were only too willing to take advantage of the weakness of others, looting and conniving, forgetting morality and loyalty. When disaster struck, the women who were left behind to carry on when the men went to war, rose to the occasion and faced their responsibilities with determination and courage.
Some of the characters were more affable and likeable than others. I particularly liked Primrose Trent. Prim was the music teacher, newly arrived from London, who came with flowing cloaks and a large, colorful personality that exuded positivity and gaiety. She was the inspiration for the Chilbury Ladies Choir which came about because there were no longer many men remaining in their village. They had all gone away to aid in the war effort. While some of the women were more timid and fearful of starting an all female choir, she inspired them and encouraged them to soldier on and even arranged for them to participate in choir competitions. She taught the children in school, and in general, brought a lightness and calmer spirit to the village. Although some held more gruff opinions about the choir and the peculiarities of Prim, most appreciated her company and presence, in the end.
Even in a time of war, romance flourished, and the young and old found time to fall in love. The times did put a strain on some relationships, but as they all interacted with each other, for a common goal, they discovered a new understanding about themselves and those around them. It was through the writings and the revelations about these interactions that the struggles and strengths of the townspeople were revealed.
One of the characters, Silvie, was a young child who had been sent to Chilbury to live with the Winthrop family, for her own safety, hopefully to protect her from the Nazis. She was a Jewish child and her parents’ fate remained unknown. The Brigadier Winthrop was a mean, authoritarian man with a tendency to make threats and behave with brutal violence. Mrs. Winthrop, Lavinia, was a weak, but kind, little meek bird. She had just suffered the loss of her only son, Edmund, to the war, and while she was bereft, her husband was livid because his fortune was in jeopardy; it had to be passed to a surviving male relative. The Brigadier made an unscrupulous arrangement with the less than honorable town midwife, Edwina Paltry, to arrange for his pregnant wife to have a son. He had two surviving daughters, Venetia and Kitty. Kitty was in love with Henry Brampton-Boyd, heir to a family fortune, who was in love with her sister Venetia. Venetia was in love with an artist “Alistair Slater”, whose background was largely unknown and his occasional odd behavior was a source of confusion for her. Was he honorable or corrupt, a criminal or a traitor? Mrs. Tilling was a nurse. She was a bit standoffish, kind of overly proper, but she was kind to everyone except the man who was billeted with her, Colonel Mallard. She resented him because her son had only just gone off to war, and she wanted no one to occupy his room. There were several other interesting characters who came to life with the narrators excellent portrayal.
The story was told with a gentle wit and a light touch even when tragedy was depicted. The descriptions of the brutality of the war were authentic and truly imparted the emotions that the characters felt with the ominous drums of war beating daily. The bombings and the destruction were realistic. The loss and subsequent suffering was shattering. The ability to find joy and love in the face of the wartime despair showed the remarkable resilience of the community and its residents.
The war changed everyone in both good and bad ways. Heroes and scoundrels were made. Class distinctions were slowly losing their grip on society. The aristocracy was losing favor. Hitler was marching across Europe; he was leaving carnage in his wake, capturing and imprisoning innocent people because of their religion, sexual proclivity or lack of mental acuity.
I found the ending a little bit soft. It seemed a bit like a fairytale with everything falling into place neatly. I alternately read and listened to the book. Both mediums were great, but it was a special joy to listen to the audio which made the characters real for me as they were each presented with their own individual voice and personality. I felt like I got to know most of them fairly well, and their behavior represented the time period well. The sacrifice war necessitates was exemplified by the mothers who sent their children away for safety’s sake, the mothers and wives who lost their loved ones to the war and bore their loss heroically, all the women did whatever they could to help, sometimes risking their own lives in the process.
I won this book from librarything.com.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan is one to love. I am always intrigued by stories about World War II. This one was just that...but much more. Jennifer Ryan brings to readers a story about the women on the home front. Women band together during these terrible and emotional times. Husbands and sons away fighting at war. Life is interrupted and everything opens up...the women are able to step in and do much more. A choir group is dismissed and all seems lost. But not yet. One determined woman goes out and reaches the ladies. They form a new choir...The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. From there, I got to meet a bunch of interesting woman whose stories varied as did their personalities. A refreshing piece of literature. Bold, engaging, and intriguing. I was hooked. Secrets, a crime, and love are all wrapped in inside this stunning story. Overall, I recommend The Chilbury Ladies' Choir to readers worldwide.

Favorite Quotes:

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.

As the place became full, the gnome-like Bishop of Litchfield walked to the front and asked for quiet in strong nasal tones, making me think that his wire spectacles were too tight.

Of course Venetia made sure she was center stage, hair perfect, which was funny as she was standing beside Mrs. Gibbs, who looked like an unhinged hen, with coats and scarves at all angles and hair like a bird’s nest.

‘I’ve always had a notion that marriage is not unlike getting a new hound,’ she said to me, loudly and in an instructional way. ‘It takes a lot of whipping them into shape before you can get them to do what they’re told.’ She slapped her thigh with enthusiasm, and I had to purse my lips to stop myself from hooting with laughter.

He’d never used my name before, and it made me feel strange, like he was talking to the real me, the one inside, not the one who rushes around cheering people up and making things better.

She smiled in a way I don’t think I’d ever seen – not like her usual caring smile, or her polite smile, but a whole deeper level of smile, as if radiating a force of sunlight breaking through a stormy sky.

My Review:

I snickered, giggle-snorted, and laughed aloud as I read this delightfully amusing, insightful, and heart-squeezing tale featuring a small village in 1940 England. Everyone living in this village appeared to be uniquely quirky and colorfully detailed. The storyline sings and zings as it unfolds through the letters and journal entries of the various choir members and residents. The main narrators were the lusty and saucy Venetia, the crafty and conniving midwife Edwina, the vivacious thirteen-year-old Kitty - bustling with self-importance and colorful observations, and meek Mrs. Tilling who finally finds her backbone when others have crumbled. I just had to love Venetia, she considered herself an empress – I kid you not!

I relished and adored each and every word chronicling these oddly flawed and endlessly endearing women as they bristle over the pompous and obnoxious entitled behavior of the village elite, bond and draw strength from each other during grief and despair, and through their choir, they each find their voice - inside and outside. But sadly, it is wartime, bombs are dropping, and not everyone survives. I had a chicken-skin reaction when the choir was forced to sing acapella during their first competition due to a power outage. The writing hit all the right notes and was first class, smartly done, poignant, cleverly amusing, and unfailingly engaging. I adored it!

Jennifer Ryan managed to include plenty of humor, thorough character development, detailed research and a well-structured plot line in one book. It often felt like I was reading a British soap opera.

Ryan really gathered some interesting personalities together to entertain her readers. You have a widow, whose only child is fighting in the war so she’s trying to funnel her energy into learning to be a midwife and help find residences for those in need. Her initial instincts demand she be a proper British woman but she has an independent streak demanding to be set free. There’s another character who has been a midwife for a while and has a decidedly darker moral code as she ran off with all of her sister’s money and boyfriend only for him to steal everything from her and run off, karma is a bitch! Apparently even the universe’s almighty punch to her life didn’t take as she’s been known to blackmail and hurt others over their secrets about everything from unplanned pregnancies to STDs. When you think she can’t sink any lower, she decides to expand her repertoire of crime to an extremely heinous act. There’s a teenager who wants to be a famous singer and travel. An abusive father and husband who treats his family like they’re animals to the point he raised a son who was following in his footsteps. That son was in the military and got blown up during the war much to the relief of the village who hated him. A young woman believes love is nothing more than a tool to use against men but she just might find herself on the losing end of that deal. A mysterious artist who has questionable ethics in a time of war.

There’s underlying humor that you won’t see coming as it seems like such a ‘prim and proper’ historical novel but it’s impossible to remain stoic when Ryan provides an image of a stuffy vicar suddenly scampering away from a female parishioner because he’d rather tuck tail and run than face a woman who scares him.

I also love the great moral lessons. There’s a part where the women start arguing among themselves about what they can or can’t do due to social conventions (remember this is pre-1970s feminism). One of them points out that they’ve started to believe that they can’t do things because they’ve been told that they can’t for such a long time they stopped questioning the validity of it. They began believing in themselves because they were already filling in jobs vacated by men who had gone off to fight in the war – just like in America. That belief in themselves created a winning future.

The historical background of WWII and Jewish oppression were used in a respectful manner which added a deeper layer to the motivations and actions of the characters. Ryan deftly created an entertaining story that shows the highs and lows of humanity.

The best wartime stories don’t necessarily take place on the battlefield. The home front can weave a rich tapestry, especially in the competent hands of author Jennifer Ryan. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is the charming tale of what happens to the women in the fictional village of Chilbury, England, in early WWII after most of the men leave for war. The story takes place from March to September 1940; the action precipitated by a notice from the vicar on the church door. Since all the male singers are gone, he disbanded the choir. After all, who wants to listen to a group composed of only women? It just isn’t done.

The vicar’s action triggers unexpected uproar in the members, as if the sudden decision ripped the last shred of normalcy from their lives. The battle in Europe isn’t going well; the fate of loved ones overseas is unknown. Under the prodding of the choir mistress and music teacher, the women decide the choir must not only continue, but also serve as a morale booster to those left behind, a distraction from the horrors of war. So they change their name to The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir and gamely carry on. This simple act of defiance from women used to toeing the line causes a ripple of unexpected consequences. War doesn’t only leave a mark on soldiers. It can also change their families and, in the case of this novel, for the better.

Ryan created an engaging cast of characters. The book is a first person account, but not from the same person. The story progresses using a compilation of notes, letters, journal entries, and assorted postings from choir members and a few others. Each writer sees the action from a different viewpoint, but this is entertaining rather than confusing. While the story isn’t a heavy handed drama, there is spectacle galore; deaths, births, kidnapping, falling in and out of love, not to mention a little wartime intrigue. It’s all done with charm, cheek, and gentle good humor. Each character speaks with an engaging voice; not an easy task when an author is working with a range of ages from 13 to about 60.

The change in a few of the characters is a bit of stretch, but that’s a minor quibble and didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the novel. I highly recommend The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. If I have one complaint it’s that the story ends after a few months. Within that short period of time everyone gets their just reward (or due comeuppance). I enjoyed my visit to Chilbury and hated to leave the villagers behind. Although Ryan doesn’t say, I like to think they came safely through the war and both happy days and the choir lasted ever after.

I received this book from Blogging for Book in exchange for a review.

This was a marvellous and uplifiting book. I read it because I'm fascinated with WWII and also with the women who were left behind in various countries to keep the home fires burning so to speak. This 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 in 1940. 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, and it allows the reader to identify with all the characters very quickly. 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. We meet the domineering and blustery Mrs. B. whose bark is definitely worse than her bite; the charming and wonderful Mrs. Tilling whose only son has just gone off to war.(she was my favourite character); the lovely Venetia Winthrop who is a beautiful young girl on the cusp of adulthood, and very much a free spirit and very strong-willed; the young and precocious 13-year old Kitty Winthrop who is her sister; and the the conniving and tricky midwife Miss Edwina Paltry. These are the main women in the story, but there are lots more. And there are some very memorable men. The overbearing bully Brigadeer Wintrop is one of them. He is Kitty's and Edwina's father, and he makes life miserable for them and for their mother. 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 (which really wasn't the thing in 1940), but 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 forever. It belongs on my "special-favourites" list for sure.

