The Whalebone Theatre
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- Create Date：2022-05-30 00:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Joanna Quinn
- ISBN：0241542839
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Summary
'Maudie， why are all the best characters men？'
Maudie closes the book with a clllump。 'We haven't read all the books yet， Miss Cristabel。 I can't believe that every story is the same'
Cristabel Seagrave has always wanted her life to be a story， but there are no girls in the books in her dusty family library。 For an unwanted orphan who grows into an unmarriageable young woman， there is no place at all for her in a traditional English manor。
But from the day that a whale washes up on the beach at the Chilcombe estate in Dorset， and twelve-year-old Cristabel plants her flag and claims it as her own， she is determined to do things differently。
With her step-parents blithely distracted by their endless party guests， Cristabel and her siblings， Flossie and Digby， scratch together an education from the plays they read in their freezing attic， drunken conversations eavesdropped through oak-panelled doors， and the esoteric lessons of Maudie their maid。
But as the children grow to adulthood and war approaches， jolting their lives on to very different tracks， it becomes clear that the roles they are expected to play are no longer those they want。 As they find themselves drawn into the conflict， they must each find a way to write their own story。。。
Maudie closes the book with a clllump。 'We haven't read all the books yet， Miss Cristabel。 I can't believe that every story is the same'
Cristabel Seagrave has always wanted her life to be a story， but there are no girls in the books in her dusty family library。 For an unwanted orphan who grows into an unmarriageable young woman， there is no place at all for her in a traditional English manor。
But from the day that a whale washes up on the beach at the Chilcombe estate in Dorset， and twelve-year-old Cristabel plants her flag and claims it as her own， she is determined to do things differently。
With her step-parents blithely distracted by their endless party guests， Cristabel and her siblings， Flossie and Digby， scratch together an education from the plays they read in their freezing attic， drunken conversations eavesdropped through oak-panelled doors， and the esoteric lessons of Maudie their maid。
But as the children grow to adulthood and war approaches， jolting their lives on to very different tracks， it becomes clear that the roles they are expected to play are no longer those they want。 As they find themselves drawn into the conflict， they must each find a way to write their own story。。。
Reviews
MarySue
，
I was drawn in immediately with the descriptions of the two-year-old Cristabel and entranced from then on with the convoluted family developments。 As the slow involvement of the onset of WW2 changes the lives of the three siblings， their experiences and choices are shaped by their parent-less childhood and their devotion to each other。
Katy Wheatley
，
A sprawling family saga that runs from the end of WWI to the end of WWII and follows the fortunes of the members of the Seagrave family， heirs to a country pile in the depths of the Devon countryside。 This reminds me very much of Elizabeth Jane Howard's magnificent Cazalet Chronicles in the best way。 The characters are brilliantly drawn and you just want to know everything about them。 I was incredibly sad when the book ended。 I feel like I was wrenched away from the world Quinn had created so pe A sprawling family saga that runs from the end of WWI to the end of WWII and follows the fortunes of the members of the Seagrave family， heirs to a country pile in the depths of the Devon countryside。 This reminds me very much of Elizabeth Jane Howard's magnificent Cazalet Chronicles in the best way。 The characters are brilliantly drawn and you just want to know everything about them。 I was incredibly sad when the book ended。 I feel like I was wrenched away from the world Quinn had created so perfectly。 Funny， sad， beautiful world building of the best kind。 I loved it。 。。。more
Natalie
，
The Whalebone TheatreBy Joanna QuinnThis is the story of England， just prior to， during， and after World War II。 The Seagrave family of Chilcombe typifies the changing society of that period。 Jasper， his wife Rosalind， and his brother Willoughby represent the society of duty， grandeur， and the status quo。 Cristabel， Flossie， and Digby – the next generation – are the harbingers of change in the world。Ms。 Quinn manages to do two things at once with this book – she paints a wide canvas of a world a The Whalebone TheatreBy Joanna QuinnThis is the story of England， just prior to， during， and after World War II。 The Seagrave family of Chilcombe typifies the changing society of that period。 Jasper， his wife Rosalind， and his brother Willoughby represent the society of duty， grandeur， and the status quo。 Cristabel， Flossie， and Digby – the next generation – are the harbingers of change in the world。Ms。 Quinn manages to do two things at once with this book – she paints a wide canvas of a world at war， while at the same time， zeroing in on the individuals and how they are affected by the struggles of a society in flux。The story deals with topics still relevant today – women as second class citizens; homsexuality; the class system in England as it gives way to a more egalitarian way of living。 And of course， love and loss – eternal and unchanging。After reading so many war stories， I was not prepared to like this book – I was wrong。 The juxtaposition of the macrocosm and microcosm of society made for a different and interesting read。 。。。more
Stephen Dilley
，
