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The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

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The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

By: Jennifer Ryan, Mike Grady
Narrated by: Gabrielle Glaister, Imogen Wilde, Laura Kirman, Adjoa Andoh, Tom Clegg
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About this listen

‘The writing glows with emotional intelligence. This atmospheric debut…had me sniffing copiously’ Daily Mail

IN WARTIME, SURVIVAL IS AS MUCH ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AS IT IS ABOUT COURAGE…

Kent, 1940. In the idyllic village of Chilbury change is afoot. Hearts are breaking as sons and husbands leave to fight, and when the Vicar decides to close the choir until the men return, all seems lost.

But coming together in song is just what the women of Chilbury need in these dark hours, and they are ready to sing. With a little fighting spirit and the arrival of a new musical resident, the charismatic Miss Primrose Trent, the choir is reborn.

Some see the choir as a chance to forget their troubles, others the chance to shine. Though for one villager, the choir is the perfect cover to destroy Chilbury’s new-found harmony…

An uplifting and heart-warming novel perfect for fans of Helen Simonson’s The Summer before the War and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

©2017 Jennifer Ryan (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers
Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literature & Fiction Romance Small Town & Rural Comedy War Heartfelt Tear-jerking Village

Critic Reviews

‘The writing glows with emotional intelligence. This atmospheric debut, based on the author’s own family history, had me sniffing copiously’ Daily Mail

‘I am completely and utterly in love with this book. What a joy! It may be in my all-time top five – I just adore every single thing about it’ JILL MANSELL

‘Lyrical, poetic, emotional, funny, endearing, surprising – it is a masterpiece’ VERONICA HENRY author of How to Find Love in a Book Shop

‘I adored it, it made me want to sing with joy’ ALEX BROWN, author of The Secret of Orchard Cottage

‘Delightful… it manages to be sad and funny, exciting and heart-warming, all at the same time. Quite an achievement’
BARBARA ERSKINE author of Sleeper’s Castle

‘I adored The Chilbury Ladies' Choir! The pages sing with such wonderful characters, and through them wartime England really comes alive. Warm, witty, touching and uplifting, I will be recommending this to all my friends’ HAZEL GAYNOR author of The Girl from the Savoy

All stars
Most relevant  
Beautiful story, amazing performances. I might just listen again!. Absolutely loved it, and now looking for moire titles by Jennifer Ryan.

Just delightful!

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Would you listen to The Chilbury Ladies' Choir again? Why?

Yes. Loved it all and want to revisit WW2 in Kent with Kitty and Mrs Tilling.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Different actors for each part.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Rivetting

Any additional comments?

Loved the addition of choir music - could be more and louder.

Interesting story and characters

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Gives another side of WWII. Great characters and a good story. Bonus was the intermittent vocals of the choir. Recommend that you read it.

Thoroughly enjoyable

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I loved both the content and delivery, beautifully read by several narrators it was a joy.

Fab book and beautifully read

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A magnificent story. Listening to it was so easy, the narrrators a delight who transported the listener to that time and place.

Wonderful

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Made a nice change from the usual books I listen to - a "light" no stress

The Chilbury Ladies Choir

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I loved this book I am glad that I listened to it on audible I think I got a better idea of the different personalities I am sad it is finished.

World war 2 from the ladies point of view.

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A very entertaining book with a dynamic set of characters, not too heavy or too light! I'm very picky when it comes to narrators, but I did not dislike any of them in this book, it was very well produced.

What a great listen!

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There didn't feel enough lift in this story....just one upset after another. yes it came together at the end, but I didn't enjoy it as much as other titles of hers-sadly.
At times, it felt somewhat like a reflective piece of writing, rather than a key part of the story-sneaking in modern day themes etc which detracted from the overall story for me.
Hasn't turned me off her writing, but I hope future titles stay the course and don't try to squeeze themes in to be current...
it truly did detract from the story.
I also found most of the characters unlikable, which made it a bit of a hard slog as I listened. There were only 2 characters that I could cheer for, and they weren't always on the scene.
Maybe this is why I didn't enjoy it as much.
🤷‍♀️

stronger themes than other titles.

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The yelling actors are awful. Not comparable to Guernsey Literacy Potato Peel Pie Society. Ugh!

Ooh what annoying characters.

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