Thank you librarything.com for sending me the advanced reader's copy of The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan in return for my honest review,
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I loved this book. The story was engaging. The format of the novel was unique. Letters, diary and journal entries from various characters were used to tell the tale of how an all female English choir, in the middle of WWII, transformed the singers and their community, making them stronger, more compassionate and more protective of one another during a frightening historical period.

There was intrigue, romance, deception and compassion. Prim the choirmistress and Mrs.Tilling were my two favorite characters. This author is a gifted writer and there were many passages that brought tears to my eyes because her words felt so real and so true. For example, when Mrs. Tilling had to say goodbye to her only child, David, who was leaving to fight in the war I was overcome with emotion.

The choir plays a very important role, but my only criticism would be the scant references to the choir. It came together too quickly and their success was almost immediate. The choirmistress arrives; she is just what the Village of Chilbury needs, but little is learned about her despite her extraordinary presence and impact.

I am a difficult reader to please. I want a substantial, cohesive, original story; one that is hopeful, but not saccharine sweet. I want interesting characters with depth and who evolve throughout the course of the novel. I like good to prevail and evil to lose in a very big way. Although this novel didn't satisfy every demand on my list, it came very, very close, and that is good enough for me. I enjoyed getting lost inside of this book and I hope that you will too.

I not sure where I got the name of this book. I had it written on a little scrap of paper along with another book ("Beneath a Scarlet Sky"). I enjoyed that book so much I decided to read this one as well! At first I thought it was a bit juvenile in the way it was written and was going to be without a great deal of content. I was pleasantly surprised as I got further. There are quite a few characters, but you soon know all of them along with their thoughts and situations. And situations there are! So much happens in this "little" story. I loved the way the story evolved through the letters and diary entries. Yes, certain parts were a bit predictable, but in such a happy way. I don't usually choose books that I have already read to my book club because I am always ready to move onto a new book. However, this book was such a good feeling book, I think it needs to be shared.

If you loved Annie Barrow's "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" you will thoroughly enjoy this.

I was raised in a village like Chilbury (post-war) and recognized many of the characters who were such an integral part of village life. It is written as a series of letters and journal entries by the main characters, and I enjoyed getting to know them via their efforts. The nasty midwife was not an unknown figure during the war. And the child swap one reviewer snorted at - oh, honey, you have no idea what people did for an heir back then.

This is a splendid portrait of how women found their voices in all manner of ways, and helped break the mold of the stereo-typed 30/40's woman.

Thank you so much, Jennifer Ryan for a very entertaining read. I look forward to reading more from you in this vein.

The year is 1940. The setting is Chilbury, a small village just seven miles from the coast at Dover, England. The time frame is March through September. World War ll is raging on, but the enemy has not yet arrived on the British Isles as the book begins. Children from London have been evacuated to the supposed safety of the countryside. All able-bodied men are in service to King and Country. The vicar abruptly disbanded the church choir due to the lack of male voices, and the choir ladies are mightily upset. With the arrival of a force of nature, a music education teacher named Prim, the choir is reborn as the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. Once again, music accompanied by blended, earnest voices fills the air.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is composed of women of various ages, personalities and singing abilities. Each woman or girl is dealing with the looming war and its worries and hardship in her own way. Venetia, a lovely, young aristocrat, misses her beau until a handsome young artist named Alastair arrives in Chilbury and they begin a torrid relationship. Venetia's young sister, Kitty, has a lovely voice and a penchant for gossip. An unscrupulous young midwife, Edwina, joins the group. She wants to remain current about what is going on and hopes to wrap herself in a bit of respectability as a choir member. Edwina is offered a large sum of money by Venetia's very unpleasant and temperamental father, whose young wife is once again expecting, to switch newborns to ensure that his family remain in their estate. His only son and only heir to the family fortune was just killed in the war. Mrs. Tilling, the village nurse and timid widow, is worried about the safety of her only child, a son serving in the military.

War has affected every family and every household. Mrs. Tilling, against her wishes, is required to billet a total stranger, a colonel, in her home. Venetia's family has temporarily taken in a young Jewish refugee. There are shortages, rationing, evening blackouts, air-raid drills, worries over men serving in the military, and the ever-present fear of the Nazis breaching the small island nation. But life, such as it is, goes on. There are those who take advantage of war with the black market, and there are those using blackmail to obtain what they hope will be riches.

Adding to the drama, Venetia finds herself pregnant, and Alastair mysteriously disappears during a bombing raid that kills Prim and her neighbor, Hattie, and levels Alastair's house. Where has Alastair gone, and was he an enemy spy since he disappeared during the bombing? Mrs. Tilling tends to a dying soldier and promises to return a ring to the soldier's lover. Homosexuality is a punishable crime, but Mrs. Tilling is determined to carry out her deathbed promise. She meets Carrington, to return his ring, and begins to question why homosexuality is a crime. After all, isn't love in any form just love?

THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR is written in diary and letter form, but in no way does this detract from the story as the dialogue is brisk, the writing is fresh, and it is most interesting to read the frank emotions of those writing, namely Venetia, Kitty, Edwina and Mrs. Tilling. War changes everything and everyone. This well-written and absorbing tale will stay with the reader for a long time to come. Jennifer Ryan has created a wonderful debut novel, and it is hoped that she is at work on another book.

Reviewed by Carole Turner

I had just started the book and decided to read the reviews. One of the low rateres said she couldn't get past page 19. At this point I was on page 23 and finding it hard to get into and thought maybe I'd stop reading at this point but didn't, kept going and was so glad I did. I have thoroughly enjoyed the book and fiction is not my usual genre. It reminded me in parts of Delderfield's books; "Home Fires," and yes, somewhat of "Call the Midwife." The author covers life, death, wartime life in a small English village near the coast, love, and some intrigue. Unlike another reviewer who didn't like any of the characters, I found plenty to like and others not so likable. I found the book to be light reading, once I got into it, fast moving and easily recommendable.

Let me start by saying I loved this book. Couldn't put it down and now I am aching for more from this author.

We start with a notice pinned to Village Hall noticeboard:

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

This is an era where women didn’t usually speak up for themselves but there were a few strong female voices in this village. Why not continue and have a ladies choir? It would be a morale booster in such dismal times. Scandalous! These stories focus on the resourcefulness of women during very difficult times. It's not solely about the choir so if that sounds like a snooze - think again.

There is quite a cast of characters in this book. The stories are told through diary entries from several points of view as well as letters penned to friends and loved ones. As you read bits and pieces the story lines dovetail into a fairly satisfying conclusion – tales of affairs, deception, blackmail, love, bravery and great sadness. If your reading tastes include stories set in the WW II era in England and you like a journal and letter writing format – you will LOVE this book.

You’ll get to know so many personalities from the village in the early days of WW II.

There are the Winthrops, a high society family with an overbearing father called the Brigadier. He bullies everyone and has secrets which could land him in jail. His daughters, Kitty and Venetia, tell the stories of the village, the war effort, and the forming of the Ladies Choir.

From Kitty Winthrop’s Diary
“ They announced on the wireless that keeping a diary in these difficult times is excellent for stamina, so I’ve decided to write down all my thoughts and dreams in my old school notebook…..”

Besides Kitty's diary entries you have the point of view of Mrs. Tilling, a nurse, and 10 year old Czech evacutee Silvie. Between the diary entries and the interspersed letters from Venetia Winthrop to her friend Angela Quail living in London and letters from Miss Paltry to her sister, you will enjoy several interwoven stories and slowly piece it all together.

I became a fan of Mrs. Tilling and loathed Miss Paltry. Now I am wondering when the author will produce another novel because I am anxious to read more.

Chilbury is a small village in Kent, with all of the dramas, intrigues and community that one would expect. But there’s one small hiccup: at the onset of war, the Vicar has decided that the choir, now bereft of male voices because of the volunteers and call ups, will be disbanded until the “boys come home”. This becomes the story of the women of the choir, and their efforts to keep that one bit of community alive in a time when they feel it is most necessary, despite the lack of support from their vicar.

Told in a series of letters and diary entries, this story is not wonderful because of the ‘newness’ of the subject, nor are the characters we meet full of bonhomie and good will. These are ordinary women, faced with extraordinary circumstances and changes that rock the foundations of all they know, as they struggle to survive and support the war effort from home. Thrust into positions that they are unprepared for, these women are learning as they go: running households, farms, shops and their communities. This doesn’t make them saints, they all have a solid streak of ‘get on with it, even as they all show they are human and subject to worries, cares and uncharitable thoughts.

What emerges is a highly personalized version of those left behind during the war: the struggles they faced, the personal challenges they overcame and the knowledge gained that forever changed them, and their country. Each character is carefully developed and explored: you hear their voices, you can picture their lives and worries, and a full image of the story and the moments arise with the author’s careful insertions of history, scenery and people. A book that draws you in and demands attention, yet allows you to savor the moments, reveling as if on a quiet bench looking on. I’ve read it 3 times in the six months I’ve had it available, and just want to dive back in again! If you enjoy a quieter and subtly complex story that introduces characters, conflicts, resolutions and community with equal attention paid, this is the book for you. Certainly one of my favorites for the year.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir by Jennifer Ryan is a historical fiction novel set during the early days of WWII in a small town of England. Told through letters and diary entries, the story follows a few of the women in the local town ladies' choir as the struggles of war hit closer to home.

One of my favorite characters, Mrs. Tilling, leads the town through her quiet steadfast determination to not let the Nazis take away all of their happiness. Her character's transformation from a subservient wife and mother to a strong woman with a voice made me want to applaud her by the end of the book! One of my favorite quotes of the book came from her chapter...

"Everything was black in the moonless night, the blackout rules forcing all of the light out of the world. But with a cautious smile, I realized that there are no laws against singing, and I found my voice becoming louder, in defiance of this war. In defiance of my right to be heard."

I enjoyed the shenanigans of the other townspeople as well and my heart hurt right along with them when things went badly and the war turned up right on their doorstep. I think this story made more of an impact to me because it dealt with the personal lives of the people left behind, the women specifically, left to keep their world turning without the men they had learned to rely upon.

I'd love to see a sequel to this book! I was so proud of Mrs. Tilling by the end and would love to hear more about her time surviving the war with her fellow villagers and everything that followed in their lives during its aftermath.

I never thought I would describe a historical fiction set during WWII as a charming read but it truly was delightful from the beginning to the end. This book was written through letters, journal and articles entries in which had maximized my reading experience with this beautiful story.

Each character was extremely unique in their own way; I found myself wanting to know them all on a deeper level (not that you wouldn’t already, but I am a bit greedy for good things). The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir gave me the same vibe as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society as I hesitate to admit this but TCLC won me over completely.

This book gives you hope through all the chaos of the world.

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

I highly recommend this book to all historical fiction lovers that want a happier tune when reading a book that is set during the most devastating time. I am looking forward to more by this author.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

During World War II, most of the men in Britain left to fight, leaving the women behind to run things as well as they could. This book tells the fictional stories of several women in the town of Chilbury who band together to form a women's choir. Told through journal entries and letters, the reader gets an inside look at why these women do what they do, how they feel, and their justifications. Teenage sisters Kitty and Venetia go through their own love stories, but they mature as they learn to appreciate each other. Timid Mrs. Tilling develops a backbone as she deals with an unwanted boarder and other problems in the village.