The Whalebone Theatre is a wonderfully warm， generous and expansive family saga which was a pleasure to read from start to finish。 The story focuses on the eccentric Seagrave family who live at the Chilcombe estate in Dorset， particularly the strong-willed eldest daughter Cristabel， her half-sister Flossie （nicknamed "The Veg"） and her cousin Digby。 We first meet Cristabel as a smart and inquisitive four-year-old as 1919 turns to 1920， and follow the Seagraves through the 1920s and 1930s and int The Whalebone Theatre is a wonderfully warm， generous and expansive family saga which was a pleasure to read from start to finish。 The story focuses on the eccentric Seagrave family who live at the Chilcombe estate in Dorset， particularly the strong-willed eldest daughter Cristabel， her half-sister Flossie （nicknamed "The Veg"） and her cousin Digby。 We first meet Cristabel as a smart and inquisitive four-year-old as 1919 turns to 1920， and follow the Seagraves through the 1920s and 1930s and into the Second World War。 What begins as a coming-of-age story about the creativity and imagination of children who are largely ignored by the bohemian socialite adults in their families turns into a thrilling story of wartime heroism and derring-do as first Digby and then Cristabel are parachuted into France with the SOE to work with the French Resistance， while Flossie holds the fort back in England。 Along the way， Quinn explores the restrictions placed on women by society and how everyone's lives were transformed by war。 Another strand running through the novel is the idea of acting - firstly in the titular theatre which Cristabel has erected in the grounds of Chilcombe （made from the bones of a whale stranded on the beach） but then as a necessary means of survival as an SOE agent。I found this a consistently engaging and immersive novel; all the characters are lovingly drawn and develop in interesting and surprising ways。 There is lots of humour but also moments of sadness and tenderness。 I think this book would appeal to anyone who enjoyed 'I Capture the Castle'， the Cazalet Chronicles or 'Life After Life'。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review！ 。。。more
Sarah Benjamin
，
Who didn’t as a child prepare shows for your family complete with hand drawn programmes and home made refreshments，I did and have many happy memories of those times 。Imagine then that you live in a stately home in Dorset with huge wooded grounds and a convenient whale breaching leaves bones for you to make your own theatre 。The start of this extensive book is very jolly hockey sticks swallows and Amazons giving a child’s eye view of such an apparently charmed life There are a whole host of eccen Who didn’t as a child prepare shows for your family complete with hand drawn programmes and home made refreshments，I did and have many happy memories of those times 。Imagine then that you live in a stately home in Dorset with huge wooded grounds and a convenient whale breaching leaves bones for you to make your own theatre 。The start of this extensive book is very jolly hockey sticks swallows and Amazons giving a child’s eye view of such an apparently charmed life There are a whole host of eccentric Characters who fill the book particularly on its early stages with the story being told in a witty fast moving way As the book is set before the Second World War you see the shadows lengthen as it were as the 3 children who’s stories we follow grow to adulthood and the inevitability of war The contrast between child and adult between war and peace effectively separates the book on two 。I enjoyed the comparison between the bucolic Rosie tinted early whalebone theatre scenes and the scenes set in an occupied Parisian theatre during the war Ultimately I did feel that this book lacked somewhat on originality and felt I had read it before on other novels with which I identified more deeply 。There were some contradictions in the story where it was clear that the Digby character was a half brother to the main character but the covert military teams were referring to him as her cousin ，perhaps this was an editing error as I did read an early copy on。 NetGalley Uk The book is published in June 2022 。。。more
Pat Trattles
，
I couldn’t wait to read this book after hearing the high praise it received。 Sadly， it didn’t resonate with me。 It was just ok。 The first 50 pages of character set up was boring and not believable。 Calling Flossie “Veg” for the first part of the book because her mother claimed she looked like a vegetable at birth， was annoying and added nothing to the story。 The middle of the book， starting with the setting up of the Whalebone Theatre and the performances put on there through the World War II ye I couldn’t wait to read this book after hearing the high praise it received。 Sadly， it didn’t resonate with me。 It was just ok。 The first 50 pages of character set up was boring and not believable。 Calling Flossie “Veg” for the first part of the book because her mother claimed she looked like a vegetable at birth， was annoying and added nothing to the story。 The middle of the book， starting with the setting up of the Whalebone Theatre and the performances put on there through the World War II years was interesting and the descriptive writing was unique and fresh。 The final chapter was not necessary and I think it would have been a much stronger book without it。 I think this would have been better as two books – the first the childhood year of the Seagrave children – minus the long character setup at the beginning - and the second the adult years。 I am giving this book 3 stars （2。5 rounded up） because the middle had many engaging moments and it was a good effort for a first time author。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mary
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Review to follow
C
，
Thank you to the publishers for sending me this novel in exchange for my honest thoughts。 I felt as if this novel was at a very slow pace。 It also had a lot of first world problem vibes from Christabell growing up with a very odd family。 The plot did intrigue me however it just did not live up to the expectations that was laid out from the initial plot。
