I loved this book-the writing is of high quality and the characters are well drawn and authentic.It covers the period between the wars when three siblings,Christabel,Flossie and Digby are growing up as part of a fairly unorthodox family in a grand house in Dorset.They set up a theatre made from the bones of a whale that washed up on their beach ,where they put on performances for the locals and the artistic friends of their parents.
When the Second World War breaks out the three siblings move apart as they are all involved in the war effort.The book is moving in parts,and gripping in others ,and very wide reaching in its scope.It would make a fantastic film or TV series.It’s long and took me a while to read but it’s highly recommended .
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

This is quite an old-fashioned saga (in a good way). The first part features three children, half-siblings, Christabel, Florence and Digby, running virtually wild around their stately home and surrounding countryside, experiencing casual neglect from the parents. They live by their imaginations and are cared for loosely by loyal staff. The stranded whale which washes up on the nearby beach is eventually stripped to irs bones and transported to the house where it forms the framework for the theatre of the title, where Christabel bullies and cajoles family, friends and staff to put on plays for the locals. It is all very bohemian by way of Enid Blyton. This self-sufficient, enterprising attitude will help to sustain them as adults when World War II breaks out and each, in their own way, will play their part and find their place. A satisying, nostalgic story with interesting characters and an intriguing insight into undercover operations during the war. I could see it making a very entertaining television series as well as being an evocative read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #TheWhaleboneTheatre by #JoannaQuinn
I’m sure it must be me but I cannot get into this book at all. I’ve tried twice but it just doesn’t hold my interest. Seeing all the wonderful reviews I’m sure it will be enjoyed by many, just not me.

I was really excited to read this, so I'm really happy that it lived up to my expectations. It's such an engrossing book that it just captures you from the start. The writing is absolutely beautiful and helps to create a totally immersive reading experience.

It takes a bit of time to get into it but, once you're there, it's definitely worth the effort. The characters are all wonderful and I enjoyed reading about them. This is a book that is full of humanity and life. I was grateful to get the chance to read it.

This book just wasn't for me.. It took me quite a while to read and I can't say I was ever that engrossed. I think this was probably just a personal experience though as it wasn't until I started reading it that I realised that it just wasn't my genre. Having said that it is still very well written.

I was sent a copy of The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn to read and review by NetGalley. This is most definitely my favourite book of the year so far! It is beautifully written with incredibly believable characters and a really great sense of time and place. The novel follows the lives of 3 children born and growing up in Chilcombe Manor, an old rambling estate in Dorset. We first meet chief protagonist -Cristabel when she is three years old awaiting the arrival of her father and her brand-new stepmother. The story takes us through their childhood and the creation of the Whalebone Theatre of the book’s title, to their transition into adulthood and the onset of the second world war and beyond. I really can’t praise this book highly enough, I kept wanting to read and read, but I didn’t want it to end. I will certainly be looking out for future titles from this very talented author.

I can see why people have been comparing it to I Capture the Castle. I enjoyed the story, the child's perspective as a narrator, and the overall arc, but it dragged at times. It was slow-paced, although the relationships between the characters and the backdrop of the theatre kept you going until the end. A solid 3 star for me!

What a gorgeous story this is! With unforgettable characters, particularly Cristabel, Digby and ‘The Veg’ who I adored. The writing is so gorgeously vivid and the depictions of childhood I found particularly moving. The shift to the wartime letters was a brilliant way of showing the characters grow & change and the relationship between them very authentic.

A charming and emotional story about family and the link between siblings that can be stretched but never falters. The Whalebone Theatre is such a beautifully written story and I loved how it was broken down in to acts to show the different timelines as we moved through the lives of the three main protagonists. The whole story feels like it could work as a play at the theatre and the dialogue between Cristabel, Digby and Flossie is wonderful. Their characters flawed but so realistic and I loved their connection with eachother. The letters written between Crista and Digby are powerful and thought provoking This is a story to savour and enjoy.

It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I didn’t want to put it down. I fell in love with Cristabel, Flossie and Digby as they grew older and each found themselves playing different roles in the war. There was a real warmth to the characters and their bond with each other was lovely to read. While a long book to read, it did mean that I became fully invested in the world and I keep wanting to return it even now I’ve finished it. A very moving ending!