This book was an interesting look into the home front during the War. I'm sure women had to deal with experiences similar to those portrayed in this book. Newcomers to the village who aren't quite what they seem: are they spies or just black marketeers? What happens when the local lord loses his only son in battle, and he needs another son to inherit the estate? How do women cope with overbearing men living with them as part of the war effort?

Yes, I enjoyed this book, and I recommend it. While it dealt with some hard issues, it was also encouraging to read about how women banded together to deal with the harsh realities of war.

I want to thank Blogging for Books for my review copy of this book, but my opinions are my own.

This is a lovely story based on a local village around 1940. With a plethora of characters, with Mrs B the over opinionated and very vocal who doesn't agree with there being a women's only choir.
But with all the men at war the vicar decides to disband the choir, when Prim the new music teacher decides to set up an only female choir. Will this be an helpful addition to the village.
Kitty the 14 girl who is growing up within the confines of a lifestyle in war.
Venetia who thinks all men love her until she meets Alistair who seems unaffected by her ways, and the older sister of Kitty.
Mrs Paltry the midwife who is willing to do the unknown for a certain amount of money.

This is a lovely story with the coming of age and also how war effects everyone who lives in the village, highly recommended read!!

This WWII based novel written through the eyes of various women in a small village has intrigue, romance, and social issues. The ladies' ages range from early teens to middle age, which makes the story even more interesting as we follow their individual endeavors and passions. Although at first put off by the descriptive language supposedly written in journals and letters (does anyone really write that way in correspondence? Maybe back then?) I came to appreciate Ryan's creative verbiage, which gives the reader a clear visual picture of not only the character's thoughts, but the time period. As a choral member and director, I absolutely love, love, love that Ryan chose to link her characters through the church choir. Her descriptions of what a choir can mean to individuals, as well as the benefits of performance for the audience are spot-on! Music transcends everything!
I highly recommend this novel and look forward to Jennifer Ryan's next creation!

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.

Book Copy Gratis Library Thing

3-1/2 stars

The Chilbury Ladies Choir is a charming story set in the early period of WWII England. It's unusual in that is set in wartime yet has a generally positive mood. Chilbury, which isn’t a city in the real world, seems to have been spared the worst of the war during the six months of 1940 in which this novel takes place. The city and its inhabitants are definitely not unscathed, but the viewpoints of the five or six ladies from whom the story is told are generally upbeat, forward-looking, and hopeful. I would say they are sometimes also naïve and in denial. But they do seem to appreciate their precarious position and reality.

The novel is very reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which is also set in England around the time of the War and told via letters from various characters. Chilbury’s story is told via a combination of letters, diary entries, and public notices. I thought it was well done and engaging. The characters were wonderful. And I particularly love the way the choir participation filled the women’s hearts with hope, love, and dreams. The choir brought them together with a common goal and a new family and gave them a way to express their grief and sorrow. As a chorus member myself, I know the importance, joy, and fulfillment of being part of a chorus. So, this aspect of the story really spoke to me. I enjoyed the author’s language about the music.

Capturing the desperate times, the loss and grief that touched every corner of ' this sceptres isle.'
This novel really goes to the heart of things for women on the Homefront in WW2 England.
There's the microcosm view of society through village life (as Miss Marple always says)
The angry gentry in form of the Brigadier, the women of his household bullied and fascinating whose lives and secrets are pivotal to the novel. Then there's the village nurse and the midwife, the black marketeers, the requisite domineering lady of the village and a host of others.
There's the wonderful Miss Prim who takes the village women from a subservient role of women knowing where their place is to one of active courage.
There's spies and romance.
The story is written in letter form, which adds to the drama and the feel of the era.
I was glued to every word and to every plot twist that fell off the page into my rather active imagination.

A NetGalley ARC

What an enjoyable, interesting book. This book will be an eye-opener for youngsters, as the tx of women is very clearly shown! Set in the early days of WW II in England, the Vicar disbanded the choir as there were no men left to belong. Prompted by the new music tutor, Prim, The Chilbury Ladies Choir is formed! About halfway through I found two quotes that I think very well represents this book: "A sense of responsibility-- or was it guilt? -- hung over me, that I was in some way at fault because of cowering to all these pompous men all these years, when I should have had the bravery to reclaim my own mind. That if we women had done this year's ago, before the last war, before this one, we'd be in a very different world." "And what about Carrington? That poor, devastated young man! Meeting him, and Berkeley even just briefly, makes me wonder why everyone makes such a fuss about homosexuality. Surely it's not so terribly wrong? And isn't love between two people better than hatred, in this world of violence and mourning? There seemed to me a fragile kindness in their love that survived through this poisonous war. Even though one of them hadn't."
If this doesn't make you think about existing discrimation, nothing will! Read, think & enjoy! My thanks to Penguin Random House & Bookstr for the opportunity to read & review this exceptional book!! Thanks!

The Chilbury Ladies' ChoirSet during World War II, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir shares the story of quiet English town. When the men are sent to war the vicar decides that the choir should be discontinued. However, a few of the women fought to keep the choir for the women. It is seen as a way to help raise spirits, share emotions and provide support and development. Throughout the story we meet the different women through letters, journal entries and diaries.

The author, Jennifer Ryan, uses these entries to show the warmth, schemes, wit, romance and adventures the women are in the midst.

Each of the characters were portrayed in such a way that I could understand the pressures each of them felt. There were the role models, those looking for love or financial security, and those that are looking for ways to set themselves up for a better life. I felt like this novel gives a good look at what women's lives were like at this time, including the challenges and how music and the choir became inspirations, a way to handle grief and more to each of the characters.

I feel like this book would be enjoyable to anyone who reads it.

I was given this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is a warm and touching novel about life in a village in Kent during 1940. The war is in full-swing and most able-bodied men are away, involved in the fight. When the Vicar sees fit to disband the choir because there are no male voices, the women beg to differ in their opinion. Under the leadership of a confident director, the ladies of Chilbury meet to practice their songs and, at the same time, become a source of support to each other that will be invaluable in the days ahead.

Jennifer Ryan’s novel will probably land on my favorites list this year. Told through letters, diary entries, newspaper items, etc. the story of Chilbury unfolded seamlessly. The drama, humor, fear and sadness were palpable when shared by various characters’ perspectives. When I finished reading I immediately thought ‘there’s more story to be told here’ as only a few months in 1940 were covered. I’d love a series! This is Ryan’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. Recommended to fans of historical fiction. *I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.

I listened to this on audio which carried a deep accent. I liked that these women at first thought they couldn’t carry on because their men were off fighting in the war (WWII) but later decided, heck yeah…. we can do it! A thought erupts about forming a choir but the women contemplate how they can do that without the men? A choir with just women? What shall they sing without the men’s voices? I had to laugh as they pondered this idea.

The novel is told using a variety of transcripts from journals to letters to newspapers clippings. These women were determined to carry on in life without their men. I liked how the women bicker, how they encourage one another and how they still keep their separate opinions. There was Mrs. Tilling who kept her nose in everything and I liked her. This was an interesting and fun novel to listen to.

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is a series of letters and journal entries that capture a time from March to August 1940 in a small English Village, and a time that we all know now is the advancement of Germany in Europe.
We meet the people of the village and what they are going though during this period, and learn history at the same time, guess I was not aware that England was being bombed at this era.
A lot does happen here in this quaint town and we quickly turn pages to find answers, so of which we are not going to be happy about. These people are really open about their feelings and speak very openly in their written words, and we feel like we are watching them in real life. You are going to really like some of these individuals and others walk on the shady side, and I had to chuckle at the end of the book about one of them.
A real eye opener of life in England prior to America getting into WWII, and yes I remember that Pearl Harbor awakened a sleeping giant, and the German’s must have been cringing when that happened.
I received this book through Blogging For Books, and was not required to give a positive review.

I listened to this delightful audiobook while taking my daily walks. The setting is in the small town of Chilbury, England during WWII. The Nazi forces are invading closer and closer to home. Most of the men are serving in the war so those left behind are mostly disabled or elderly. The women of Chilbury are left to their own devices and they decide to carry on the church choir with only female participants. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is a boring story about church choirs. There are characters who inhabit Chilbury who are up to no good. Mystery and suspense along with humor made this a most enjoyable book to listen to. The story unfolds as different town folks write their stories in a journal format. The audiobook was especially appreciated while Listening to these different voices with their British accents. I really enjoyed it.

The women of Chilbury are disappointed that their vicar has disbanded the Chilbury Choir. There are no men left in the village who belonged to the choir since they are all in the British army serving in World War II. The vicar disbands the choir because you can't have a choir without the men. Or can they?

The vicar is soon persuaded to go forward with the women's choir by a music teacher who has moved to the village. It has never dawned on the women that they could do something without the men in the village. The music teacher, Prim, shows them otherwise.

The story of the Chilbury Ladies' Choir is told in different installments and points of view by the diary entries of the women who live in the village.

There are stories of love and courage, great passion, and secrets that happen in the village. The story plays out during the beginning days of World War II. If you like stories from this era, then you will enjoy this book. It's a fast but enjoyable read.

think along the lines of Downton Abbey or The Summer Before the War, very much in the Anglophile catalog. The story revolves around the town of Chilbury just as WWII begins. We follow a few select characters, through their diaries or their letters to some other character. it is definitely an interesting way of seeing things; you get varied perspectives which was nice. I liked how the characters evolved and for the most part everything ends nicely, though of course the book ends at the end of 1940 and we know that the poor people of England would have to endure 4 more years of war - so no way of knowing if everyone will make it to the end of the war.
Things i liked about the book was the way the music brought everyone together, the way the author didn't shy away from tough subjects (abortions, domestic violence), the final bit especially with the sisters and Venetia's big moment at the concert. Also the author's' accuracy to history, the tragedy of the second World War (like the child from the kindertransport and what probably happened to her family)
Things i didn't like (and why I didn't give more stars), story starts out slow and at first i couldn't like any of the characters they were all a pain, took about a third of the book for me to find anyone aside from a few peripheral characters to like; the stupidity of Kitty and how no one seemed to school her; the death of some of my favorite characters; outlandish baby swap storyline.
Despite those quibbles, i would recommend this book to those who, like me, love all things British, particularly from that time period; anyone who wants a good story, having Downton withdrawal; interested in WWII from a homefront point of view and of course this is an excellent pick for book clubs!

This book opens in the early days of World War II, as the local Vicar has put an end to the village choir since most of the men have gone off to war. The ladies of Chilbury band together and rebel against the order and form the Chilbury Ladies' Choir.

The story is told through the journals and letters of five women who are part of the choir and tell the story of life in the village and what happens when Prim helps them start up an all female choir. The characters are vastly different - a widowed nurse with a son recently sent to fight, a thirteen year-old who longs to be a singer , the ten-year-old Jewish Czech evacuee, an eighteen year-old town beauty, and the local midwife and an opportunist.

There is a lot of intrigue going on in this small village, from both the joys and the heartaches of that face the villagers in this time of war. There are dark dealings, births, deaths, and romance that take place during the six months that this book spans.

I really enjoyed the different voices and perspectives. I enjoyed seeing the transformation of the characters and how they grew during the stress of wartime and being left on the home front.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, through Blogging For Books for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is a village saga based in Kent in the time of the Second World War. It’s beautifully presented and reads very quickly and easily right from the start.

Things that drew me to this book were: Firstly, the cover caught my eye. The village tale appealed, and the musical angle too. The character diaries are equally charming and amusing in their turn of phrase and descriptions of the locals.

