Joanna Quinn's The Whalebone Theatre was well written, but was, for sure, a slog to get through. Weighed down with too many backstories and hampered by superfluous description, this is not for the reader who doesn't have time and patience to spare. Will some readers love this and relish in the details? For sure. This one was just not for me.

This riveting, multigenerational saga has at its center a very dysfunctional wealthy English family. From the beginning pages, when a husband marries a woman he does not love in order to bear a son, to three half-siblings being raised among the family's bohemian artist proteges, to the war that rips them all apart and changes everything, this novel's characters ache for something they don't have.

At the heart of all of this is Christabel. She's the unwanted daughter who escapes her French nanny to run wild. She's the director of the plays at the makeshift theater during their bohemian summers, striding around with a toy sword, giving orders. Then she becomes the girl with the real gun and cyanide capsules undercover in occupied France, thanks to her perfect French pronunciation.

After the war takes its toll, the remaining characters gather at their large manor house to discuss the future of the family property that no longer feels like home.

This is a slow-paced, family drama where the feelings sneak up on you. These characters suffer, making the reader suffer too. It's a story about nostalgia, loss, grief and moving on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this story that spanned the lifetimes of three English children with an unusual family background. Beginning in 1928, when a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel near Chilcombe manor, a little girl named Christabel is the first to discover it and as a result, she feels it belongs to her. Luckily for Christabel, the whale is not claimed by the King and eventually she turns the bones of the whale into a theatre with the help of her siblings and a few of the adults of the manor.

Every summer, they put on a production, inviting the local residents. Eventually the Whalebone Theatre becomes well-known around the area. Along with Flossie and Digby, Christabel is the driving force of the theatre productions.

As the years pass, the children grow up and the war looms on the horizon. With it comes a pause in the life of the Whalebone Theatre. Digby goes off to war, Flossie stays at Chilcombe growing a garden and Christabel joins the war effort, eventually becoming a part of the resistance movement in France.

As the war continues, Digby and Christabel find themselves working together to liberate France. The story concerning the war was unlike most I have read about. Readers do not enter the concentration camps, but mostly experience the war as English residents. Digby and Christabel enter the thick of the war, but they are working undercover.

This was such an unusual story, with many references to books, plays and music, with some difficult times and relationships interspersed throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Hopf Doubleday Publishing Group for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to offer my honest review.

So, to start this off, a reminder to check page length before reading ebooks/requesting ARCs 😂 I did not with this one, and was very confused when I had been reading it diligently for a week and was only 40% through the book. Then, I looked up the page length on Goodreads. Turns out this book is almost 600 pages long 🤦

Thankfully, that's really the only "negative" thing I have to say about it (and it's not really even that negative, because I generally love long books). I think this book would've been better suited if split up into 2 or maybe even 3 books. There is at least one very definite split in the story that would've lent itself well to being the breaking point between two books. I think that going that route rather than stuffing the whole story into a single book would've been more digestible.

That said, I really, really enjoyed this book!! It reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows, Downton Abbey, in that it tells the story of a British family trying to navigate the changing times in twentieth century England. However, this family is a lot more dysfunctional than the Crawleys, and the story focuses primarily on that of the family itself rather than also delving into the lives of the servants.

I loved how dynamic the characters are! They each feel like a fully developed person, with flaws and redeeming qualities. I found myself rooting for even the less likeable characters, that they would stray from their paths of self-destruction. I loved each of the children and especially the adults they grew into. The espionage storylines were fascinating, and I thought it was so cool how Quinn wove the atmosphere of theater into her book.

This is definitely a hefty novel, but it is worth the time spent reading it. You'll need to clear some time in your reading schedule for it, but I do recommend The Whalebone Theater!

3.5 ⭐️ An ambitious, original & captivating story focusing on themes including passions, identity, family & gender roles. A beautiful & touching historical saga--long but engaging storytelling.

With great thanks to NetGalley & Knopf Publishing Group for this e-ARC!