You know sometimes when you pick up a book, get a couple of chapters in & just think to yourself 'I don't know where this is going to take me but I get the feeling it's going to be amazing, a 5 star read', that's how I felt about The Whalebone Theatre. Joanne Quinn has written a beautiful flowing book that follows Cristabel from her unusual childhood growing up on the coast on an estate full of eclectic characters, then on to the war & the changes this brought about both devastating & hopeful.

There were times this book had me sobbing, one chapter in particular was written in such a style that you couldn't help but feel the characters grief & desperation, it really was one of the best pieces I've read for capturing a moment so cleverly.

If you like historical fiction & getting completely lost in a wonderful chunk of a book then this is the one for you.

“A Midsummer’s Night Dream was this week performed at Chilcombe, one of Dorset’s lesser-known country homes. The play was presented in a structure created by artist Mr Taras Kovalsky from the remains of a fin whale and used by the Seagrave family as a theatre.”

My thanks to Penguin Group U.K. Fig Tree for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Whalebone Theatre’
by Joanna Quinn.

This sweeping family saga is a historical novel that I found completely engaging. Its five acts covers 25 years from 1920 through 1945. So a great deal happens in its pages.

It opens on December 31, 1919 as 3-year-old Cristabel Seagrave observes her father, Jasper, arriving at their Dorset family manor, Chilcombe, with his new wife, Rosalind. She is quite young and unprepared for the role of wife and stepmother.

As the years pass Rosalind gives birth to a daughter, Flossie, and following Jasper’s death and her remarriage, Digby, the long awaited son is born. The relationships become rather complex though the three children consider themselves siblings. With both step-parents distracted by their endless parties and social events, the children are left to fend for themselves though Rosalind always insists they have a French governess.

When Cristabel is twelve a whale washes up on the beach near the Chilcombe estate. Cristabel plants her flag and claims the whale as her own. The children have always enjoyed putting on plays and form a small theatre troupe. Eventually the bones of the found whale provide a structure for the performances and eventually its name.

Years pass and as they grow to adulthood war in Europe becomes a reality. Each of the three find themselves drawn to different roles, including for two of them dangerous assignments in occupied territory.

I loved this novel so much. I didn’t want it to end. It was beautifully written and well plotted. Joanna Quinn grew up in Dorset and skilfully weaves descriptions of nature, landscapes and the sea throughout the novel.

Overall, I found ‘The Whalebone Theatre’ an astonishing debut and a powerful coming-of-age story told against the backdrop of the events of the first half of the 20th century. It is both epic and intimate, a comedy and a tragedy.

Definitely a novel that I expect will prove popular with reading groups given the quality of the writing, period detail and its cast of memorable characters.

Highly recommended.

I was intrigued by this book after hearing it compared to I Capture the Castle which is a favourite of mine. Christabel Seagrave is at the centre of the book, she lives on the Chilcombe Estate in Dorset and is orphaned at a young age. She grows up with two other children who she is loosely related to but they are very close. Rosalind, her step-mother would quite happily cast her aside but her Uncle Willoughby tries his best to make sure she is looked after. Their idyllic childhood on an English country estate is depicted and then mirrored with them coming into adulthood as WWII begins. Christable, Flossie and Digby each take on different roles during the war and they know that things can never be the same again.
The book is of two halves, Christabel’s childhood and then how they are all affected by WWII. The second half is faster paced but the book has a meandering feel throughout. I found some of it a little slow but my affection and interest in Christabel, Flossie and Digby kept me turning the pages. Joanna Quinn has captured a distinctive period of time extremely well and I believe Christabel will become a much loved fictional character.

I've bee eagerly anticipating The Whalebone Theatre a debut novel by Joanna Quinn- which has been billed as perfect for fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles and Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle– which are some of my favourite books of all time. This is a fantastic, transporting, debut novel and I'll be recommending it far and wide.

I adored the first half of this book. It's so well written and vividly described. Christabel, the Veg and Digby are great characters and I enjoyed the dynamic between them and their coming of age stories. Halfway through the story though we reach WWII and that's not a subject I enjoy reading about so I skimmed the second half. This is brilliantly written though, just not my genre in the second half.