On top of all this pleasant village setting we soon have intrigue, secrets and lies. I was only 4% into it and I was already imagining it as a TV mini-series, I think it would be great material for that medium.

I loved how this was done: The story is mostly told through the characters’ journals, diaries and letters. Having read Jennifer Ryan’s author bio on Goodreads and that this is her first novel I could hardly believe it as it seems incredibly accomplished right from the early stages.

A cosy village yarn with a bit of scandalous activity. Well-paced with some dramatic scenes in the last stretch. Addictive reading! A wonderful, wonderful book.

I read a pre-publication copy of this book from Netgalley.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a joy to read! It's entirely told through letters, journal entries, and posted notices. While many characters' letters and journals comprise the novel, four characters are front and center: Mrs. Tilling, a widow whose son has gone to war; Venetia Winthrop, a beautiful, vain, self-centered young woman; Kitty Winthrop, Venetia's younger sister who is in love with one of Venetia's suitors; and midwife Edwina Paltrey, a woman willing to do anything to make money. All of these women grow and change throughout the novel, which is part of what makes reading it so much fun.

As I read the novel, I couldn't help but think it would make a fantastic series in the vein of Downton Abbey or Call the Midwife. Though the war is the backdrop, it's really about the lives of the villagers—their loves, losses, scandals, and triumphs.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is a fantastically entertaining novel. I'm so glad I read it!

This story takes place in a small town in England during WWII and is told through letters and journal entries of the women who become members of the Chilbury Ladies' Choir. I absolutely loved this book and the way it was written. Even with each chapter being a different person's journal entry or letter, it flowed so very well and it just made each person's story more endearing. It showed how women can come together during difficult times and be there for each other, even though they aren't the best of friends. My favorite character ended up being Mrs. Tilling. She ended up taking charge in certain circumstances and helped out some of the women when they were down on their luck, even those she didn't particularly get along with very well. I was happy with how things turned out for her at the end.

I highly recommend this charming and delightful book. It is excellent!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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I absolutely loved this book from first time author Jennifer Ryan!
The story was a beautiful one told solely through journal entries and letters, which flowed along seamlessly. With the battles raging on and taking all the menfolk for the war effort, this left mostly women in the tiny town of Chilbury. Each woman (and girl) mentioned in the book was well developed, sometimes having a few secrets of their own.
It was an outstanding story of how a small group of women came together and made their little town a bit stronger than it was, during a difficult time. It shows how the hopefulness of a few have the power to brighten the spirits of many.
I also loved that the inside cover of the book had a map of the town so that it was easy to visualize all the places mentioned in the book. I speed through this story rather quickly, as I didn't want to put it down.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

I received a ARC of this book from Net Galley for an honest review.

I have always been a fan of historical fiction, especially novels set during WWII, so I was excited to read and review this book. What a wonderful story. Told through the point of view of four main characters using their journals, diaries, and letters we learn of a small English village at the onset of the war. I enjoy reading books that use this means to tell a story...very engaging and a great way to feel like you "know" the characters.

Unlike recent books I've read set in this time period, this book dwelt more on the women in the town and how they banded together to make it through the hard times, rather than a book that examines the horrors of war. Not to say that there were not heartbreaking developments in the story, but it was more a story of female empowerment and awakening.

Highly recommend for fans of women's fiction and/or historical fiction.

This is a real look at the home front of the southeast England in WWII. Most stories of that era tell of England’s citizens feeling they would be successful fighting against their enemy. There are doubts with these citizen and a real horror of invasion and what would occur then.
Yet what also is written about even though many feel all might be lost is the resolution that something must be done to keep their lives and village going on. A music teacher starts a women’s choir against the normal standard that men as a choir is the only acceptable one. The veil between the upper classes and those below is also shown.

Still this is an interesting novel even if one is not aware of the historical turns that are included. The characters are well drawn. There is a map of the village to help you picture events. A list of characters in the beginning would have been helpful – but this is a novel to be enjoyed and read especially by those who enjoy England and life in WWII.

This was a great historical fiction novel about world war II. It was told from letters and diary entries from different women in the Chilbury's choir. I was worried that I wouldn't like a book like this but it was a great way to get the character's different perspectives and the author did a great job with it so it was not confusing. There are several characters that are focused on such as a 13 year old girl from a wealthy family, her 18 year old sister and the refugee they took in. It also focuses on an unscrupulous midwife and a widow who's son is about to go to war. I really fell in love with all of these characters and had to know what happened to them. The author brought this village to life for me. I don't know if there will be a follow up to this novel but I am hoping there will be. A great read for anyone who loves historical fiction.

I agree with what the other 1- and 2-star reviewers wrote.

I'll only add this: This is a collection of notes, letters, diaries, and journals written by females of various ages. If the writers were not introduced at the beginning of each section, and if the "Dear so-and-so" and other identifying names were removed, you would have a hard time figuring out who had written what. They are all, with the exception of a few minor phrases here and there, written in the exact same style. Even the 13-year-old writes likes the adults.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

A book told through letters, journal entries and so on was such a new inventive way to approach the subject of World War II and set in a small town that is on the outskirts, but close enough to have fear of the impending doom.

I would say it was hard to keep all the ladies straight from the Chilbury Ladies' Choir and make sure I could remember who was who and what was what. It may have been harder given the style of the book, but in the same moment I loved how it was written. I read this one slower because I took a minute at the beginning of each chapter to remember who was talking and where they were coming from. I loved that the characters varied in age and station in life so you saw the full view of the village.

I found this book to be enjoyable, but not so much as a book that I'd normally read . I liked the story to a degree, however, I did not like the style of the book, where it went from one letter to another letter, nothing wrong with this and I am sure others liked it, but not me.
The story line was nothing that really caught my interest,lots of smirks, a funny stuff but again I would rather read something within my idea of a good story and a great plot. Didn't see much about the war years here, seems it was confined mostly to the small town and their problems and the sneaky things being done there.
Again, this is just my thoughts and I see other people loved the book, that's way we have a variety of styles and I did get this book to read and review if I so desired from Blogging for Books I always am looking for something different to latch on to.

Very much in the vein of Annie Barrows and Mary Ann Shaffer’s “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Jennifer Ryan’s “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” focuses on the effects of World War II and the Chilbury choir. When all the men of the town are drafted, the Vicar disbands the church choir. The women of Chilbury reform the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir at the behest of the newly arrived Primrose Trent, a music professor.

As the women detail their lives, hopes and fears, and their dreams through diaries, journals, and letters, the reader is drawn into the rhythm of life in Chilbury and the lives of the characters. Engaging characters and a delightful sense of British wit and droll observations help to make “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” a charming novel. Jennifer Ryan gives readers an easy to read, easy to enjoy novel.

There were many places in the debut novel titled, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, by Jennifer Ryan where she could have veered into soap opera. Instead, this story of World War II life in an English village stayed focused on developing interesting characters and developing an engaging plot. Part of Ryan's structure involves letters from individual characters, and I found that approach fresh and interesting. There's a harmony in this novel beyond the vocal talents of the choir members in the title. Village life during the Battle of Britain drew me into the story and led me to care about every character.

Rating: Four-star (I like it)

A wonderful historical fiction and all the more remarkable that this is the author's debut novel. This story is set in 1940 England and the war is on so most of the men are away. The vicar wants to shut down the choir since the male members are not present but the ladies forge on and become the rare all-female choir. In the process the reader comes to know some of the members in detail.

This story is told through letters and journals of about a half-dozen individuals of various ages from young girls to older women. The author did such a good job of capturing the voices of the various ages. The author acknowledges actual diaries and journals that were kept during the war as her inspiration for the novel. She certainly did her homework on this one as she struck all the right notes. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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.

This debut novel by Jennifer Ryan was a delight! It is set at the beginning of World War II in a small British town and tells the intertwining stories of the women who form a choir in the wake of the disbanding of the church choir. What follows is part loss, romance, and skullduggery.

In spite of the very real losses, the tone of the book is uplifting and happy. And the writing itself is readable and has excellent pacing.

One small caveat, the book did start a bit slow, but that’s usually the case with an epistolary novel. Once the reader meets a several of the characters through letters and diary entries, the book is very hard to put down!

A five star read.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for a review.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is not only about a choir, it is about the intertwining lives of the ladies of Chilbury during WWII and the realisation that without men in the mix they need to step up, roll their sleeves up and make decisions for themselves.
This novel differs from the usual tale of domestic life during the second world war in that I feel this isn't as sugar coated. I suspect it's nearer the truth than most, showing the good and the bad sides of women from all walks of life muddling on alongside each other and definitely making the best of things.
A thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing read, and one which I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending.

I received an arc via Net Galley in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

If, like me, you have lamented that 'The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society' was a one-off (owing to the untimely death of the author, Mary Ann Shaffer), there is reason to rejoice. Jennifer Ryan has written a terrific novel, The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, which is both a stand-alone excellent novel, and also a companion piece to "Guernsey". Two marvelous stories of the English home-front (the former in one of the Channel Islands, the latter in Kent).

"Chilbury" is told through letters and diary entries, and is perhaps all the more enthralling for that than if told in a straight-forward narrative. My first instinct, upon finishing "Chilbury" was to return and start again, which I may yet do.

When I was about 25% into this novel, I was ready to toss it, but kept reading it and having finished it (more quickly than I'd thought I would) I'm now of mixed minds. First, some background. I'm a guy, but I'm addicted to British "women's novels" of the first half of the 20th century, as when well-written they're great escape reading. When I saw this I figured that this was an attempt at one of those.

And it is, sort of. The problem is that when reading authors like Angela Thirkell, it's easy to dismiss them at first as silly over-the-top comedies of manners. And some of them are. But (using Thirkell as an example: While on the surface, many of her novels have preposterous plots, she does a great job of painting characters that are more three-dimensional and real than it seems at first. And she does this deftly enough that it's easy not to notice that it's happening. And she mingles pathos and comedy in a way that feels genuine.

In Chilbuy... Ryan attempts that, but there are two things holding her back:

1) She uses a mixed first- and third-person narrative but with the narrator shifting every few pages, and it happens enough that it's grating.
2) Worse, and to me, the way in which this novel fails, is that her characters are flat caricatures. None of them has any depth and they never become real. There are some that could be real, but she won't spend the time or attention to make them so, because she's too busy with the frantic plot development.

Having said that, I wound up finishing the novel in a weekend, and curious to see how it ended. So all is not lost. It'll be interesting to see if Ryan does more in this vein.

A wonderful book told through the eyes of the women in a small English town during the year 1940. All of the young men have left to fight in WWII leaving the town's women as the strongest group to run the town. The women, of course, are overwhelmed, sad, and not used to running the show. They quickly band together with the help of the new choral director to become each other's support system. Told mostly through letters this book deals with every kind of issue you could expect during this time period. Loss, love, grief, war, and family issues.
I would welcome another work by this author gladly!
Thank you First to Read for the opportunity to read this wonderful work.

This book has it all - love, hate, humor, courage, immense pain, skulduggery, mystery, and so much more!! It reminded me of both The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and The Summer before the War. It's characters run the gamut from delightful to unbelievably cruel and unfeeling,. However, what shines through and truly makes it memorable is the spirit and courage of the women and girls who carried on and provided a sense of community despite personal loss and Nazi raids. Jennifer Ryan has done an excellent job of bringing the women of her grandmother's generation to life, and The Chilbury Ladies Choir would be a first-rate choice for any book club. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for making it available to librarians for review before publication!

