The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, by Jennifer Ryan

REVIEW: I love this book!  It is the perfect blend of a good story, interesting characters and meaningful ideas to consider long after the reading is done.  I enjoyed the format of telling the story through diary entries, letters, etc.  and thought the author did a good job of revealing the characters through their own thoughts as well as their observations of others.  I highly recommend this book to individuals and book groups.  I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for this review.

Characters

Mrs. Tilling – widow, nurse David – son Colonel Mallarad – widower, Mrs. Tilling’s boarder - Head of Litchfield Park Brigadier Winthrop Mrs. Winthrop – pregnant Edmund – son – killed in war Venetia – 18 Kitty – 13 Silvie – 10 – Jewish evacuee Lawrence – newborn son (switched with Hattie Lovell’s baby) Proggett - butler Hattie Lovell – pregnant, school teacher Rose – newborn daughter (switched with Mrs. Winthrop’s baby) Mrs. Edwina Paltry – midwife Clara – sister Vicar Angela Quail – daughter, friend of Venetia’s Mr. Alastair Slater – artist, spy Mrs. Primrose Trent (Prim) – Professor of Music, must tutor, choir director Mrs. Brampton-Boyd (Mrs. B.)

For discussion:

NOTE: The page numbers are from the hardback edition of the book.

1. On page 4 the author wrote, “There is something bolstering about singing together.”  If you do not like to sing, could you appreciate the power of singing and how the Ladies’ Choir helped unite the women and also helped them cope with their intense feelings?  If you currently are in or have sung in a group, do you think the author accurately described the experience or was it magnified because of the war?
2. Could you understand how difficult and how much courage it took for the women to form an all-female choir at that time?  What would be a comparable undertaking today?
3. On page 112 Kitty wrote in her diary about the positives in conventional wisdom and continuing to do things the way they had always been done.  When do you think tradition is good and when should it be abandoned?  How do you know?
4. In one of her journal entries Kitty mused about the power of women; “Does Hitler have any idea of the force and determination of thirteen impassioned women?”  (page 140) What did the women accomplish in the novel?  Would the men of the town been able to do the same?
5. Prim held a special choir practice open to everyone in the village to commemorate the lives lost at Dunkirk.  She had them stand in a circle, hold hands and sing a Gregorian chant.  Mrs. Tilling wrote in her diary, “We gingerly held hands.  Such a simple, childish think, but so rare in our busy, untouching world.”  (page 146) Why do you think the experience was so moving to everyone?  What do you think of holding hands with someone outside of your family today?
6. Do you think it was realistic that Hattie was able to switch the babies?  Do you think a mother would recognize her own child or not be able to tell?
7. After the bombing, were you surprised that people were looting their neighbors’ homes?  Do you think this would happen in a small town?
8. Which character did you think was the most interesting?  The most likeable or unlikeable?  Why?
9. Discuss your reading experience.  Did you like the chapters from different character’s viewpoints?  Would you recommend this book to a friend?  Why or why not?
10. Do you think a man would enjoy and appreciate this book or is it geared toward a woman’s experience?

*****

First Semester Success: Learning Strategies and Motivation for Your First Semester (or Any Semester) of College, by Dr. Arden B. Hamer, is available at amazon.com, wordassociation.com and barnesandnoble.com.  Click on the upper right link.