I struggled to rate this one, it’s not a bad novel, it just didn’t really work for me. Its is a well-researched piece with some wonderfully descriptive passages (the iconic whalebone theatre being one of my favourites) and fun elements like letters, scripts & lists. I loved that we followed all three of the siblings but ultimately it felt overly long and didn't add a unique story to a genre that is heavily over saturated.

Beautifully written, so atmospheric and totally engrossing. A novel that will stay with me long after I finished reading.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific book.

Loved this book, the descriptions are just absolutely beautiful and the detail provided creates a real world in the readers mind. The characters draw you in and you are swept along on this extraordinary tale.

Cristabel and her siblings, Flossie and Digby, live at the Chilcombe Estate on the Dorset Coast. Whilst children, they discover the body of a beached whale. As the beautiful and majestic whale decays, all that remains are its bones which the children use to make a theatre in the grounds of their estate. Their childhood is somewhat idyllic as they put on plays and performances for the local people using their whalebone theatre. But as the children grow into adults, WWII catapults the siblings into a life drastically different from what they've previously known...

I really enjoyed this one and I don't know why it's took me so long to read it - it's been sat on my Kindle for months! I loved the main characters; I thought they were fully fleshed and believable, although this was sometimes at the expense of the other characters in the book feeling somewhat washed out and forgettable.

I loved the descriptions of the house and the grounds - Chilcombe Estate was almost a character in itself. At the start of the book, it is a symbol of wealth and extravagance with jazz parties, alcohol and music a weekly occurrence. However, by the end of the book, very much like the titular whale, all that remains is its structure as it too is ravaged by war.

For me, this book brings home the fact that there are no winners in war. The very structure of the book, starting in 1919 in the aftermath of WWI and ending in 1945 at the end of WWII, highlights the futility of war; as one ends, one is getting ready to begin.

All in all, an enjoyable read so thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Books and the author for the opportunity to read an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A solid coming of age story set against the backdrop of war. This is nicely written and has engaging and captivating characters.

A beautifully written book which takes the reader through different periods of time in a truly realistic and honest way. The characters and story line develop with integrity and strength throughout the book. It was a pleasure to read

Truly wonderful book . I devoured it in a matter of days.

The writers use of language is delicious and makes the characters all come vividly to life !

Thank you for the opportunity to read

Historical drama/family saga which charts the life of a set of siblings. It was not an easy read with unlikable characters and a long winding storyline.

Rich, warm, exciting historical novel combined with family saga, using a classic World War 2 setting to explore the journeys and growing up of a set of siblings. This makes it sound like well-trodden territory but I found the 3 siblings and the characters surrounding them to be fresh, different and thoroughly enjoyable, with the extra twist of espionage and rebellion giving an interesting insight into areas of the war not always touched on. I enjoyed the way the book started almost before the main characters exist (with eg their parents and predecessors) and it only really becomes clear who the stars are as the book unfolds, but leaving you with a network of friends and family cropping back up with cameos throughout. Characters felt well-drawn, multidimensional and likeable and the plot was exciting and page-turning. Highly recommended.

Sadly this is a DNF. It started on rocky grounds for me but then I was drawn in by the father's story and his lost love. Then came the second wife and I can't get over her calling her child a vegetable and then this child growing up with the nickname 'the vegetable'. It just doesn't sit well for me. My other irk is the names Maudie KitKat, this just grates on me and Christabel irritated me. I know I probably shouldn't be irritated by a neglected kid from a wealthy dysfunctional family, but she just grated on me. It could ask be just down to mood, but I'm just not sure about it. I feel it could be a YA/kids book if the adult parts are edited out. Overall, I feel confused by it's genre. Maybe it would be clear later on, but currently I'm putting it to one side.

Very enjoyable and engrossing book. A bit patchy in places but overall it was really good and kept me awake late into the night.

I loved this sumptuous read that felt like diving into the world of Downton Abbey with all the different classes shifting and mingling in response to the changing times.

Well drawn characters seemlessly share the narrative perspective that takes you through the Seagrave family’s ups and downs, battles and triumphs.

Highly recommended!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of The Whalebone Theatre in return for a review.

This is a family saga concentrating on the strong-willed Christabel, the child of a neglectful father and a too young stepmother. She waits for a promised brother to arrive, who she expects to enhance her life. Meanwhile the adults party in their huge country house, surrounding themselves with bohemian guests. As the adults party the children build themselves a theatre out of a dead whale’s bones they find on the beach.
The book moves on to the war years and the children move on to adulthood, longing for their childhood days and moving on to new responsibilities and roles in life that they hadn’t expected.

Overall I enjoyed the book although it felt a little long in the middle. The relationships between the children made the book a good read, ensuring all of the characters’ stories stayed as important as each others. I’d recommend it for anyone who enjoys a detailed family historic tale.