Fiona Campbell
，
I feel as though I have read a trilogy。 There is no question that 'The Whalebone Theatre' is a well written and researched novel， which would make a great TV drama。Part 1: I was engaged from the beginning and felt invested in the story of Rosalind and Christabel。 Having lost his first wife， Jasper marries Rosalind and it soon becomes clear that her sole purpose is to provide him with a son and heir。 Christabel is looked after by the household staff and her new mother has no interest in her。 Rosa I feel as though I have read a trilogy。 There is no question that 'The Whalebone Theatre' is a well written and researched novel， which would make a great TV drama。Part 1: I was engaged from the beginning and felt invested in the story of Rosalind and Christabel。 Having lost his first wife， Jasper marries Rosalind and it soon becomes clear that her sole purpose is to provide him with a son and heir。 Christabel is looked after by the household staff and her new mother has no interest in her。 Rosalind was very naive with regard to pregnancy and when she does give birth， it's a girl。I loved the line which says she' looks like a vegetable， shall we call her that？ Thankfully， the name Florence （Flossie） is given。 Jasper's brother Willoughby has been waiting in the wings and when Jasper dies， he claims Rosalind as his own and they have a son， Digby。When the bones of a whale wash up on shore， the theatre is born and the children perform plays for the community。 Part 2: We follow the journey of the children， as they have love interests and war consumes life。 Christabel wants to join the land army and Digby goes to fight， while Flossie stays to look after the house and the theatre becomes a vegetable plot。 I particularly enjoyed the letters exchanged by Christabel and Digby。Part 3: I found this section emotional。 The children find themselves back at home and coming to terms with loss。 The theatre is resurrected and improved upon and becomes popular once more。I liked the paragraph where Christabel talks about her dream of flying having come full circle from when Willoughby buys her a toy plane many years before。I would definitely recommend this read。Thanks indeed to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Fran McBookface
，
This is a pretty epic family saga and I love books such as this。 The story follows the Seagrave family and their lives at the family home of Chilcombe 。 The children and particularly Christabel form a central part - indeed it is their theatre in the shadow of a Whalebone arch that gives the novel its title。 Sadly this book was just OK for me。 I usually love big books but I think this one could have done with some cutting。 The first part in particular is quite slow and plodding and I almost gave This is a pretty epic family saga and I love books such as this。 The story follows the Seagrave family and their lives at the family home of Chilcombe 。 The children and particularly Christabel form a central part - indeed it is their theatre in the shadow of a Whalebone arch that gives the novel its title。 Sadly this book was just OK for me。 I usually love big books but I think this one could have done with some cutting。 The first part in particular is quite slow and plodding and I almost gave up。 The second half as WW2 impacts the lives of the Seagraves and the children each find their own way to play their part n the war effort was much more interesting。 I also had a problem connecting to many of the characters and found many a bit underdeveloped。 Christabel is a strong central character （ and needed to be due to her unconventional upbringing） but I just didn’t connect with her - I found her unbelievably precocious as a child and just downright annoying as an adult。 Sadly although I was very much looking forward to this it just didn’t land for me。 Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read an early copy 。。。more
Alwynne
，
Joanna Quinn’s debut’s an interwar， family saga that runs from the 1920s through to the end of WW2。 It follows the fortunes of an upper-middle-class， Dorset family， the Seagraves。 It opens with the second marriage of stolid， middle-aged， widower Jasper Seagrave to much younger， frivolous socialite Rosalind， whose prospects of a better marriage were blighted by WW1。 The narrative moves between Jasper， Rosalind， Jasper’s daughter Christa （Christabel）， and her profligate uncle Willoughby – once his Joanna Quinn’s debut’s an interwar， family saga that runs from the 1920s through to the end of WW2。 It follows the fortunes of an upper-middle-class， Dorset family， the Seagraves。 It opens with the second marriage of stolid， middle-aged， widower Jasper Seagrave to much younger， frivolous socialite Rosalind， whose prospects of a better marriage were blighted by WW1。 The narrative moves between Jasper， Rosalind， Jasper’s daughter Christa （Christabel）， and her profligate uncle Willoughby – once his mother’s golden child。 As time passes key characters die， family dynamics shift and two more children – Digby and Florence – are added to the mix。 The family interact with displaced bohemian artists， encounter a wondrous beached whale， travel to London to see the Ballets Russes， and later take on active wartime duties。 It’s a richly-detailed piece but the pace is extremely leisurely to the point of meandering， and the slender plot lacks momentum。 In addition， I found the central characters a little too thinly-drawn to fully engage my attention， with the possible exception of Jasper who’s unexpectedly portrayed as someone whose outward appearance conceals a surprisingly complex， emotional interior。 It’s a perfectly competent， well-researched piece with some vivid descriptive passages， and elements that play with narrative conventions and expectations – letters， scripts， lists。 And it’s likely to be a satisfying read for avid fans of this kind of period recreation but， from my perspective， comparisons to books like The Chamomile Lawn， the Cazalet chronicles or to Nancy Mitford did it no favours。 It doesn’t have the drama or the deft touch of Wesley or Howard and it lacks Mitford’s sparkling wit。 I struggled to rate this one， it’s not a bad novel， it just didn’t really work for me。Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Fig Tree for an ARCRating: 2。5 。。。more
