The Chilbury Ladies' Choir: A Novel

Written by:
Jennifer Ryan
Narrated by:
Various

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
19
Narrator
4
Release Date
February 2017
Duration
11 hours 34 minutes
Summary
'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 homefront, in a village of indomitable spirit, at the dawn of a most terrible conflict.


This audiobook includes popular versions of classical music sung by women’s choirs, including the songs Abide with Me and All Creatures, Ave Maria, and The Lord's My Shepherd 

Cast of Narrators:
Gabrielle Glaister
Laura Kirman
Imogen Wilde
Adjoa Andoh
Tom Clegg
Mike Grady
Reviews
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Natalie H

What a great book. It reminded me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society:. The narration was the best of any other audio book because there were different narrators for each character and this helped me visualize the characters. I have recommended this book to many of my friends.

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Judith B.

The book is certainly engaging, and it gives one a real sense of the strains and horrors of that time. Using different narrators was a very good way of dealing with the fact that the book itself uses a number of narrators. However, it also drove me crazy. You can’t have THAT many great writers in one village. And I had the feeling that the book might have been written in the third person originally and that this use of multiple first-person narratives was the editor’s suggestion. But since the original descriptions were maintained—“I smiled coyly and patted my great coppery mass of hair with one hand while I adjusted my clinging, jade-green skirt so he could see my white, dimpled knees with the other” ISN’T a quote from the book, but it gives you the idea. I spent half of my attention mentally recasting it back into the third person. And writing a projected letter to the author. If I had known how annoying it would be, I’d probably have given it a miss. So consider this fair warning.

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