Beautifully written charming story about the effects of war on those left behind and how these ladies grew into all that they could be. The strength they exhibited was nothing short of miraculous, although I doubt they would have agreed with my statement. They did what they had to do to in order to survive and to live and to love.
The characters were so real, I felt as though I knew them personally. I already miss Mrs. Tilling and the Colonel, Kitty and Silvie.
I highly, highly recommend this novel.

What does one do when all the able-bodied men go off to war? If you live in Chilbury, England, you carry on and argue with the Vicar who has put his foot down about the village choir. No men, no choir. But Vicar hasn’t counted on determined women once a leader emerges.

This debut novel is well worth the time to read it, cry a little maybe; cheer for love, worry about all the characters and, most of all enjoy this glimpse into the England countryside of WWII. Babies being born, midwives arguing and amid it all, the choir repairing broken hearts and homes.

This is the tale of sisters. friends, bad folk and mostly good and while written in letter form; a very good book.

I received this book for free through Bookstr’s (formerly The Reading Room) giveaways.

I give this book 4.5 stars which rounds up to 5.

I really liked this book. It is told entirely in letters and journal entries which I absolutely love. Plus it even has a map of the town which was super helpful to have.

I loved how the book showcased the women and how their lives were impacted by the war. It told such a range of stories, from the good times to the really bad times, without ever losing its optimism.

Overall, it was a book with a lot of heart.

What a delightful book! Charming and vivid and very well written. I enjoyed the author's use of letters and journal entries to tell the story. The characters came to life on the page as their individual voices came through in their writing.

There were moments that were funny, some that were surprising, some that were inevitable, some predictable, and some that were filled with sorrow. I finished the book with a smile on my face. What more can one ask?

I love this book! It takes place in a small English town during WWII and is written in diary entries. The story line and characters were rich and detailed to the point where they all came to life. Of personal interest to me was the refugee from Czechoslovakia. My family immigrated from there to the US in the early 20th century but I still have relatives there. I learned about things that happened in that country during the war that I was not aware of. I highly recommend this book. It was a page turner and a very human story.

What a delightful read. I am not sure what I was expecting from “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” but it was an enjoyable, comfy read. Jenifer Ryan has written of the effects of the outbreak of the 2nd World War on the women in a village community. The story is told in the form of letters and diary entries written by the main characters. In this manner, Jennifer has enabled the reader to view the progress of the action through a multi lensed viewpoint. As one would expect, not all views are consistent and this adds to the sense action.

The story neatly allows us to follow the development of the main characters and how they come to terms with the vagaries of the time. All this is skilfully woven around the greater events of the war and the minutiae of village life where the young men have left the women behind and the formation of a Ladies Only Choir ( Shock horror ).

I liked the book greatly and would recommend it for its sense of time and place, its observation of the liberation of mind-set and a lightness when dealing with life changing events.

This is a very good multi-thread novel that just misses being excellent. Told through the letters and journals of various choir members, the characters are vividly drawn, and the story can be quite touching in parts, especially when the choir is together.

The main drawback is that Ryan sometimes introduces plot elements that would be more suited to Victorian melodrama. World War II has enough dramatic scope that it doesn't really need an unlikely baby switching subplot to jazz it up.

Nonetheless, I was totally engaged with the characters and the story, and enjoyed my time in Chilbury very much.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Chilbury Ladies Choir is a heartwarming novel set in England during World War II. It is an epistolary novel told through letters and journal entries of several women in the town of Chilbury. What is most charming are the unique personalities of the characters - the widow, the busybody, the refugee, and more. With all the men gone to war, they are forced to recreate their choir as "Ladies Only". There are secrets, romances, triumphs, and great sadness too which takes the reader on a continual roller coaster of emotion. I am not surprised that this book has reached national bestseller status. It is sure to please!

Here is a charming story about a charming area of England during one of the most turbulent times in modern history. These quaint places, and sometimes quaint characters will certainly capture your attention. Using journals, letters, etc, to help unravel the story, the choir members adjust to their new circumstances, and all their hopes, dreams and even secrets are revealed.

At times I could describe it as predictable, but nonetheless enchanting and interesting to read. The pace was good and while in the beginning I felt that I was introduced to too many characters a bit too quickly, I soon got a hold of who was who and things moved along well.

I normally don't have much interest in either WW 2 era novels or stories set in England, but this one kept popping up and with so many 5 star reviews, I decided to give it a go. I was hooked from the first page and I love the epistolary style of story telling. I found each character appealing and quickly became absorbed in her individual circumstances. A warm, inspiring story of how lives can change and what people can do when they join together to against insurmountable odds. Simply wonderful and an amazing first effort. I will definitely be looking for more from Jennifer Ryan!

In a time when men ruled the world, towns all but lost their identity when they took off to war. Not in Chilbury. The women told us their story, via journal entries and letters to loved ones. A creative format. You’ll fall in love with this little English village, and the women who keep it going until their men come home.

This is obviously a woman's novel, and I am yet another guy who's read this to review it. In fact, I'm a quite old guy to be reading such a novel. However, I did find it quite readable and completed reading it within a couple of days.

The story is told through diaries, journals, and letters. Several of the characters alternate in their contributions to the story, but most come from two young sisters, a neighborhood older and wise woman, and a predatory midwife. The story is well told and while it seemed a bit longer than necessary to me, it was still quite enjoyable and I heartily recommend it.

All the men are away fighting and the women are left to worry. Five women shine forth in this novel as they support each other and grow into new people. These women are part of the new choir in town, an all-women’s choir – unheard of. Music by this choir brings not only joy and purpose into the women’s lives but hope and inspiration into the surrounding community. This is a delightful story of women from a charming English village carrying on as the world turns dark.

It is war time and the men have gone off to serve. The Vicar wants to shut down the choir if there are no men's voice. The ladies of Chilbury are not about to let this happen. They bond and are inspired by a Miss Bossy director who has visions of the choir competing in a contest. This novel centers around the lives of 5 women, most notably, a midwife who participates in a baby swap so a titled gentleman can have an heir. This is a charming read and my thanks go to the author and the Penguin First to Read program for a complimentary copy.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir is an amazing book - I never wanted it to end! As soon as I found out it was told through diaries and letters, I knew I had to read it and I am so glad I did. I have read a few books written in this style, but none pulled it off as masterfully as Jennifer Ryan. It is told through several unique points of view, from a young girl to an elderly woman, and the characters are so distinctive that it is easy to tell them apart. There is a new heading for each character change so it doesn't get confusing regardless of whether the characters are distinctive or not. Also, by the end, I felt like I really knew what life may have been like in a small village in England during World War 2. I completely recommend this book, and I usually don't say that. Thank you to Penguin's First to Read program for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a free advance e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The men have gone off to fight in WW II and the vicar has disbanded the church choir but some of the ladies want to continue even though they don’t have male voices. There are several subplots as the author gives us a look into the lives of several members of this small community. The characters are wonderful and well developed. There are secrets, small town gossip, illicit love, romance, births, death, conspiracy, bribery, and crime. The story is about hope and the survival of those on the home front in small town England during the time of war. This is a very well written book. The author draws the reader into the drama of small town society and the everyday lives of those who are left behind; at times making me laugh and at other times bringing me to tears. This book is a keeper and well worth the read. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer Ryan.

A beautiful and heartwarming story that takes place during WW II in a small English town. The men have all gone off to war and the church choir was disbanded because there are no men and we've never had a choir without the men. But when a new gal comes to town she manages to not only convince the powers to be that there should be a choir but that they should compete in a contest. Between the new gal and the war there are many more changes and opportunities for growth. A wonderfully told story that will make you smile.

I should have known when I saw "Ladies" in the title. Despite the fact that this is supposedly a WWII book, the war is really only given lip service. The characters are stereotypes - the wise middle-aged woman, the overbearing older men, the young beautiful vixen, the impetuous teenager, the scheming midwife. The epistolary style of letters and journal entries means that points of view are always shifting. And to include dialog in such ramblings just seems unrealistic to me. Everything ends happily, couples are reunited, unkind people are tamed, and the ladies go on singing. Not at all my cup of tea.

A interesting book written as diary entries and letters from several female residents of the village of Chilbury. When the vicar disbands the choir because there are no men left in the village to sing in it, a local woman, Prim, creates a newer choir consisting totally of women. It is these women that tell us of the going on in the village of Chilbury during a period of WWII.

I listened to the audio book and was throughly delighted with all the traumas and triumps of the women in this small British village early in WW II. Rich characterizations which the audio dramatized, are the norm. Listening to the letters and diaries of woman of all sorts having all kinds of adventures and struggles but the choir brings them together and helps they realize their abiliies and their strengths when most of the men are gone.

This book is wonderful! It's truly the most engaging book I've read in a long time. I'm a mom of young boys, I don't have much time to read, so the book really has to be worth my time to finish it. I finished this one in just a few days. The characters are well developed, offering many different perspectives and subplots. This was an easy fiction read, but it also gave insight to what life may have been like in England during the war. The novel had a positive theme, while still encompassing many ups and downs throughout the story. I highly recommend this book.

This epistolary novel is a charming but heartfelt story of how English women banded together in the early days of World War II and found strength by working together. I couldn't stop reading this book. The author tells the story of Chilbury through the stories of five unique women. Who would think an all women's choir could change so many lives?

After I requested a review copy of this book, I began to see it reviewed on a number of ‘must read’ lists. I was excited that I was going to be able to read and review the book. But admittedly it took me quite a long time to get though it since it did not immediately draw me in. The presentation of letters, journals, etc. confused me at first. And then when there were conversations in quotes in the journals and words in Kitty’s journal that I felt were beyond the scope of a thirteen-year old’s vocabulary, I became even more confused. I do not write my letters that way. Oh and I also know that it isn’t good to misspell words in a book. But I am sure that some of the words in Kitty’s journal would have been misspelled, if she used them at all. I did have the desire to wash out Ms. Paltry’s mouth when she used the “GD” word. It just means there are many of my friends I cannot recommend this book for reading.
The village was quaint. There were vivid pictures of the tragedy of war and what it did to the women who were waiting at home. England and especially the southern part was much closer to the action than most. The book did provide some clear descriptions of what might have happened. And it also described what may have been done to cope with it all such as the concerts that the choir held. It was strange to me that they really felt as if they could not sing without men. But then that was a different time.
There were some subtle twists in the books that did take it beyond the romance area, not my favorite genre. But there wasn’t really enough to hold my attention for long. It might have helped if there had been at least one perspective from a man’s point of view—perhaps the Colonel. As always there were a few stories left dangling but I am not sure I care enough to even think of reading a sequel. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really good read! The characters are so rich you have to find out what happens next and at the same time you don’t want the book to end. I always learn more about history while reading a historical fiction book then a straight factual one. The author can include so much more content.

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Crown Publishing. Thank you.

Author Jennifer Ryan made some fine choices for the points of view expressed by a wide range of characters in this epistolary style novel covering about seven months in 1940 as the fighting was beginning to truly commence in World War II. I like that there is such a variety of characters represented: a thirteen year old girl and her eighteen year old sister, a nurse, a midwife, an RAF pilot, and a ten year old Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia. The setting is the small village of Chilbury in Kent where the men are either gone or preparing to go to fight against Nazi German forces who seem to be steamrollering over Europe as they please.