It's a fascinating historical novel, you can see how The Cazalet and other novels inspired the author.
It's a book that requires to be patient as it's very slow in the first part and there are some very unlikeable characters.
The author develops a fascinating story, I liked Cristable and her sibling. The historical background is vivid and the description of the setting are lively.
it's a good story and I'm happy i was patient because i enjoyed it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This has left me confused. I enjoyed it overall, but it took me ages to read it. Normally if I like a book I can swish through it, but this took me longer than usual. It's quite an involved family saga. There was a bit where nothing much happens and I did think it was dragging then it suddenly picks up and everyone grows up and the war intervenes and saves it.

How children survive.
First person we meet us Christabel at age three, she is. precocious, wise and unloved. She is a self reliant child as she is mostly ignored especially now her new stepmother Rosalind has arrived. Rosalind has married Jasper a man still mourning his beloved wife but in need of an heir to his estate, Chilcombe Eventually Rosalind gives birth to a daughter, another unloved, ignored child who relies on Christabel for affection and guidance. Following an accident, Rosalind marries Willoughby, Jasper' s brother and gives birth to Digby the much wanted son and heir. The children's adventures, resourcefulness affection for each other are to me the best part of the book.
All three children grow up, forceful Christabel, shy introverted Florence and charming, happy Digby, they become involved in the war in their separate roles.
At the heart of their growing up is the whalebone theatre, built from the skeleton of a whale which was washed up on the beach, this sustains them all throughout their difficulties and heartbreak.
Thank you Joanna and NetGalley.

Cristabel Seagrave, along with siblings Florence and Digby (technically her half-sister and cousin, respectively) grows up in a remote English manor where she is half left feral on the coast, half stifled by her guardians' expectations for a girl in the 1920s. Used to relying on herself, young Cristabel finds company with a group of artists and socialites who encourage her interest in theatre and join the cast of her directorial debut.

Later, when she is an adult and the second world war puts an end to her dwindling efforts in amateur theatre, Cristabel must find other things to do, and contributing to the war effort sounds promising. But the war affects them all in different ways - Christabel in the WAAF, Digby on the beaches of Normandy, Florence back home in the empty manor - and they can never return to the life they knew before.

The first half is fairly slow-paced, but the prose is so evocative and the characters so vivid and enchanting that I didn’t want to put it down. It was during the second half that the book really hit its stride, with the breakout of the war and everything it brings. This books is somehow a tribute to a Swallows-and-Amazons-esque childhood, an examination of family and everything it means, an ode to the joy of creating art, and an acceptance of the all the little ways someone can let you down. It is beautiful and charming and heartbreaking, and I finished it in two days flat - losing sleep to do so.

I’ve docked it a star because sadly, despite the author’s skill with words, they choose to use language ‘of the time’ which more than once made it an uncomfortable read. The frequent use of “savage” is one example (‘feral’ is right there an an alternative!), and the author must know of the racial implication of it, especially during the early 20th century, considering the first use is in the phrase “naked as savages.” It dented me enjoyment of an otherwise marvellous story.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Penguin for approving me for an ARC of this book. I buddy read this with a few of my book club friends and it was great to chat about it as we went.

The story opens with Cristabel’s father Jasper returning to their Dorset estate with his new wife Rosalind. It is very clear that Rosalind isn’t prepared for what being a wife entails and she isn’t keen to be a mother let alone a step mother to Cristabel.

A short while into the story Cristabel’s father Jasper dies and as an orphan she is left in the care of Rosalind and her Uncle Willoughby. Never feeling like she belongs Cristabel is prepared to make her own path and is determined to find her own way. With her step sister Flossie and cousin (brother) Digby at her side their childhood is one of adventure and mischief.

As the years roll by we see the three amigo’s become adults and make their way into the world just as WWII is breaking out. Each of these siblings played a vital role towards the war efforts and I found the paths that Digby and Cristabel chose were fascinating even if dangerous at times. It was also lovely to see Flossie come into her own back at the Dorset estate.

The Whalebone Theatre is a slow paced family saga that explores what it means to be a ‘family’. The relationship between these three ‘siblings’ was beautifully written and what struck me was how they all seemed connected even when they were apart. Whilst the war separated them for some time they always found each other and that was what stole my heart.

Emotional, powerful and compelling, this is a book to be savoured and enjoyed.