I started reading this book casually as a change of pace among recent lit fic frontlist titles—and I was delighted to discover a top five read of the year for me hidden on my NetGalley shelves. Ostensibly a World War II novel, this astute addition to the genre does not hit you over the head with the historical context. I think it is better described as a coming-of-age story charting the unusual life of the unusual Seagrave family. Their sibling dynamic had me in tears by the end, which is a rare achievement for me. The depiction of an artist's development as well was especially appreciated by this former theatre kid. I have purchased this as a gift for two people already!

War changes everything, but there is a tendency to overlook how it changes children. More specifically, how the war colors the adulthood of the children who experience it, and through them, the generations to come. Joanna Quinn’s The Whalebone Theatre follows three children from the aftermath of WWI to the aftermath of WWII, framing the narrative as a play with five acts. The play metaphor is effective as a reflection of the tragedy and comedy of war-torn Europe, but it falters a bit in application to the children. Regardless of their precocity, it is unlikely the children would have had a deep understanding of The Iliad. This notwithstanding, The Whalebone Theatre is definitely worth a read.

Wonderfully rich and evocative setting and scenario, filled with colourful and memorable characters. The opening half, in Dorset, was more completely realised than the latter half, when the action left this carefully created world and became a little less vivid - I felt I'd read the WW2 episodes in other books, before. Still a remarkable achievement and I'll be looking forward to whatever ones next from Joanna Quinn.

I loved the siblings in this book and the sense of place, as well as the ways that theater and collaboration bring people together time and time again.

Joanna Quinn’s The Whalebone Theatre is the story of Cristabel Seagrave who, along with others, builds a theatre from the bones of a whale that has washed up on the shore. Later in life during WWII, Cristabel becomes a secret agent. I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this well-written, creative book about love, family, bravery, and the loss of innocence. I look forward to Joanna Quinn’s next book.

this was a slow start but all of a sudden i got so into it, esp the various efforts in ww2. i liked the different perspectives during the war, particularly the home front and the importance of gardening etc. i could picture the house and the whalebone theatre and all the characters so well and it made me cry at the end

This is a very interesting debut novel. I loved how Cristabel’s imagination comes to life. Thanks for the review copy.

A new novel, I love the characters and the story, I enjoyed this book so much and I'm glad I have a new author to look forward to reading her next books.



Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf, for the advanced copy of The Whalebone Theatre in exchange for my honest review

I began but did not finish this book. I’m sorry to say it wasn’t a good fit for me and I decided to put it down and move onto something else. I read almost 100 pages before reaching any content resembling the description of the book, so I was quite confused and frustrated it took so long to get moving.

A coming of age story set during WW2. I found the book middle of the road good. It was good enough to keep reading. I wan't very connected to the characters and occasionally found my mind wandering. I enjoyed the beginning the most when they were children and preforming in the whale come theatre.

I think this book tried really hard to be profound, but it just didn’t work for me. It was also too long for the story it was telling. It was supposed to about World War 2, yet it took until page 225 to reach the year 1939. There was too much time spent on Cristabel’s childhood, but the issue was that so much time was given to her step-mother, father, and uncle. I couldn’t stand how shallow Rosalind was, and there was a lot of backstory that just wasn’t needed to know who Cristabel was.

I did like reading from the perspective of the British during World War 2, and learning more about the Special Operations Executive, which I knew some about, but not their training methods. I liked the sibling relationship between Cristabel, Flossie, and Digby. But there was so much description and similes and metaphors that again, made this book longer than it needed to be. I really liked the theatre, too, but it was mostly used as the bookends of the story. There were some side characters that had POV that I didn’t know why they had it (cough Maudie cough). But other side characters I loved, like Lieselotte.

I loved the second half of this book but the first half was much slower and took me quite some time to get through.

I’ve tried and tried to get into this book. Sadly I had to DNF it. It wasn’t for me. I am so happy to see so many people love it and that is so fantastic.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest review.

This was a great book and I enjoyed reading it! I look forward to seeing what this author comes out with next.

Cristabel Seagrave is only four when she’s introduced in this novel. Her widowed father, Jasper, remarries and it’s clear that her stepmother, Rosalind, has no interest in being a mother to Cristabel. She soon becomes pregnant and she’s hopeful that she’ll get a brother, but it’s a girl and she has Flossie instead. Following Jasper’s accidental death, Rosalind finds herself pregnant again by Jasper’s brother, Willoughby, and this time it’s a boy. Digby, Flossie, and Cristabel grow up together on an expensive estate in Dorset between the Great War and World War 2, and it’s a magical childhood.

The Whalebone Theatre is told in five acts, the final two taking place during World War 2 when each of the Seagrave children finds a way to serve. I admit to being completely burned out on WWII historical fiction. This one led me there gradually and I loved how it progressed through the war as they all hit adulthood. I adored the writing and the narrative, but also that the author mixed it up telling it partly though lists, letters, and newspaper clippings. It had a unique, magical feel, a bit Downton Abbey, a smidge Little Women (the good parts), and overall really special.