Women once again were being left behind to carry on with their lives as best they can, but then the local Vicar declared the church choir was disbanded until the end of the war. It didn't take long for the women to realize that they were having to take on roles normally seen as being appropriate only for men so why couldn't they sing with only women's voices? People have been urged to keep journals of their lives during these hard times so some of the story is told through those entries. Other parts are told through letters, but through a combination of both sources we are given the opportunity to watch village life continue through this harrowing time with adjustments being made by everyone and sacrifices a regular occurrence.

It would be hard for me to chose a favorite character, but the combining of their experiences told a poignant story of ordinary people trying to live through a situation they had not chosen and often didn't understand. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir was a constant linking thread to keep each family in touch and communicating. I enjoyed this novel a great deal and can't help but wonder if there will be more books coming. Goodness knows there is certainly a lot of war and hardship yet to come for these resolute souls.

During the early days of World War II, the women of Chilbury, a tiny English village, are just coming to terms with how much their world is about to change. The son of a powerful baron has just been killed in combat (he was a bully and no one is sorry to see him go, but still), a young Jewish refugee brings a visible reminder of what is happening outside their borders, the last remaining son is getting called up, and -- gasp! -- because there are so few men left in town, the Vicar has declared the choir must close. This book tells the story of the year that follows, as the people of Chilbury -- especially the women -- come to terms with a changing world, and their changing place in it.

I was so excited to read this book, and fully intended to love it. I love epistolary novels (books written in the form of letters, diary entries, etc.); I love small villages and stories set in them; I love intrigue and secrets; I even sing in a choir. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society is one o my favorite all time reads, and a good comparable to this one. Plus, the book starts off strong, introducing characters we love, characters we love to hate, and a good dose of secrets and intrigue. Hooray!

Yet...it took me nearly a month to finish the book, and I read fast. For some reason, after this great setup, the book, for me, didn't quite ever fire on all cylinders, and I never was excited to get back to reading. I liked the characters, but I didn't love them. For all the power of the premise, the plot twists were rather limited. I think possibly because there were so many different characters and plots, none of them fully took hold. We had baby swapping from evil midwives, spies and double agents, star-crossed lovers, Jewish refugees, a late-in-life romance, and, of course, a choir. So many lovely ideas for stories, but not many of them really going deep enough to make you care. Some really major plot developments -- like baby swapping -- are never really resolved. Other things that should have been big twists fell a little soft, because they didn't get enough space. Same with the characters, who didn't quite develop as deeply as I would have liked.

The choir was obviously meant to be a unifying theme, but it was pretty underplayed. Bizarrely, I never got much of a sense of the choir, or a belief that the choir changed anything, or did anything. It felt like in an earlier draft, there was probably a lot more choir, but it was cut for time. Oddly, I think this book would have benefitted from cutting storylines, or making the book much longer, so they could have all been developed.

So -- I still give it four stars, because I'm incredibly biased towards this type of book, and I wish there were more of them. And I did enjoy it. But it didn't live up to its potential, and I'm a tiny bit bummed about that.

Similar in style to 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.

“All the men have gone….the Vicar says we can’t have a choir without men”. So starts the charming debut novel by Jennifer Ryan “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir”. This is an epistolary tale told in the letters, journals, notices and notes scattered throughout. The story starts with the funeral of Edmund Winthrop, submariner, torpedoed in the North Sea. This leaves his father, Brigadier Winthrop, with 2 daughters, no male heir, and a baby on the way. He is willing to do anything to ensure that his wife gives birth to a boy.

The story is told by the main women involved in keeping the home fires burning and who ignored the vicar’s decree by starting an all-women’s choir. The story is pieced together by several key figures who tell the tale, each from her own perspective. These main characters include:

• Venetia Winthrup the 18-year old vixen and flirt who writes to her friend Angela in London. She mostly writes of her loves and longings, especially towards the new artist in town who seems immune to her wiles.

• Mrs. Tillings, a nurse, tells in journal form of the day to day occurrences in Chilbury. Her son Henry is being sent off to war at the start of the book. He is in love with Venetia but this is unrequited except from her younger sister Kitty.

• Kitty Winthrup is 13 and writes in her diary about her demon sister, her love for Henry, her mother’s pregnancy, her father’s cold, calculating brutal side, and otherwise documents much of what goes on in the village.

• Miss Edwina Paltry is the resident midwife, extortionist and schemer. Her tale is told via letters to her sister Clara whom she continually promises to repay in such a manner that they’ll both become rich.

• Silvia is a Czech Evacuee who lives in the Winthrup home. She is learning the English language and starts a diary. She is a child, a foreigner and mostly ignored which makes her a perfect observer.

The book is full of parties, outings, rehearsals, births, deaths and love triangles. The women keep themselves busy with the mundane but real tragedy does enter the story. The choir is a binding unit that brings these women together. The new choir director justifies the stepping over the line by saying: "Music takes us out of ourselves, away from our worries and tragedies….All those cadences and beautiful chord changes, every one of them makes you feel a different splendor of life." The book is predictable, light and almost hackneyed on some level – But – it’s well written, well-paced and the characters, if not always likeable, are all interesting.

This is light reading at its best.

This is a charming novel about an English village in 1940. It might not be the best of the books of this genre but it's pretty darn good. I liked the way the story of each of the characters unfolded- it made for a read that I knew might and did hold some surprises. There's no great highs here nor deep lows but it's a measured, gentle tale that's just right for, let's face it, fans of PBS series like Call the Midwife and Home Fires. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Ryan is one to watch.

The setting is Chilbury, a classic English village near the Dover coast, in the early days of World War II. The action kicks off with the Vicar’s announcement that the choir will be disbanded because its male members are all off doing their war service.

The women decide to take the daring step of reconstituting themselves as a ladies’ choir. There is Mrs. Tilling, the quiet but strong widow whose only son has just enlisted and left home; Prim, the lively newcomer who leads the choir and brings out the best in all the ladies; Venetia, the beauty who turns all the boys’ heads; Venetia’s little sister, Kitty, whose gorgeous soprano is the only asset she has to compete with her sister; Sylvie, the subdued Czech refugee girl; Mrs. B, the local lady of the manor who tries to boss everyone around; Hattie, the newly-married young woman awaiting her first child.

Outside the choir there are other key characters, like Edwina Paltry, the midwife who is always plotting to make a killing with the secret information she gains from her job; Colonel Mallard, head of the nearby military facility, who is billeted with Mrs. Tilling; Brigadier Willet, the abusive father of Venetia and Kitty, who insists his expectant wife must have a boy, to keep the estate in his family; Alastair Slater, the mysterious, dapper young village newcomer.

The story has a real potboiler of a plot, worthy of Downton Abbey. It plays out in the diary entries and letters of the choir’s key members, with romances, intrigues, jealousies, danger, tragedies, crime and retribution. It’s all there, as well as the kind of “there will always be an England” plucky spirit you’d expect from a World War II English village novel.

Jennifer Ryan paints such a vivid portrait of Chilbury and its residents that I’m feel sure this book will be dramatized and find an enthusiastic viewing audience. In the meantime, read the book. I do have some minor criticisms: Edwina’s first long letter (to her sister) is full of elevated literary language that nobody would use in an informal letter, let alone somebody in her station and likely education, and there are a few instances of modern and American-sounding language choices.

I can't believe anyone would give this one star. I loved this book. The characters were well developed and the story line was easy to follow. I found the book engaging and I couldn't help thinking that this would make a wonderful TV series for the BBC. I love most things British and this did not disappoint. Initially, I had a little difficulty following the style of the book as it is written in a journal form with various characters telling their story, but once I was able to sort the characters out in my own mind, I was able to move forward and enjoy a book that is funny, sad, and many emotions in between.

This book felt like an unexpected gift and it gave me great pleasure. The wonderful music tied the well-conceived characters and plot lines together and played an important part. The setting of village and countryside added very effectively and pleasurably to the story. At the end I felt I was leaving friends and a place where I wanted to return.

I really wanted to love this book, but it simply did not make it. It read more like a romance than a novel. So many of the subplots were pretty standard fare as far as plotting, and one seduction scene was pretty much straight out of a Foyle’s War episode several years ago. The basic premise is one I like, and the period is one I have always enjoyed, but so many characters showed human nature at its very worst, that I finished feeling basically unsatisfied with the story and its resolution.

Told with several points of view through letters and journals. However, the voice of Kitty, on paper, was far too articulate and perceptive for a 13-year-old living a sheltered life in rural England. And the likelihood of the midwife pulling off her stunt was beyond implausible. Overall an interesting World War II story.

At first, I wasn't sure I'd like this book. Not another "Plucky British ladies on the homefront" story! But I ended up loving it. The characters were so real, and (most of them) so likable. The writer effectively conveyed how the characters grew and changed in the face of war. Ms. Ryan doesn't gloss over the horrors of war, so it's not all tea and crumpets. But there's a lot of warmth and wit, too.

I really loved this story, set in a quintessential English village during World War II. The personalities of the characters were well-developed, and their interactions were delightful to read, especially some of the scenes involving Mrs. Tilling and the domineering Mrs. B.

The story was more substantial than I expected, including intrigue such as blackmail and espionage. Parts of the book made me smile, while at other times it perfectly captured the anguish of loss and war.

I loved the format of the story, told soley through letters and diary entries of different characters. One small critique is that through using that technique, the full conversations and dialogue that took place were not entirely plausible, given that journal entries and letters would not be written that way. However, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, I found this to be a charming and engaging story of how a group of women in the midst of war came together to lift up their village and each other, finding strength they didn’t know they possessed.

Thank you to Crown Publishing through Netgalley for providing a copy of this book to review.

This is a story of woman from a small English village at the beginning of WWII. The Vicar has disbanded the choir because there are no men and the women decide to form their own choir. There compelling story is told in letters and journal entries. There is good and evil and conflict and resolution. If you liked Downton Abbey you will like this book.

This is a charming epistolary novel that delves into the lives of the women of Chilbury, Kent during the early years of WWII . The narrative commences on March 26, 1940 and ends on September 6, 1940, a short six month period that brought major changes and new understanding to the women of the village.

Encouraged to keep journals of their experiences during this harrowing time in their lives the women complied and it is through these that we observe the unfolding of lives permeated by terrible deceptions, affairs of the heart, and struggles with personal losses. Letters also pepper this narrative and it is through both of these written mediums that the reader is given an insight into a time and place in history that few of us have ever experienced or could imagine.

Filled with coziness and warmth this is a wonderful book for lover's of epistolary novels and historical fiction. It is filled with a vibrancy and a group of well developed characters that captures not only time and place but also the pressures faced by women whose men have gone off to war.

I listened to this book on CD (from my public library) and the different characters played by 6 excellent readers made this story come alive. I kept wanting to see the story on Masterpiece Theater on PBS. I loved the characters, the story and the way they pulled together during the war. It was definitely about growth of the characters. I loved it and hope there will be more books by Jennifer Ryan.

4 1/2 Stars
This charming debut novel is set in a small English village in 1940 in the midst of the war. Each chapter is alternately told by five different women either through her journal, diary or written letters. With a cast of delightful characters, this enchanting story was a joy to read. Looking forward to much more from Jennifer Ryan! Thank you to Crown and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

<em>The Chilbury Ladies' Choir</em> is a stunning, beautiful historical fiction novel.

With the men of England off to war - a war that is too often seen near their own homes - the women of Chilbury defy a local Vicar's decree that the church choir should be silenced until the men return and instead use the power of their voices to lift up, and entertain the community. They are emboldened when they enter a competition of local choirs and come away with a trophy.