Ruth
，
Crista is a small child， left to her own devices much of the time as her father is still lost in grief for her mother。 When he remarries her new step-mother isn't interested in her， or baby Flossie when she arrives， but only Digby， the younger brother who is born some years later after Crista's father dies and Rosalind re-marries his more dynamic younger brother。 When a whale is washed up on the beach， Crista claims it， and some artists arrive at the house - leading to the creation of the Whaleb Crista is a small child， left to her own devices much of the time as her father is still lost in grief for her mother。 When he remarries her new step-mother isn't interested in her， or baby Flossie when she arrives， but only Digby， the younger brother who is born some years later after Crista's father dies and Rosalind re-marries his more dynamic younger brother。 When a whale is washed up on the beach， Crista claims it， and some artists arrive at the house - leading to the creation of the Whalebone Theatre。The second half of the book is during WW2， where Crista and Digby have both joined up， and Flossie is in the Land Army and running the estate。 Some of the book is set in occupied France， and that's where the story really takes off。 The first half was a little slow， and many of the adult characters were just horrible people （although I felt sorry for tragic Jasper， Crista's father）， but the book pulls together in after the war starts。 There are some great side characters as well as the central three siblings/cousins， and a really clear visual around the theatre that captures the imagination。 。。。more
larayne harris
，
Thank you for allowing me to review this book。 I'm sorry to say that it didn't really win me over it began well， with Christabell growing up with a dysfunctional family and her half siblings Flossie and Digby。 Christabell set up a theatre after a whale was washed up on the nearby beach。 The Whalebone Theatre where the children performed plays。 The second part of the story js set during the 2nd World War as Christabel joins up to serve undercover in France， Digby is also serving in France whilst Thank you for allowing me to review this book。 I'm sorry to say that it didn't really win me over it began well， with Christabell growing up with a dysfunctional family and her half siblings Flossie and Digby。 Christabell set up a theatre after a whale was washed up on the nearby beach。 The Whalebone Theatre where the children performed plays。 The second part of the story js set during the 2nd World War as Christabel joins up to serve undercover in France， Digby is also serving in France whilst Flossie stays behind in the Land Army and looking after the family home。 Recently I have read a few books set in this time and this one just didn't offer the same level of interest for me。 I'm sure others will enjoy the family story。 。。。more
Mark Broughton
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A tale of mixed emotions running through the first half of the 19th Century。 An enjoyable read with historical facts correct， which is always good。 It focuses around a slightly disjointed family of three children who live somewhat isolated from their parents in a large house in Dorset， one day the eldest finds a dead whale on the beach and tries to claim ownership and， though denied， goes on to use the bones to create a theatre on the beach。 this forms the stability for the children as they grow A tale of mixed emotions running through the first half of the 19th Century。 An enjoyable read with historical facts correct， which is always good。 It focuses around a slightly disjointed family of three children who live somewhat isolated from their parents in a large house in Dorset， one day the eldest finds a dead whale on the beach and tries to claim ownership and， though denied， goes on to use the bones to create a theatre on the beach。 this forms the stability for the children as they grow up and their lives get impacted by World War 2。 As the story grows I was sucked in and found myself reading to later into the night that I intended。 。。。more
Doreen Blair
，
THE WHALEBONE THEATRE - Joanna QuinnI received this to my Kindle for the purpose of review。 This was a delightful historical fiction taking place in the period 1938-1945 WWII。 The family is wealthy and is a mixture of children that were raised together but didn't have same parents。 First child was from father's first marriage， mother had passed。 Second child was from second wife to widower father and third child had same mother as number two but different father。Much of the story leads one a jou THE WHALEBONE THEATRE - Joanna QuinnI received this to my Kindle for the purpose of review。 This was a delightful historical fiction taking place in the period 1938-1945 WWII。 The family is wealthy and is a mixture of children that were raised together but didn't have same parents。 First child was from father's first marriage， mother had passed。 Second child was from second wife to widower father and third child had same mother as number two but different father。Much of the story leads one a journey of people， places， and reactions in different locations prior two and during the WWII。 The children were blessed with lots of creativity and each found who they were in the family dynamics。 They were all unique and worked together well。 Lots of imaginations among the children with intense desire to be a contributor to society。Whalebone theatre is a good read。。 However， I felt the author took way too long building to the point of the war and how each child fulfilled their part in the victory their country enjoyed。#Net Galley #Goodreads #The Whalebone Theatre 。。。more
