I really enjoyed this book. It provided an interesting perspective on women and the home front during WWII. The characters felt as though they could have been real people living during that time. I found myself rooting for them to both survive and thrive. As with any good historical novel there are moments of joy and times of tears. I will definitely see if the author has other books available. ( )

A bit contrived plot; but mostly enjoyable. KIRKUS REVIEWWhile their men are off fighting the Nazis, the women in the English village of Chilbury struggle to carry on.Though the action spans only a few months in 1940, a lot happens: there are bombings, a nefarious baby-swapping scheme, passionate love affairs, acts of espionage and of great valor. The Chilbury women, it seems, are always being tested. What binds them together and lifts their spirits is their participation in the local church choir, transformed with the advent of war from a coed chorus to an all-female one. The story is told through the women?s letters and journal entries, which can make for some clumsy exposition. Key figures include the sensible widow and nurse Mrs. Tilling, the scheming midwife Miss Paltry, Kitty Winthrop, a plucky, headstrong 13-year-old, and her older sister, Venetia, the town beauty and a heedless flirt until she falls hard for a secretive artist. All are borderline stock characters, and little that happens in the book is unexpected�though the brutality of Brig. Winthrop, Kitty and Venetia?s father, does come as a bit of a shock. The author also tends to tell rather than show: asked if she thinks that singing will help the women get through the war, the choir director answers, ?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.? Real tragedy visits the town, but it doesn?t fully register. And subplots involving homosexuality and abortion seem designed to make a period piece feel more contemporary. Still, the book is well-paced, especially in the second half, and readers may find themselves furiously turning pages even if they can easily predict what?s coming next.Mildly entertaining, Ryan's debut novel seems overfamiliar and too intent on warming the heart.

OMGs. I am not sure now how I stumbled across this book. But whoever nudged me in its direction:
THANK YOU!

Once I got the hang of the multiple voices and who was whom, I could NOT stop reading it. It was terrific.

I laughed out loud more times than I could count. In other parts, helpless tears spilled. I ignored my work, household chores, a huge backlog of important phone calls and emails, because I just loved this amazing, beautifully crafted story. And oh! I hated coming to the end. (I knew I ought to slow down, savor it as the pages dwindled, but just could not help myself!).

It was perfection.

Thank you, Jennifer Ryan. I haven't read anything that so grabbed my heart and imagination like that in a very very long time. ( )

Epistolary novel focused on four main characters. Great plotting, character development, and dialog. I was hooked from the beginning. Highly recommended to all of my friends. ( )

Small town near the southern coast of England during the early days of WWII. The ladies start a choir, since all the men have gone to fight. The story is told through letters and diary entries. Spies, theft, misdeeds, seduction, a Jewish refugee -- all play a part.

I love love love this book. So many good people doing good things. Of course, there were a few bad folks. There has to be, since there is a war going on.

Sad things happen, but I don't want to give spoilers.

I could have read many more chapters in this book. I wish it had gone on for many more pages. This might be my favorite book of 2023, and it's only June! ( )