But the book isn't about the choir as a unit, but it is about community and about the individuals who make up the choir and author Jennifer Ryan manages to bring us in and close to a number of different individuals who experience a series of trials and joys during these days of war (WWII).

The book is written as a series of letters, journal entries, and other forms of non-narrative storytelling (such as newspaper or flyer posts). Normally I don't enjoy books done in this manner, finding the story-telling to be disjointed and un-focused. But author Jennifer Ryan has managed to tell this story so smoothly that in thinking back on the book, I'm remembering the characters and the story but it was only when I reopened the book that I was reminded of the method of the story-telling.

Because of the method of story-telling, Ryan was able to get us directly into the heads of the different characters as they relayed their thoughts and desires and concerns in a straight-forward manner. Ryan also gives us different perspectives on the same issues as different people write about what is happening in the town.

I was really impressed with how much I related with this diverse group of characters - the majority of them women (given that I am a middle age male). I cared about them. I got caught up in their lives. I wanted to keep reading about them when I was finished with the book.

Often we read a book and get an interesting or well-told tale. This book drew me and made me FEEL and that's precisely what you want in a book. This is highly recommended.

Looking for a good book? <em>The Chilbury Ladies' Choir</em> by Jennifer Ryan is an absorbing historical fiction story that will have you believing you know these characters personally. It is worth reading!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

It's May 1940 as the lads of the English village of Chilbury head off to war. It is the women, mainly, along with the children and old men who are left behind, who tend the home fires and keep them burning strong in the lads' absence. In the absence of male choristers, the women gather together to establish a "Ladies' Choir" for the church and for local competition. They find comfort and strength in the company of one another as well as discover the healing and bolstering properties of music well sung.

The story is told through correspondence and personal journal entries of five key women of Chilbury. ranging in age from 10 years to 50 or so. It speaks of young love, black market dealings, fear of Nazism, spies in their midst, autumn love and personal sacrifice. Through the ladies of choir's sense of community, there's very little which cannot be accomplished together and the music provides the balm needed by broken and worried souls. This was a lovely account of the strength of women when called upon to lift up their community and to care for one another through thick and through thin.

I am grateful to publisher Penguin Random House LLC for having provided a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Their generosity, however, did not influence this review, the words of which are mine alone.

This is mildly entertaining, occasionally sweet, with a large cast of characters. It would have gotten a higher rating from me but for a number of GLARING character inconsistencies and too-neat conclusions. There are enough loose ends to the multiple story lines that a sequel could be possible.

Epistolary style can be challenging, but Jennifer Ryan has handled it well in this charming novel. I would have allotted five stars if the music of the choir had actually contributed to the story, or indeed had much detail at all, but still, the idea of a ladies' choir in wartime still has a lot of appeal, and the characters are great fun.

I would like to thank HarperCollins UK for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this book.

"It was as if on the edge of manhood he too remembered everything we had shared, that he was the man who was still, in his heart, my little boy, late for school.
And then he was gone."

The Childbury Ladies' Choir is told in diary entry format, jumping back and forth between the diary entries of the different characters. This format took a bit of getting used to, it didn't lend itself well to getting to know the characters as individuals. The characters were initially just names at the top of a diary post, there was nothing there that allowed me to create a mental image of them as a person. I had to differentiate each by their voice and it took reading a good few entries from each individual character before I managed to match those voices to something a little more substantial than just a name.

Once I was able to separate the characters I was then somewhat able to slowly build a mental image of each from the bits of information scattered across all the different diary entries. However, the pieces were a bit too scattered and I couldn't build as clear a picture of each as I would have liked, and as a result, the characters never felt real. I was outside looking in, reading their stories from a distance rather than experiencing them. They were almost strangers, strangers that I knew by little more than their name, and because of this I never found myself becoming immersed in the storyline or characters enough that I reached that point of forgetting I was reading a story.

Despite the above, I did still enjoy the book and I did learn a few things. It was fascinating to get a peek into village life during the war, but I found it easy to put down. I also found myself thinking of other books or TV programs that I have watched that are set during the war, taking what I had read in this book and placing more memorable characters from other stories into their situation, or comparing them, which made me realise just how distant I felt from the characters in the book.

Like I said, I did enjoy it while reading, it was an OK read but not a great read. I'm hesitant to recommend it because if like me, you like to have a clear picture in your mind and want to immerse yourself in the story rather than watch from a distance, then this isn't the book for you.

I’ve spent a lot of years in church choirs of various flavors. I’ve been in the choir of an Episcopalian church with a director who was such an amazing musician that if a piece of music didn’t work for our voices, he would simply write a new arrangement. I’ve also been in a UU choir where the director made us rehearse a capella to force us to truly listen to each other.

Many people erroneously believe that the point of choral singing is to blend everyone’s voice into one homogeneous sound, but the real goal is for each voice to harmonize, so that many individual voices combine into new sounds. Sometimes they’re unison, sometimes the separate notes – the separate voices – are meant to be heard.

In this lovely novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, Jennifer Ryan has done the latter. She has created a collection of individual voices – a young window, a refugee, the church ladies you expect to find in such a setting, and she has given them solid unison pieces in which they blend – their determination to keep their choir alive with all the men gone – but she has also let their individual talents shine.

Epistolary novels can be tricky – it’s much harder to maintain the distinctions between characters when so much of the story is in first-person accounts – but Ryan has done so deftly. I felt immersed in these women’s lives, enjoying their triumphs and shedding tears at their sorrows.

Each of the women whose voices we hear in this novel are distinct personalities, with loves and fears and wants and desires, and each one has a compelling story that, when blended together forms a chorus of voices painting a word-picture of their village in a specific period of time.

Many people have compared this novel to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, me included, but though they share a similar period, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is vastly different – it’s more candid, more personal, and more rooted in feminine sensibilities. Still, if you liked one, you’ll probably enjoy the other. I did.

Goes well with shortbread biscuits and hot tea, maybe with a splash of whiskey in it.

You have to read this story or rather a collection of stories. I really got to know and understand this group of great characters . Set in a World War 11 small village near the Kent Coast in England. The choir holds the town together and gives strength , purpose and change to all. This novel should be adapted for a TV series.

This is a natural fit for fans of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society," as it deals with villagers in the England of World War II and how they carry on. With most of the men gone off to war, the vicar decides that an all-ladies choir will never do. The ladies disagree. The book relates in letters, articles, journal entities how the villagers cope with personal issues and those brought on by the war, some of which are melodramatic in nature. There are nice people, gruff with a heart of gold people, and nasty people, and many are a bit of a cliche. Some of the letters and journal entries sound realistic and others are obviously attempts to provide the reader with more information than an actual person would be likely to relate. This is a decent effort from a new voice, and I am sure will be a popular choice for book clubs.

This isn't the type of novel I'd normally read, but I'm always willing to stretch and try something new. I'm about half-way through and ready to give up on it.

This certainly is a group of odd characters that go against my grain - the promiscuous flirt, the gossip, the busybody, the judgmental person, the unscrupulous midwife.... no one really caring much about the others. I'm still waiting to see someone really stick up for one of their friends or relatives. Maybe the fact that it's in journal and letter form that the focus is so much on themselves, although I'd think you'd write concerns about other's welfare as well as your own in your journal or letters.

As I read the journal entries, I wonder who the heck would ever write that much in their journal and so many verbatim quotes? Especially during the war when there might be a shortage of paper and/or ink. The letters were a bit more realistic.

I think the story would have possibly been more enjoyable if it were written as a novel with better character development and maybe one ounce of caring for others. Some banding together in tough times (beyond starting a ladies' choir and the dissension that occurs) would be more realistic.

I enjoy stories where I can feel like I'm taken in by it and become part of the story rather than feeling like a voyeur, as I do while reading this one.

I'll try to read a bit more, but I'm not sure I'll make it through the rather long book!

A heartwarming and inspiring book about a group of women who find their individual and collective voices (both literally and figuratively) in their small English village at the onset of World War II. Dealing with situations and relationships outside of their usual realms of experience, the women of Chilbury learn that in times of war the usual expectations and relationships may shift. This is primarily the women’s story, but Colonel Mallard is one male character who is especially endearing.

An epistolary novel that deals with the early days of WW II. the format makes for an enjoyable read that pulls you into the characters’ s lives. As I was reading it made me feel as if the letters were being sent to me further drawing you into the story and the lives of the characters in this book.

The Chilbury Ladies' Choir follows the lives of several different women of varying ages and from various backgrounds over the course of a few months during the Second World War. A young woman mourns a man who has left for the war, and wondering if she should let their childhood friendship turn into an engagement. His mother worries for him and wonders if she's going to lost a son now having lost her husband in the previous war. Someone looks to profit from the concerns of the village. Some learn to stand up for themselves.

All round, it's a story about the life of a small village and its trials. I liked seeing the clashes between the choir of women and the group of home front men who wanted to practice in the church at the same time as them. Some of the twists in the personal stories I think were quite predictable, such as the pregnancy of an unmarried woman (I won't tell you who) but other aspects kept me guessing.

I got this one a while back for review and read most of it on the beach and to me the book fit that sort of holiday mood. It's nice, sweet, and has some poignant moments. Jennifer Ryan has written a good book to read in a relaxing setting, a hug and a nice cup of tea in book form. I liked it, I'll recommend it, but I don't feel the need to reread it, so I'm giving The Chilbury Ladies' Choir 6 out of 10.

The Chilbury Ladies Choir is an endearing story of the residents of a small village in England during World War II. This is a perfect book for readers who loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society and The Summer Before the War.

The story is told from several viewpoints through letters and journal entries. The women of Chilbury were told that dealing with the stress of war might be easier if they kept a journal, so readers are privy to a few of the private thoughts of some of the members of the ladies choir. My favorite chapters were of letters the scandalous Mrs. Paltry wrote to her sister.

At the start of the story many of the women were disappointed that they no longer had a choir due to all the men going off to war. With the local vicar’s permission, the ladies were able to form a choir of their own and in the process formed a support system that would prove to be a blessing in the months ahead.

As England becomes deeper entrenched in war, readers watch the choir members grow up, grow in character and grow in compassion for others. There were some sad events, but mostly the book was uplifting and light-hearted.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Chilbury Ladies Choir and would like to thank Net-Galley and Crown Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story is told via letters and journal entries by the main characters. At first I had trouble distinguishing who was who, but soon this fell into place and the story drew me in. I did enjoy the book, although I believe it could have been shortened a bit without damage to the plot.

Great read! This book is about a small village in England during WWII. It shows - to an extent- what life was like for the women who were left behind to support the war effort while the men go off to fight Hitler.

Characters are fairly well developed, has plenty of twists and turns - some funny, some sad. Every day life in this small place with some very interesting people: Brigadier General to lowly maids and everyone in between. Swapped babies, men dying at war, a ladies choir and their efforts to keep singing while the men are away, affairs, and nefarious plans galore!

A very interesting look into what lives might have been in England during WWII. Reminds me a bit of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - a must read book!

Jennifer Ryan has written a sweet, often moving story about the way the start of World War II affected a village near the coast of Britain. Using the letters and journals of four main characters, Ryan humanizes history, using a mixture of humor, horror, pathos, and the banality of evil.

