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Author: Quinn, Joanna
'Maudie closes the book with a clllump. It's the story of the three children who grow up there, and the adventures they create for themselves while the grown-ups entertain endless party guests. 'We haven't read all the books yet, Miss Cristabel. Fig Tree 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. But as the children grow to adulthood, another story has been unfolding in the wings. Cristabel Seagrave has always wanted her life to be a story, but there are no girls in the books in her dusty family library.
Published on 3 August 2023 by Penguin Books Ltd in the United Kingdom.
- Dimensions 162 x 240 x 41mm | 766g
Reviews
RP FRAZER
Very reminiscent of "I Capture the Castle" by Dodi Smith. The sequences involving the growing independence of the eldest, Cristabel, the sensitive but resilient Digby, and their cousin/sister the put-upon Flossie are wonderfully found - in fact the best the book has to offer. She paints the most beautiful picture of three wonderful children and their unusual upbringing in Dorset.
Ms. M. Glover
But this saga begins when WW1 ends and everything the Seagraves once took for granted is about to change. That it does and in a a novel and exciting way, is a joy. Is it too early to reread it again?
alison Sarah carroll
It takes a while to find out about what the Whalebone Theatre will be but it is a unique idea and the rest of the book always comes back to it, even during the war. Quinn's use of metaphor is often striking, sometimes breathtaking and only once or twice misses the mark. The children create an outdoor theatre using the bones of a whale that has washed up on the shore - hence the book title. There were some heartbreaking moments but that is life in World War 2, however the characters and storyline triumph over the sadness.
Alexandra Carey
This book is such a joy to read. I loved this book. The story - saga - becomes, at times, directionless. It's hard to see how the house, Chilcombe, can find a purpose for itself (yes, it's almost as if the house has a mind and character of its own!
She can evoke a sound, a sight, with the minimum of words which I would recognise on a visceral level. I think that the whalebone theatre is a masterpiece and a moving piece of literature.
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