The Whalebone Theatre
by: Joanna Quinn
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf
Release Date: 10/04/2022
General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

This is an epic work of historical fiction by Joanna Quinn. The book has received the honor of being a Read With Jenna Book Club Pick. Readers will be swept away in the creative plot featuring Cristabel Seagrave as the lead. This is a not to be forgotten tale of family, war, and redemption.

Thank you to Net Galley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Knopf for the advance reader's copy. I am providing my unbiased review.

This book is very long and very slow. It is becoming apparent that "family sagas" are simply not for me. Writing was great and very descriptive. The characters were interesting in their own way, but nothing about this ever really captured my attention

📕Cristabel! What a beautiful name and what a refreshing attitude you have! You speak to the little tomboy that I ended up hiding since I’m “grown up” now in such an encouraging way; it wants to come back out! And sorry King but whale belongs to Cristabel because she found it first!
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📗I dove into the story without reading an excerpt of it, so I didn’t know that it was going to to be a war story. But I loved how characters of three siblings came out in ways they contributed to war efforts and how theatre was the anchor.
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📘While neither combination of three siblings were full siblings, they were better than most of the full siblings you could find. They were so dedicated to each other and didn’t let anyone tell them otherwise. Parts of this story aligned different sides of my personality so well that I felt like a loved one hugging me

Christabel Seagrave is a character who will stay with me for a long time. With the other children in her household, Flossie and Digby, she creates a world of imagination and theatrics that shield them from the chaotic world of the adults: stepparents, governesses and guests who come and go in their lives.

World War II interrupts their lives, as it did for their entire generation, but in some ways it was the fulfillment of Christabel's heroic imagination as she and Digby are parachuted into France to make use of the lessons of their childhood French governess. Flossie, too, staying nearer to home, plays a critical part of the battle to preserve the England they love.

Whalebone Theatre is a novel that drew me in and kept me absorbed as a raced through the pages, only sorry to have it end. This debut novel has me looking forward to more from the author.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“Everyone costumed up, ready to step on to the stage. I wonder where we will be when the curtain falls.”

“For a fortunate few, war allows us to rise in ways that would otherwise be impossible.”


This book had been on my list for awhile but to be honest, I wasn’t super excited to read it. The title and the book cover weren’t as appealing as some of the other books I had.

But I’m glad I did!

This is a historical fiction family saga that takes place on the shores of England. There are themes of art and acting, magical exploration and discovery, love, family dynamics, and gender and class differences.

It is the story of three siblings—Cristabel, Flossie, and Digby— and how they grow from play-acting on the beach to doing undercover work during WWII.

It’s not an intense read and it’s fairly long, but it still held my attention. I was surprised how much I wanted to keep coming back to it.

Told in five different ‘acts’ (time periods), we follow them from childhood to the teenage years and on to adulthood. We see their family dynamics change and see them grow as individuals. They each realize they don’t ‘fit the mold’ of what is expected of them and are looking for where they belong.

I think this would be a good book club book and I’ve come up with some book club discussion questions listed at the bottom.


Writing Style

I thought the writing of this book was also unique. Within the narration, there were chapters that were letters, postcards, diary entries, newspaper articles, and lists as a way to fill in blanks and move the timeline. I thought this was creative and worked well.

I also thought she had some funny/creative descriptions. For example:

“His wooing of her had largely consisted of him presenting her with historical facts in the way a cat continually brings its owner dead mice, despite their perplexing lack of success.”

“England’s insipid South Coast, the ocean’s limpest handshake.”

“One evening, Robert, a man who began conversations somewhere in the middle…”

“He could hear himself breaking wind in his sleep, the helplessly escaping air a sort of continuation of his inept attempts at making small talk, a smattering of half-hearted repartee.”

“Robert had been blessed with the gift of obliviousness and the villagers appeared to admire him for it.”

“She enjoys both their company and their useful skills, for she admires things done in an adept manner, in the same way she covets tools that can be snapped shut and pocketed.”

“He pulls himself up and announces, as if bringing news from a distant kingdom, ‘I am hungry.’”