The main plot lines revolve around babies switched at birth, a love affair, and the creation of the women's choir in the title. The female singers of Chilbury are bereft when their vicar posts a notice stating that since all the "male voices are at war," the choir will be disbanded. Their despair turns to hope, however, when a sprightly, talented, and persuasive chorus leader named Prim moves to town and shocks everyone by organizing the women into a surprisingly good choir. We learn about the social and political forces in town through choir members' letters and journal writings: Mrs. Tillings, a nurse and widow whose young son David is about to be shipped to the front; Venetia Winthrop, the beautiful but shallow eldest daughter of the Brigadier, the town's male aristocratic bully; Kitty Winthrop, Venetia's younger sister, who is as proud of her beautiful and true soprano voice as she is irritated by her vain sister; and Edwina Paltry, a midwife whose instincts are less than moral. Through them, we learn different versions of the choir's creation, see how the love affair progresses, understand the greed that leads to the baby switch (a stretched plot device if ever there was one), meet the variety of characters that populate a small British village, and experience the horror that the Nazis brought to rural England during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Ryan develops each character quite well as we read their varying accounts of the same occurrences. The most beautiful and moving writing is that of Mrs. Tillings, still in mourning for her deceased husband and already mourning the possible loss of her son on the front lines. Her writing is thoughtful, honest, and self-effacing, and shows her to be a lovely, kind human being. Venetia's letters to a friend who's moved to London first show her to be extremely flirtatious and vain, but also demonstrate how love and loss can deeply affect even a girl of 17. Kitty's exuberant spirit is demonstrated in the lively writing style Ryan uses for her journal entries. Kitty is bright yet deluded about some things, but as the choir and the war become an important part of the fabric of Chilbury's life, she matures and her viewpoints change. Miss Paltry's letters to her sister Clara, written in a rural dialect, show her to be a greedy woman after the main chance. Suspicious of everyone and threatening to many, Miss Paltry's character suits her name. Other characters are well drawn in the journals and letters, as well, even though we don't "hear" their own voices. Prim the choir leader, Venetia's friend Hattie, the girls' mother, their father the Brigadier, and the Winthrops' refugee foster daughter, Silvie, come alive on the page, as do several other characters who become important to the story. Most readers will be able to predict how the various plot elements play out, but will enjoy seeing them come to their conclusions nonetheless.

Ryan has crafted a very special book about a snapshot in time in a small part of the world. In many ways, the book is more than an enjoyable read, even if it doesn't qualify as great literature.

I was fortunate to win an ARC of the Chilbury Ladies' Choir, and I am so glad that I did. It is written by several women who live in the small town of Chilbury in England during WWII in the form of letters and journal entries. We learn much about these women, as well as other characters, from their entries. These interesting female characters grow and change when the men go off to war. And the Ladies' Choir empowers them and these women come together and are there for each other in good times, as well as bad times. It is an enjoyable read, and if you like historical fiction books, this one is for you!

A fantastic book about the bombing of Kent and surrounding areas during Hitler's regime. The characters are so well developed that you feel like you know them. One of the best books I've read about WWII! I would give this book more than five stars! Very highly recommend! Loved it!

Told during the time period of Ww2 and in England - this is a story about how a community of women support each other . The chapters are short and told in different characters points of view . It started a little slow for me but then once I got into it , I really enjoyed it .

This was a wonderful story, very charming. I really enjoyed getting to know all the ladies of the choir, through their letters & journals. A very enjoyable read. My only complaint is that it was about a short period of time & I want to know how they made out for the rest of the war! Book 2??

I needed charming and charming is what I got with The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. It turned out to be a page turner and exactly what I was looking for. Ah, the characters come to life on the pages and the story takes off from page one with intricacies added like enhancements on a fine painting.

Very good story told through the medium of journal entries and letters of ladies who are learning to survive during WWII as the men are away fighting and they have to continue with life at home. You are drawn into the story of each character and share in the happy and sad events that occur in there lives as they are transformed by the time they live, learning to enjoy every day since you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

I first read the book from the library and enjoyed it so much that I had to have my own copy.I love to read it more than once to savor the relationships among the different characters.It should be made into a movie.Wonderful story!

Enjoyable, insightful and just the right book for my beach vacation. As a historical novel, I found it excellent, and the characters were engaging. The story line was interesting enough. but a bit predictable for me. The use of the choir throughout was a very fine idea! As a first novel, it was superb. Jennifer Ryan, please keep writing.

This was the perfect book to read during the holidays. The only downside was that I read it in two days and wished it could have been longer. Interesting format--everything was written as letters from the different characters, which allowed the reader to really get to know each one. I enjoy books about England, World War II, and strong women, so it was a perfect fit for me. I highly recommend this book

To have a microscopic view into the lives of the women from the same town through their diaries during WW11 is unusual. However, through their hardships and everyday burdens, the War makes these women( from almost 14 and younger to much older) bind together and stronger through mission and song. Leave it to these ladies to make lemonade out of of lemons with their rations!

This was a charming little read, reminiscent of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The plot isn't overly sweet and has some interesting plot twists that kept me reading this all the way through, in one sitting. I'd highly recommend this to anyone looking for a lighter read as the characters are will written, the narrative moves along at a good pace and, while nothing is greatly groundbreaking it was just a lovely read.

I just finished reading "The Chilbury Ladies' Choir". For all who enjoyed "The Guernsey Literary and Sweet Potato Peel Pie Society", you might want to treat yourself to this very good debut novel by Jennifer Ryan. Set at the beginning of WWII, in a small village in England, the story unfolds through many voices, told via letters and diary entries. When the Vicar determines that the choir is to be disbanded because the men are off to war, the ladies of the choir find their voices, in more ways than one. This is a story that drew me in from the first few pages and I finished it quickly. It is by turns funny, sad, hopeful and inspiring - but always entertaining.

I am a real fan of English novels, especially from the first half of the 20th century: Miss Read, D. E. Stevenson, O. Douglas. Films such as Island at War, etc. One of the best books in the last year is "The War That Saved My Life". I know the genre. This one starts with a map of the village, and a funeral for the heir of the Big House, leading right into the problems at hand. However, this one digs into a little nastier side of all these entwined villagers. The midwife has a sideline treating STDs; the vicar's daughter gives away things besides jars of marmalade, etc., the dead heir is more good riddance than war hero. However, like any good village, we are all in this together, and the writing and details are spot on. Like another reviewer said, this would nicely translate to any small screen with many episodes.

In my quest for more gentle reading, I hit upon The Chilbury Ladies' Choir. Set in 1940 when World War 2 was having an impact on everyone, the choir in Chilbury was in danger of grinding to a halt, as nearly all the male members had gone to fight. However, the ladies of the parish decided that there was an even bigger reason to sing to keep spirits up in troubled times and so the Ladies' Choir was born. The story is told from various points of view through letters and diaries. I thought Jennifer Ryan did a good job of giving each writer their own 'voice' from teenage Kitty to the obnoxious Miss Palfrey.

This is not the most demanding of reads but it was an enjoyable one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read it.

The chapters were written by various characters in the story allowing the reader to get to know each one more intimately as the plot unfurls. Of course once drawn in, it's hard to put the book down. Good read!

The action all takes place in one smallEnglish village during a few months early in WWII. This is a "feel good" story with a good mix of characters who are well defined. There is a good deal of character growth in most of the women characters prompted by the war's events.

I chose this book after reading the overview and thought it might be a good read. And boy was I wrong. It was a GREAT read. Each character was very engaging and since it was written from each of their points of view, I truly felt like I was getting inside of their stories. I looked forward to every page of this book and was left looking forward to a next book by this author. I highly recommend.

Something like the beloved "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society," with life being sad, funny, stressful, and hopeful, all at the same time. Very well-researched. An encouraging book about women getting through tough times.

Lovely rural setting in England. Young men at war, so the women form a women's only choir with an amusing assortment of personalities! It is interesting to see how the war changes the women, maturing the young and strengthening the old....Great read!

This book is so good. Women are the "soldiers" in this telling of WWll. Each character has their own story and you find yourself experiencing the war through their eyes. It's funny, sad, and thought provoking. I didn't want it to end..

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir
Jennifer Ryan

This novel is set in a small English village during World War II. Ryan shows us the lives of her characters through their letters and diary entries. Each character is developed with skill and care, so that we can see clearly even the murkiest and meanest. We see how the war changes people, most times for the better. We root for the noble widow, the zany choir director, the conflicted village beauty queen and her plainer sister. Interwoven in the struggles of the village dwellers are the intrigues of Nazi spies and black marketeers. Ryan skewers the upper crust and pretenders to their station, damning their weakness and cruelty in their own words.

A great read, one I was sad to see end.

I was surprised at how much I got​ involved with the characters. Kind of a cross between The Nightingale and Downtown Abbey. The intertwined stories of characters in a small English village in WII.

My first expectation with reading Jennifer Ryan's book called The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, was nostalgia and coziness.  I admit to thinking that a book written about a church choir during the Second World War brought a homey feeling to me.  The book has a great cover as well, which fed my anticipation.

But I was disappointed.  Rather than be mainly about the ladies creating the choir since the men were off to war, it's centered on the crass behavior of the members, namely a midwife who will do anything to achieve what she wants. Cozy it wasn't.  It's worldly and not what I expected.   

Nevermind.

(i received this book free to review from bloggingforbooks)

An absolute joy to read! It was delightful, charming, engaging, captivating, and suspenseful which kept me wanting to fly through the book yet at the same time I didn't want it to end. My favorite book so far this year, and I read many. I'm impressed this was the author's first novel and look forward to the next one!

If you're in the mood for a cozy, uplifting story, this one will fit the bill. I love to sing and enjoy the camaraderie singers develop. This story is revealed through several diaries, from a ten year old to a lonely middle aged widow. It's a lovely read.

One of the best books in recent years that is written in a journal format, with entries from all the main characters. Set in WW2 England, it is a heart-warming story of courageous ladies who are not afraid to speak out, take action, and "think outside the box”. Yet it is not a feminist book in any way. I would highly recommend this “feel good” book.

This was a great read - quick, entertaining, and funny. The chapters alter between diary entries and letters, with each one giving you the perspective of a different character. I didn't want it to end.

This book is amazing! I read a lot of books set during WWII, and this one captures all the feelings and horrific issues faced by the people of Britain, in a very unique way, with the letters and journals. I hope the author will continue with these characters in a series!

I loved this book which was just what I was looking for. it is a wonderful historical fiction novel set during World War II in a quaint English village.You feel you are there yourself experiencing the events. I hope we see more from this author.

I was so tired of books set during World War II ... until I started reading this one. Interesting female characters, a bit of wit, and yet a lot of reality and a good story. I thought I knew how a few plot lines would go and I was very wrong. I would love a sequel.

Lovely group of stories woven together of women coming together in time of need. Something we seem to be lacking now a days, unity for the good of the community. Support for our friends and neighbors with love and compassion. A wonderful read!

It’s easy to forget just how close the German forces were to England – something we in the U.S. have never experienced. Planes overhead, so close that the insignia could be seen clearly; the ever-present fear of bombs; the dreaded telegraphs. Food shortages and intense romances. Women’s lives changing dramatically as they were called on to meet new challenges with the men gone to war. The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir ties together threads of lives revealed in diary entries and letters written by a group of girls and women. Some are heroes, one is a villain, and others are just doing the best they can. Together they tell a story that’s engrossing and heartwarming

Don't read this if you are British any have any knowledge of WWII. It is an easy read set during this time, with few details, rather it just states the obvious. Example : small boats saved so many in Dunkirk, or we used ration books back then.
The plot is good but rather like a "soap opera," in that there is a lot of gossip.