“For a fortunate few, war allows us to rise in ways that would otherwise be impossible. We can bring the very best of us to bear.”
― Joanna Quinn, The Whalebone Theatre

Cristabel Seagrave loses her mother during childbirth, and her father, Jasper, who remarries when she is four, passes away shortly thereafter. This leaves Cristabel in the care of her disinterested stepmother, Rosalind, who later marries Jasper’s aviation-obsessed brother, Willoughby.

One stormy night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel near Devon. By law, the whale belongs to the King, but twelve-year-old orphan Cristabel, along with her half-sister Flossie, cousin Digby, kitchen maid Maudie Kitcat, and a visiting Russian painter named Taras Kovalsky, transform the massive rib cage into a theater. They stage performances of The Iliad and various Shakespearean plays, gaining some notoriety in the process.

Fourteen years later, Cristabel and Digby's experience in theatrical playacting becomes valuable when they are both airdropped into Nazi-occupied France on separate espionage missions to aid the Resistance during World War II.

The novel explores themes of love, family, bravery, and the loss of innocence, delivering an imaginative narrative. However, despite its 558-page length, the book failed to captivate me. I didn’t feel connected to the characters, except for the delightful portrayal of Christa as a young girl. It wasn’t one of those books I looked forward to reading at the end of the day, but I enjoyed it enough to give it 3.5 stars.

As a thespian and book lover, the title of the new book by Joanna Quinn drew me instantly in: The Whalebone Theatre. I didn’t bother reading the full description before diving in. The title was enough for me. I’m glad I skipped – some word may have given things away.

The Whalebone Theatre is a long, literary read set in the early decades of the 1900s, shortly after WWI and through WWII. It takes a bit for the title to make sense, but once it does, my fellow theatre lovers will delight in the memories and emotions the tale pulls out.

I admit that the social class and much of what goes on in the story (well, the first sections anyway) aren’t my cup of tea. I’m not romantic about the period, so I don’t settle easily into the lifestyle of the characters.

As the story deepens, and the title unfolds, I found myself more drawn in. It’s an eccentric tale, with an unusual cast of characters ranging from the sensitive, yet practical lead to the distinctive siblings, the bold maids, to the parent figures who I’m glad to never know.

Tragedy mixed with comedy, curiosity blended with expectations, The Whalebone Theatre is exceptionally written in beautiful language and truly pulls you into the era. The literary tale will carry you through intrigue and sorrow, adventure and pain.

I recommend this book for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted, Modern-era stories that involve British peoples, theatre, and bold women. You’ll find all these contained within the pages, along with frisky Russians, French governesses, and wartime adventuring in many unique settings.

This is the story of a trio of children who grew up in England between WWI and WWII, and their involvement in WWII when it started during their early adulthood. It details their actions in the war, and how the war impacted these three and the estate upon which they grew up. It is historical fiction, with what appear to be well-researched and accurate details.

This is one of those "you will love it or hate it" types of books. Unfortunately for me, I am much closer to the latter category. This novel reminds me, in some ways of the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which does much the same thing. There is a lot a character development in this novel, and wonderful descriptions - but for me, the characters are mostly rather flat, and the descriptions are all there are. For almost the first half of the book, nothing happens. The author introduces the characters and watches them grow up. There are some interesting incidents in the children's lives, but many - even most - of them could be left out without changing the book in any way, and in terms of the plot, nothing happens. It is simply a recounting of the lives of three children with a somewhat odd relationship due to the various relationships of their parents. This portion of the novel could have been cut down to about one-tenth of its length without impacting the second half. I struggled mightily to reach the second half, wherein something actually happens. The second half is not bad, if you can make it that far, and tells a tale of wartime intrigue.

If you enjoy recountings of peoples' day-to-day lives in a different time, and watching children grow up, you may enjoy this novel - but it wasn't for me. Not because it was bad, as some people will love it for the very things I dislike, but because it is simply not the type of book I enjoy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love WWII novels and movies mostly because I always learn something about history, culture, and the people during that timeframe. Typically, there is a lot of research that goes into writing a book in this genre. The Whalebone Theater goes into more detail than any book I have read. In addition to the characters, the drafty manor, the theater, and the Dorset shore. At times I thought this should be a mini-series, yet it couldn’t be “mini” anything. The heroine, Cristabel Seagrave is memorable, frustrating, and heartbreaking. While I wished at times this was a shorter book with more editing, I also appreciated that detail and nuance that went into writing this book. In the end, these were characters that invite you into their world and Joanna Quinn is a terrific debut author.

this was a beautifully written, truly original story filled with very specific, well-drawn characters.

the pacing is a bit erratic but actually matches the narrative; early years of relative calm are slower while the later, war time years are a bit breathless.

i would definitely recommend this book for readers who enjoy unique, historical fiction.