The Chilbury Ladies Choir

by Jennifer Ryan

We are lucky in our village to have a mini book exchange set up in the old telephone box. I visit frequently to browse through the books on offer or to drop off some of my own. This book was one of the little gems I picked up sometime ago. At the time I was in a ladies choir myself, The Newton Singers, which I absolutely loved. A great bunch of ladies, a talented musical director and a great selection of music. It was the link to the choir, a village setting and the unusual format that appealed to me and made me take the book home.

The story is set in the early days of World War 2 in the village of Chilbury, Kent. Following the majority of the village men being sent off to help the war effort and the recent death of Commander Edmund Winthrop, the vicar disbands the village choir. The ladies are not happy and with the arrival of the musical Miss Primrose Trent, they decide to defy the vicar and carry on singing! As the ladies come together in song, we realise the importance of the choir to the ladies and how it gives them the opportunity to forget their troubles.

Told through letters, diary entries, newspaper reports and journals, we share the everyday events and challenges that the ladies face. We learn about home front struggles, focussing on a few main characters that include the timid widow whose only son is sent to war, the Jewish refugee and 13 year old Kitty who sees things differently through her teenage eyes.

As the ladies display their fighting spirit and grow together as a community, the choir also provides the perfect cover for one person whose aim is to destroy this newly found harmony. With tales of the local flirt, teenage angst and indomitable spirt, we also become embroiled in a baby swapping scandal along the way.

Motivated by the Mass Observation Diaries and reminiscences of her ‘Party Granny’ who was a member of a very bad choir, Jennifer draws us into village life and a sense of community and demonstrates successfully how women can find their voice and stand up for what they believe in.

This is a light, gentle read with an engaging storyline and an unusual story telling format.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.