“Cristabel says you can play Helen, but you will not need to learn any lines. She says you are to be a mute witness to bloody scenes of horror that you have brought about.”

“Veg sits at the piano to practice, determinedly plonking her way through melodies until she has mastered them, changing direction with each wrong note, like somebody blindfolded colliding with furniture.” (I play piano and my practicing is very similar, this description is spot on!)

“Had there been carpets in the building rather than cheap lino, she imagines a great deal would be swept beneath them.”

“… a handbag that appears to be made from molten cutlery.”


Characters

Much of the book is character study. Here are a few of the main ones with some characteristics we see from the beginning:

I would say the primary character is Cristabel. She outshines the others who are somewhat there as a support to her character and growth.

Cristabel: feisty, clever, mischievous, visionary, takes charge, observant, perceptive; “dauntless leader”

“she had thought it likely that she might be a boy. She had qualities and ambitions well matched to boyhood. An interest in snails and maps and warfare. A roving disposition. Nobody told her that she wasn’t.”

Digby: loyal to a fault, companion

“he has never faltered, gamely following her into bramble bushes and freezing streams.”

“They confiscated my Wind in the Willows. I asked for a new one and Father gave me a cricket bag. Told me not to bother with stories. Told me to give up the stage. Everything I’ve liked has been taken away from me, and nobody could give me a good reason why.”

Flossie: self-conscious, living in the shadow of her mother, not the boy her parents wanted

Willoughby: nonchalant, restless, used to getting what he wants; “a performance”; “no boundaries”

Rosalind: high-maintenance, selfish, neglected and neglectful, lonely

“she has always lived in a dance towards pleasure as a means of distraction.”

“Rosalind has a desperate feeling she will be echoing his words forever. She is a parrot; she is a cave.”


Other Random Comments

As I said earlier that this book is pretty long. The Goodreads summary might be a little misleading because the undercover agent part of the book is not the majority of the story. We don’t get to the WWII part until about 50% through. Crista doesn’t go undercover until 70%.

I was also surprised how long it took to get to the part where the whalebones become a theater.

You’re just going to have to nestle in with this one and take it as it comes. I think it’s meant to be devoured slowly.

I think it was largely her writing style that kept me engaged. I could hear the sounds. The narration depicted the various voices well. And the variety of chapter ‘types’ broke it up.


They reference a Russian female sniper with a ton of kills— if you would like to learn about that story read The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn.


Some fun words I learned!

Flibbertigibbet: a frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person

Bolthole: a place where a person can escape and hide

Batman: an officer’s personal servant (so Alfred is Batman’s batman?)

Bagsied: called dibs



Here are a couple other quotes I liked:

“War might depend on people who don’t flinch, but humanity rather relies on those who do.”

“She realizes that, for all she resents the unfair advantages given to the opposite sex, she does not want to be a man, she only wants it not to matter that she is a woman. She wants this. This friendship, this acceptance. To be valued for what she can do, rather than told what she can’t.”


More Plot Details

[FYI— I suppose this may give some spoilers but they’re not shocking twists or anything that would ruin the book]

Crista’s mother— her father’s true love—died in childbirth. He never really loved Crista. Her Uncle Willoughby, exciting and adventurous, gave her more attention whenever he was in town.

Eventually her father marries a younger woman— Rosalind— whom he also doesn’t really love but does so to try to get a male heir for his wealthy estate.

They have a girl— Flossie— who gets the nickname ‘The Veg’ because Rosalind says she looked like a vegetable when she was born. Rosalind, an aspiring socialite, was not up to the mothering task and would rather throw parties and buy luxury items then care for the children.

Crista’s father dies and Rosalind ends up marrying Willoughby and finally bears a son— Digby— who is now the heir they were hoping for.

As you can see, the siblings already have a complicated relationship with each other and their parents.

To escape the tension at home, the imaginative and brave Christa leads the other two into grand adventures in the woods and waters around their home.