Sheri Metzger Karmiol
，
Admittedly， I knew little about The Whalebone Theatre before reading it。 Joanna Quinn has written a long， very detailed novel that spans some 30 years， 1914-1944。 Most of the focus is on the 3 children， Cristabel， Flossie （also known as Veg， short for vegetable）， and Digby。 The first half of the novel focuses primarily on this mismatched set of siblings and their dysfunctional parents。 Although their home life is chaotic， these siblings manage to create lovely worlds in which to function。 This s Admittedly， I knew little about The Whalebone Theatre before reading it。 Joanna Quinn has written a long， very detailed novel that spans some 30 years， 1914-1944。 Most of the focus is on the 3 children， Cristabel， Flossie （also known as Veg， short for vegetable）， and Digby。 The first half of the novel focuses primarily on this mismatched set of siblings and their dysfunctional parents。 Although their home life is chaotic， these siblings manage to create lovely worlds in which to function。 This section， although rather too detailed in several places was very good。 The narrative held my attention， and although I certainly lamented the parents treatment of the daughters born into this dysfunctional household--two fathers and 2 mothers at different times--the children's exploits were interesting。 The second half of the book is focused on the lives of these same children as adults。 This section takes place during WWII。 This part of the book tended to drag rather more than I would have enjoyed。 The descriptions were too heavy with detail， and I noticed a tendency to get lost in a description as I wondered where it was going。 The author， who tends to shift back and forth between time periods， does always note the date at the beginning of the chapter， which is helpful， but given the length of some chapters， losing track of the date is a problem。Because I was reading a digital edition， I do not know how many pages there were in this novel， but since I am a fast reader， and the book was expected to take well over 10 hours for me to read， be forwarded that The Whalebone Theatre is a commitment of time。 I do think this novel has a great many strengths。 The characters are vividly drawn and interesting。 Unless， the author intends to split this novel into 2 separate novels， a sort of Part I and Part 2， which would actually work well， some serious editing cuts would make this a stronger and more compelling piece of literature。 I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this ARC for me to read and review。 The opinions mentioned above are my honest comments。 I would have preferred 3。5 stars， but since that is not an option， I am providing 4 stars。 I usually love reading about the Great War and the period between that war and WWII， but I did find this novel more of a struggle。 Thank you to NetGalley for offering so many interesting books to read and review。 。。。more
Lady Fancifull
，
Thoroughly absorbing family saga， though not as much about theatre as expectedI requested this book as an ARC because of the title， and the setting – post First World War， and into the Second。Set around a somewhat complicated family of children， Christabel， her half sister Florence， and Flossie’s half brother Digby， this is very much an account of three improperly loved， poorly parented children， all more than a little oddball， who are fiercely bonded to each other， in childhood and later in adu Thoroughly absorbing family saga， though not as much about theatre as expectedI requested this book as an ARC because of the title， and the setting – post First World War， and into the Second。Set around a somewhat complicated family of children， Christabel， her half sister Florence， and Flossie’s half brother Digby， this is very much an account of three improperly loved， poorly parented children， all more than a little oddball， who are fiercely bonded to each other， in childhood and later in adulthoodAll three children are unusual， especially the fiercely intelligent Christabel， who has a passion for the theatrical arts， and for literature。 The Seagrave family are upper middle class。 Jasper Seagrave， the father of the two girls， by different wives （no spoiler here， we meet motherless Christabel， as her father brings home his unsuitable-for-country-living bride。 Rosalind and Jasper are not love’s young dream for each other。 The marriage， on both sides， driven by economics， the loss of so many gilded young men in the trenches， and a paucity of young men to marry young women， on her side， and the need for a male heir， on his。There are deep challenges between the fast urban sophisticate set of the roaring 20s on the bride’s side， and the huntin’shootin’fishin’ traditional landownin’ but somewhat financially struggling side， on his。The theatrical and artistic yearnings of the children， particularly Christabel and Digby， are fostered by a group of free living Bohemian artists， who are invited to live and work on Chilcombe， the Dorset coastal estate where the Seagrave family has its rootsThough there is certainly some focus on theatricalities in the early part of the book， the main trajectory， as the children enter their later teens and early twenties， is the move towards that second world war， with childhood dreams of the stage laid aside as the young adults enter the theatre of war。 Two of them actively， one on the home frontI found this a compelling， beautifully written account， with a wonderfully rounded trio of major characters and many fascinating minor ones。I had some slight reservations about one character being shuffled off to Ireland as war progressed， as it seemed a little contrived， in order to allow the quietest of the three children， Flossie， to have a more focused， intense， dramatic role to play than might otherwise have been the case。 But though I had this bit of a quibble， it couldn’t diminish my 5 star ratingI particularly enjoyed， in Quinn’s writing， her awareness of how sounds might translate into groups of onomatopoeic letters。 This was something which happened all through， and I was impressed by how aware she made me of these sounds， playing in my head。 。。。more