The Seagrave children build a theatre from whalebones found on their local beach. The story takes the reader through their childhood and on to the 2nd world war. A beautifully written account, hard to put down.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

The Whalebone Theatre spans 20 years in the life of the Seagrave family, through the eyes of the three siblings Christabel, Florence and Digby. It's a compelling narrative, though I must admit I was a little disappointed that the theatre itself didn't feature more in the latter parts of the book. But the French portion of the story is exciting, and the whole book is sort of a social history of the British upper classes before and during World War II. I found Christabel slightly annoying as a narrator, though I assume that was intentional!

I'd seen glowing reviews for this both on here and in Red Magazine - but I just couldn't get into it at all. I persevered - but found it complicated with too many characters - none of whom I even liked. It sent me into a total reading slump - and in the end I decided life was too short to be sucked into a book I didn't enjoy. Given the amazing reviews of others - it's probably be not the book!!

Cristabel Seagrove grew up in Chilcombe House in Dorset. She was an unusual child who was left to her own devices. The arrival of Rosalind her young stepmother didn't change much. The letters & presents from her uncle Willoughby fire her very active imagination! Her father is desperate for an heir but when the child is born it is a girl. Flossie's arrival is not exactly celebrated- narrowly escaped being christened 'The Vegetable'! Although Cristabel looks forward to when she is old enough to play with. When Jasper dies suddenly Willoughby is the heir & having been in a relationship with Rosalind marries her almost immediately & at last a son, Digby, is born. Not that his parents are more involved in his life. For the adult Seagrove's in the space between wars is a time for parties & house-guests. Meanwhile Cristabel having saved the whale skeleton that was stranded in their beach has managed to get help to turn it into a theatre where she is in her element directing proceedings.

That was the first part of the book which I loved & found fascinating. The second half of the book deals with what happens to the three siblings once war was declared. This was also a good story & showed how the characters developed once they were on their own. Although I wasn't so absorbed by the second half, this was a book I enjoyed with characters that were hard to forget. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

A deeply captivating story based around the life of Cristabel, a wild young girl who became an heroic and fearless woman.

Cristabel was always fascinated by stories and adventure. When a whale washes up on the beach by her home, she claims it as her own. Eventually some of the whale's bones form the backdrop for her Whalebone Theatre, where plays are performed annually until WWII breaks out.

As Cristabel, half-sister, Flossie, and cousin Digby all play their own important roles in the war, they each come into their own and play a valuable part. But as with all wars, there is tragedy and heartbreak.

There's no doubt this was a well-written book, and I loved the first half. But for me, I felt that the heart of the story got somewhat lost in the second half and I did find it somewhat laboured.

A bit of a slow burner but pays off in the end. Loved the historical setting and detailed descriptions of the period.

<i>The Whalebone Theatre: 5*. My favourite novel of 2022. </i>
I have just finished reading The Whalebone Theatre and I am feeling stunned. It is a magnificent, entrancing novel that I fell totally in love with. I’m left reeling from its impact and rather bereft that it’s over. This is a novel to cherish and read again and again and again.

A quick glance at its reviews show that I’m not the only reader to have been bewitched by The Whalebone Theatre. To think that this gem was sitting, ignored, on my Kindle all this time without my knowing what I was in for!

So where to begin… It’s a family saga about two generations of the Seagrave family, taking us from 1919 to 1945. Out of one World War and through a second one. I feel like I’ve read so many books set in this period, which has inspired generations of British (and other) novelists and provided fertile material for many a great novel. It’s a particular treat to find a novel that takes these classic scenes and themes and views them through a 21st century lens.

And yet… It’s also timeless. Women have strained against their social straitjackets forever. People have struggled to escape societal expectations forever, even as others wanted nothing more than to play by the rules and stick to what was expected of them. The world is made up of radicals and conservatives, revolutionaries and reactionaries, permanently fighting each other and sometimes striving to understand each other. Hating and loving each other.

The Whalebone Theatre has everything that makes a novel great, and a great read: superb prose, characters that are so real and vivid you feel you have known them for years, skillful plotting, descriptions of places and events that make you feel you are right there, part of it.

Central characters – such as Rosalind, Cristabel, Florence and Digby, in particular – feel like members of your own family. I found myself thinking thoughts like “That’s so Florence”, “Cristabel would hate that”, and “Oh, Rosalind!” as if I were talking about people I’ve known all my life. One particular scene had me crying my eyes out. Whenever I was away from it, I was thinking about it.

All of this is what makes this novel so good. Not only do events play out in an interesting way, but they play out in what feels like the only possible way, given the people in them.

The Whalebone Theatre is one of those marvelous books that abounds with ‘literary’ qualities yet is as gripping as an airport thriller. Perfect as a beach read or for a cozy read before a fire.

It’s astonishing that this is a first (or first published) novel. I really hope Joanna Quinn has another novel on the way. I can’t wait.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest no matter how I acquire the book.</i>