When a whale carcass washes up on shore they eventually use the bones to create a makeshift theater stage on the beach where they put on elaborate plays for family and eventually the community.

This thread of ‘acting’ plays a big role in all of their lives. As we jump ahead to the throes of WWII, Crista and Digby find that their acting skills may come in handy to work undercover against the Nazi party.

Some of the questions this book sets out to answer are: What is their purpose in life? How does the war change how they see themselves and others? Can they all survive the war intact?


Recommendation

I think I would have liked the undercover agent part to be a more significant part of the story and I’m not sure if the ending was big enough for how long the book was, but I still enjoyed it.

If you like historical fiction, family sagas, and character development, I think you’ll like this one.

If you want something more fast-paced, better pass.



[Content Advisory: No f- or s-words. Some promiscuity but nothing described. Most often implied or spoken of in delicate vague terms. A couple LGBTQ characters but it’s not a prominent theme.]


Book Club Discussion Questions

I think there are a lot of things that could be talked about, here are some to get you started:

1. What does the whale symbolize for each character?

2. How does their childhood happening right after WWI shape them?

3. Taras says, “Money is the great destroyer of art.” Do you think this is true?

4. Why do you think Rosalind never bonded with the girls? (Especially if she felt neglected as a woman)

5. What do you think Rosalind wanted out of life?

6. Did your view of Jasper change at all?

7. Which character do you most relate to?

8. What is your opinion of art? Which of the arts speaks most to you— music, dance, painting, acting, sculpture, etc?

9. What characteristics of their parents do Crista, Flossie, and Digby resemble?

10. Why do you think Crista is drawn to the goddess statue?

11. What connects Leon and Crista?

12. How does each of their (Crista, Digby, Flossie) childhoods prepare them for their future role in the war?

13. Which of the three took on roles in the war that surprised them?

14. What role does Perry play in the lives of the trio?

15. Why do you think Uncle Willoughby is absent from the second half of the story?

16. What do you think Cristabel’s dream at the very end signifies?

17. How would you have liked it to end?


**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

4 1/2 ⭐

Covers from the 1920's to the end of WWII looking at the family of the Seagraves. It focuses on Cristabel, Flossie and Digby, the Seagrave children.

Quinn's characters were well developed. I saw them grow from little children to young adults. Their struggles and triumphs I lived along with them. Quinn also described things so well that there was no problem imagining them. I haven't read a book that has been so beautiful written in quite awhile, but this one was.

The only drawback I had with the book, was the first section was kind of slow. Other than that, it was wonderful. I wish Goodreads had 1/2 ⭐'s because this is to me is a 4 1/2⭐ book.

Published October 4, 2022

Thanks to Netgalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, and Quinn for the Kindle Version of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

📚 Happy Reading

This family saga will take you on a journey through the life of Cristabel Seagrave, a young child who never knew her mother and was mostly ignored by her father. But her younger half sister Flossie and Cousin Digby along with a cast of eclectic characters, become the loving family she craved.

The story begins as WWI ends as Cristabel’s father remarries and brings his new wife home to his estate in rural England. Lonely, Cristabel is left to her imagination for company. The new wife does have children, Flossie and Digby, and as they get older, Cristabel enjoys being their “leader”. When a huge whale shows up on shore, cristabel’s dreams begin to come true. The ribs and bones of the whale are used to create a theater where Cristabel employs everyone on the estate (and more) into her productions and becomes well known for them. But all these are interrupted by WWII as Digby goes off to war, Cristabel joins the war effort and Flossie is left to care for the estate as Germans and (later Americans) come through. While Flossie entertains the soldiers, Digby goes missing and Cristabel yearns to find him as she takes on one dangerous mission after another. Will the 3 siblings survive and reunite after the war to revive their beloved theater?

This novel sucked me in at first and then dragged a bit in places as the story meandered. The second part was much like a typical war story except that I was finally invested in the characters and wanted to know the outcome. The characters were quirky and unique and the bonds between them were strong. This is a long novel at almost 600 pages, which definitely could have used a bit of trimming down without sacrificing the story.