Linda S。
，
What a beautiful and touching story that opens a window into the past for the reader。 The Whalebone Theater begins in 1919， telling the story of four-year-old Cristabel Seagrave， whose mother died when she was born， and her absentee father has just re-married a much younger woman， Rosalind。 Crista wishes for a brother but Rosalind gives birth to a half-sister for Crista - Florence or Flossie， nicknamed The Veg since her unhappy mother thought she looked like a vegetable at birth。 Ending at the e What a beautiful and touching story that opens a window into the past for the reader。 The Whalebone Theater begins in 1919， telling the story of four-year-old Cristabel Seagrave， whose mother died when she was born， and her absentee father has just re-married a much younger woman， Rosalind。 Crista wishes for a brother but Rosalind gives birth to a half-sister for Crista - Florence or Flossie， nicknamed The Veg since her unhappy mother thought she looked like a vegetable at birth。 Ending at the end of WWII， I see this book， which I was surprised to learn was the author's debut novel， as a coming-of-age story of Christabel， Flossie， and their brother/cousin Digby。 I found it a little hard to get into at the beginning as the majority of the adults were self-absorbed and selfish， but about a third of the way through， I couldn't put it down。 This would make an excellent mini-series in the same vein as Downton Abbey！ Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Amanda Rozell
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This was really different than what I normally read and not necessarily what I was expecting， but it was wonderful。 It was so well written and very descriptive without being long winded。 There were some great characters， some not needed， and some truly despicable characters （well written and part of the story， not badly written despicable）。 I really hope Joanna Quinn writes another book because I will most definitely read it。 Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing This was really different than what I normally read and not necessarily what I was expecting， but it was wonderful。 It was so well written and very descriptive without being long winded。 There were some great characters， some not needed， and some truly despicable characters （well written and part of the story， not badly written despicable）。 I really hope Joanna Quinn writes another book because I will most definitely read it。 Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC to review。 ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions， favorable or otherwise。 ~ 。。。more
Sheena
，
The Whalebone Theatre was an unknown for me- requested as an advance copy through NetGalley largely on the basis of the cover- so that it was an enjoyable and engrossing read was a very happy result。 Perhaps not my usual choice of novel， but the meandering story of the Seagrave family through 1920s opulence and hedonism to wartime hardship and tragedy- seen largely through the eyes of the strong， defiantly independent Christabel Seagrave， the architect of the titular whalebone theatre- really dr The Whalebone Theatre was an unknown for me- requested as an advance copy through NetGalley largely on the basis of the cover- so that it was an enjoyable and engrossing read was a very happy result。 Perhaps not my usual choice of novel， but the meandering story of the Seagrave family through 1920s opulence and hedonism to wartime hardship and tragedy- seen largely through the eyes of the strong， defiantly independent Christabel Seagrave， the architect of the titular whalebone theatre- really drew me in。 Very happy to have stumbled across this- thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy。 。。。more
Nikki
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Wonderful characters， heart-breaking and tender。 Made me cry， but what doesn't right now？ Wonderful characters， heart-breaking and tender。 Made me cry， but what doesn't right now？ 。。。more
Jenny H
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An unusual and often touching story of a group of children who escape their wealthy parents by play-acting in their home-made Whalebone Theatre on the beach。 As adults， their war-time roles reflect their childhood personalities。 Christobel's role as Claudine， where she uses her excellent French to great effect， is particularly moving。 Love the way diary entries， letters etc are interspersed through the book。 An unusual and often touching story of a group of children who escape their wealthy parents by play-acting in their home-made Whalebone Theatre on the beach。 As adults， their war-time roles reflect their childhood personalities。 Christobel's role as Claudine， where she uses her excellent French to great effect， is particularly moving。 Love the way diary entries， letters etc are interspersed through the book。 。。。more
Susan Sintros