Thank You to NetGalley and the publishers for this early review copy. This novel is available now and was just released on 10/4/22. This review is also posted on IG @maria.needs.to.read and on Goodreads

This story was an interesting depiction of a complex and flawed family. The detailed, descriptive writing makes this a challenging and fascinating book. The historical context was interesting as were the characters. Thanks #NetGalley

I have already made this a book club choice for my family/friends bookclub! Thank you to Knopf Doubleday for the chance to read and review this wonderful book!

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn is a wonderfully written historical fiction novel, a story that to me honors imagination blended with bravery and fortitude. I loved how Cristabel and the settings/places she was in this story and how themes of adventure and spirit came to life.

What struck me as well was that this book felt very real and captivating to me, I was fully engaged and I say this as a reader who does not seek out historical fiction as much because for me I struggle to feel engaged. A credit the strong writing and a character I really liked. I love strong female leads, characters who grow, who question, who have a desire to understand and pursue dreams and values and what feels right.

Recommended for historical fiction fans in general and perhaps readers who have enjoyed Great Circle, The Lilac Girls, as well as books from Kate Quinn.

Cristabel Seagrave practically wished her half sister Flossie & her cousin DIgby into existence . She was ushered into this world as her mother left it, leaving her a lonely, ignored child & learned to live in her imagination, & to lead grand adventures across the grounds of her family's home in England. This tale follows Cristabel, Flossie & Digby from their childhoods in 1920's England to adulthood, spanning World War I & World War II in Europe. The book takes the reader from their childhood of innocence, imagination, & possibility - to the world of the adults they become.

The Whalebone Theatre is a well written book. I was especially moved by the two sections in which the author arranged the words on the page in a way that seemed "poetic" to me . The tool added to the drama and seriousness of what was taking place. In the first section Quinn is describing a bombing in London. It compelled me to slow down and reread the passage and feel it . I have only recently learned to love historical fiction & how it can transport you to a different place , time & experience. The Whalebone Theatre was a worthwhile trip. I am a sure there will be more great books by Joanna Quinn.

Thanks to NetGalley & Knopf Doubleday for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Historical fiction is easily my favorite genre, and I'm always excited to begin a new one - specifically in the WW2 Era.

This particular book did seem to fit with the time period, that I've come to know well through history and great literature. Not only that, there seemed to be a disconnect between the first third, 2nd third, and last portion of the book. Almost as if reading 3 seperate stories, with 3 entirely different narratives, and disjointed characters.

I generous 2.5 stars, for me.

A big thank you to the Author Joanna Quinn, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for my candid review.

This was an intriguing and engaging book. It begins the story of a young motherless girl who's father remarries to a woman who loves neither her husband or her step daughter. Cristabel grows up in an English Country home and is raised virtually ignored by everyone except for two women who are servants in the house. She then helps to raise her younger sister and brother. She is a creative girl who brings theater to the manor. Eventually, the siblings end up as contestants and observers in WWII, each playing a remarkable part in the struggle.

I thought that this was an excellent book and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Completely and utterly in love with this book. I love the children's points of view, even as they grow up and face their unusual upbringing. A beautiful story of coming together between the wars, during WWII, and after. Chilcomb Manor, as unlikely as it seems, becomes of place of magic. Beautiful writing.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me this book! While I must admit it was not my my “type” of book, I can definitely appreciate the creativity and story telling. It was a beautifully written historical fiction with a unique twist!

The Whalebone Theatre is a slow moving (at times) family saga following the Seagrave family, particularly the children Cristabel, Flossie and Digby, from toddlers into adulthood and their experience in WW2.
If you can stick with the first 30/40% , it does pick up on the action and attachment to the characters. It becomes impressive in its scope and I ultimately found myself completely immersed. I can understand the complaints of it being tedious at times but overall I thought it was extremely beautiful and well written, poignant and heartbreaking. There are moments and characters that will stay with me for a long time. I would highly recommend if a fan of historical fiction and generational sagas.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for the arc.