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The Whalebone TheatreJoanna QuinnThis was my first NetGalley read and a beautiful debut novel that swept me off my feet。The story begins New Year’s Eve， 1919 in Dorset， England。 The reader first meets Cristabel Seagrave， a plucky， grimy， three year old who is meeting her new， twenty-three year old stepmother for the first time。Despite the old money and living in a traditional English manor， Cristabel’s father， Jasper Seagrave， and stepmother， Rosalind， are both melancholy individuals and wrapped The Whalebone TheatreJoanna QuinnThis was my first NetGalley read and a beautiful debut novel that swept me off my feet。The story begins New Year’s Eve， 1919 in Dorset， England。 The reader first meets Cristabel Seagrave， a plucky， grimy， three year old who is meeting her new， twenty-three year old stepmother for the first time。Despite the old money and living in a traditional English manor， Cristabel’s father， Jasper Seagrave， and stepmother， Rosalind， are both melancholy individuals and wrapped up in their own misery – Jasper， desperately misses his first wife who was the love of his life and Cristabel’s mother。 Rosalind， an extremely annoying and unlikeable character， was deeply disappointed in married life with her new husband。 She hopes for an heir as soon as possible and is utterly distraught when her first child is a girl。Cristabel is a reminder to Jasper of his first wife and a nuisance to her stepmother。 Since she’s merely a female and not an heir， she is squirreled away in the freezing attic with the servants and raised by a governess。 Despite the abysmal， neglectful treatment received from her father and stepmother， Cristabel is undeterred and continues to march to the beat of her own drum。 She is ecstatic at the birth of her sister， Flossie， and just as happy when the heir， Digby， is born。The author’s writing was beautiful and descriptive， making the reader feel as though we are really there。 “The air is as fresh as clean laundry”， “sounds traveling over the water like skimmed stones”， “seafront motels neglected after years of diminished wartime trade…a line of vacant faces squinting out at a battleship-grey sea” all stand out。This was a fantastic coming of age story about the relationship of Cristabel and her two siblings。 Despite the obvious favoritism shown to Digby， the three are inseparable， creating a theater out of whalebones washed up on shore。 The story follows the three as they each forge their way through life and WWII。 Although they are called to separate roles during the war， their bond is unwavering。I definitely look forward to Joanna Quinn’s next book！Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for gifting me a copy of this novel to read in exchange for an honest review。 My thoughts are my own。 。。。more
Siobhán Cullen
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I’m astounded that this is a debut novel。 It is superb。 It’s a long read， but unlike many other long reads， this one never dips but holds the readers interest throughoutIt follows the story of 3 children， living a free life who make their own theatre and perform their own plays。 We see these children grow and mature， how war times affect them & how they change with the years always reminiscing about their theatreThis book has everything。 Laughter， tears and that moment when you put it down becau I’m astounded that this is a debut novel。 It is superb。 It’s a long read， but unlike many other long reads， this one never dips but holds the readers interest throughoutIt follows the story of 3 children， living a free life who make their own theatre and perform their own plays。 We see these children grow and mature， how war times affect them & how they change with the years always reminiscing about their theatreThis book has everything。 Laughter， tears and that moment when you put it down because you don’t want to say goodbye I have no hesitation in recommending this wonderful debut novelWith thanks to Netgalley， the author and publisher for ARC in return for an honest review 。。。more
Candace
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What do you do if you find a dead whale on your beach？ Claim it for your own， of course！ So does Cristabel， the oldest daughter of Chilcomb， a creaking manor on the Dorset coast。 It's the 1920s， and while the adults are reveling， the children are exploring， digging， climbing， reading， and listening at keyholes。 Besides Cristabel， there's her half sister Flossie and her "cousin" Digby， We know what the world is hurtling toward but they do not。 Each one is remarkable， but how will they fit into a What do you do if you find a dead whale on your beach？ Claim it for your own， of course！ So does Cristabel， the oldest daughter of Chilcomb， a creaking manor on the Dorset coast。 It's the 1920s， and while the adults are reveling， the children are exploring， digging， climbing， reading， and listening at keyholes。 Besides Cristabel， there's her half sister Flossie and her "cousin" Digby， We know what the world is hurtling toward but they do not。 Each one is remarkable， but how will they fit into a world at war？ Joanna Quinn has written a luscious novel， refreshing because people develop their own selves without endless outside influence。 This does not mean that they grow into their best selves--there's a lot of drinking and thoughtless behavior--but the elements of Christa， Flossie， and Digby are set by the time they step onto the war stage。 Two are spies， one a farmer。 These are people who put on a production of the Illiad in a whale's ribcage using neighbors， stuffed animals， and sets by a Russian surrealist artist they met on the beach。 This novel is recommended to anyone wanting an immersive reading experience with quirky， characters who find their ways。 It's great that this is Joanna Quinn 's first novel。 I hope she has plans for many more。 。。。more
Donique Collins
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First I must divulge that this is a long book。 It is very descriptive and detail specific。 There is sexual references and some mild violence。 I must confess that this book caused me to experience a variety of emotions。 I was sad， a little angry， sometimes shocked and surprised by the family interaction of the characters。 Although the lives of several characters is being described， I feel as if Cristabel is the central character。 She is the one who first captured my attention and so I based every First I must divulge that this is a long book。 It is very descriptive and detail specific。 There is sexual references and some mild violence。 I must confess that this book caused me to experience a variety of emotions。 I was sad， a little angry， sometimes shocked and surprised by the family interaction of the characters。 Although the lives of several characters is being described， I feel as if Cristabel is the central character。 She is the one who first captured my attention and so I based everything else happening in the book as it related to her。 Cristabel’s family is very dysfunctional， the concept of love is not very noticeable。 The one thing I will say is that Cristabel had a one track and very determined mind even at a young age。 Follow the thoughts， actions， and desires of the Seagrave family。 。。。more
Kendra
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British aristos with a complicated family find meaningful lives during WWII as a spy， another spy， and a Land Girl。 It's perfect for Julian Fellowes to adapt。 While it does have many moments of charm， and while the characters are very likable， the overall theme of the book is so well-tread at this point that I could predict events far in advance。 Of course the heir is gay; of course he dies， nobly。 Of course the Land Girl has a flirtation with a German POW; of course she marries the vicar。 Of co British aristos with a complicated family find meaningful lives during WWII as a spy， another spy， and a Land Girl。 It's perfect for Julian Fellowes to adapt。 While it does have many moments of charm， and while the characters are very likable， the overall theme of the book is so well-tread at this point that I could predict events far in advance。 Of course the heir is gay; of course he dies， nobly。 Of course the Land Girl has a flirtation with a German POW; of course she marries the vicar。 Of course the smart， brave spy survives terrible things and eventually returns home。 The entire initial section about the various parents of the protagonists was incredibly obvious from the very first pages。 And even the parts that were nominally more interesting， like the plays put on at the family estate， were unoriginal: setting Shakespeare against a fascist backdrop， with black and red flags？ Old news。 Women as Prospero？ Old news。 It's a bit of a shame， because the writing is clear and the descriptions are good and it's evocative as a whole; it's just that it's evocative of dozens of books and films and TV series that have come before。 。。。more
Jo Rawlins
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'The Whalebone Theatre' is not what I expected。 This is very much a historical fiction novel based on the impact of WWII on a British aristocratic family。 The protagonist， Christabel， is a great character: brave， adventurous and loyal。 I really enjoyed the first half before the war and enjoyed the second half during the war even more。 I thought the description of the effects of war on France was well done。 However， I am not convinced by the writer's choice to include a string of letters between 'The Whalebone Theatre' is not what I expected。 This is very much a historical fiction novel based on the impact of WWII on a British aristocratic family。 The protagonist， Christabel， is a great character: brave， adventurous and loyal。 I really enjoyed the first half before the war and enjoyed the second half during the war even more。 I thought the description of the effects of war on France was well done。 However， I am not convinced by the writer's choice to include a string of letters between the characters to reflect the passing of time that takes place in the middle of the narrative。 On reflection， there are two quite different stories being told in one novel。 I feel it could have been more thoroughly edited， particularly the beginning。 Overall， I enjoyed it and round 3。5 stars up to 4。Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC。 。。。more
Sriya
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there is no bigger treat to me than a book in the middle of the "coming of age" "interwar period" "crumbling stately home" venn diagram， i have read many and consider myself a picky little connoisseur， but this delivered on basically every single level！ the prose was evocative and lovely， it was charming and held delight but the characters felt real and were completely themselves， and despite fitting into a type i love it never ever felt like a pastiche or knock off which is SUCH an achievement。 there is no bigger treat to me than a book in the middle of the "coming of age" "interwar period" "crumbling stately home" venn diagram， i have read many and consider myself a picky little connoisseur， but this delivered on basically every single level！ the prose was evocative and lovely， it was charming and held delight but the characters felt real and were completely themselves， and despite fitting into a type i love it never ever felt like a pastiche or knock off which is SUCH an achievement。 i was struck by the cinematography of the book， the way joanna quinn framed her images and her moments of action and stillness。if i were being pedantic it was probably realistically a 4/4。5 or so because in its scope i don't think it stuck the landing as i'd hoped it would: it had less ambiguity than say the cazalet books and i think it could have used greater political depth， the war sections felt like they were driven by the course of history rather than the stories of the characters， and the ending felt slightly anticlimactic， not because it wasn't dramatic but because it just felt well-trodden and inevitable in where they ended up。 the beginning felt so original that i was a little disappointed by that。 and entirely subjectively a usual requirement of these books for me is romance which was dialled down – but having said all that， rounding up because i found it so wonderfully enjoyable as a reading experience and for the sheer novelty of being almost totally great regardless of these things。 i will absolutely be reading whatever joanna quinn writes next！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Whalebone Theatre
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Whalebone Theatre&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Whalebone Theatre&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0