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Billy Summers
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From legendary storyteller and No. 1 bestseller Stephen King, whose 'restless imagination is a power...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Woman Outside the Walls in Books
Oct 16, 2022
Anna is in her 90's and living a quiet and peaceful life but she has lived with the horrors and struggles of her past and of the fear that it's going to catch up with her.
Told from different time lines - pre-war, post war and the present - and mainly from Anna's perspective, this is the story of her life; the good, the bad and the ugly. I admit it did, at times, feel like it was jumping from one time to another and not always, I felt, in a logical way which made it a bit hard to keep up but you soon get caught up in the story.
This is a real thought-provoker and makes you ask yourself some difficult questions about what you would do to survive and if you do, how do you reconcile the decisions you have made.
Although this is a work of fiction, there are historical facts that are interwoven in the story which makes it feel quite authentic and I must thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Woman Outside the Walls.
Told from different time lines - pre-war, post war and the present - and mainly from Anna's perspective, this is the story of her life; the good, the bad and the ugly. I admit it did, at times, feel like it was jumping from one time to another and not always, I felt, in a logical way which made it a bit hard to keep up but you soon get caught up in the story.
This is a real thought-provoker and makes you ask yourself some difficult questions about what you would do to survive and if you do, how do you reconcile the decisions you have made.
Although this is a work of fiction, there are historical facts that are interwoven in the story which makes it feel quite authentic and I must thank Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Woman Outside the Walls.
The Women
10.0
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From the worldwide bestselling author of The Four Winds, The Nightingale and Firefly Lane (a Number...
Historical fiction Vietnam war
Hazel (1853 KP) rated The Chilbury Ladies' Choir in Books
May 23, 2017
Wartime Fiction
This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
"Just because the men have gone to war, why do we have to close the choir? And precisely when we need it most!"
Set in the fictional village of Chilbury, Kent during the Second World War, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir explores the lives of the women left behind whilst the men go off to fight. The remaining villagers are disappointed at the closing of the church choir, which, according to the vicar, cannot go on without any men to sing the tenor and bass parts. However, the arrival of bold, forthright Primrose Trent brings the birth of a new choir, a choir for women only.
Although a war is going on, the ladies of Chilbury have so many other things on their minds. Told through a conflation letters and diary entries, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir reveals the everyday lives of a handful of characters. Mrs Tilling’s journal provides an overview of the general events, whilst 18-year-old Venetia’s letters divulge the wiles and charms she uses in the name of romance. Other characters, particularly the young teenager, Kitty, offer other insights to the goings on in the village.
From falling in love, to having babies, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is full of secrets, schemes and misunderstandings that almost let the villagers forget there is a war on. However, the effects of war do reach the little village, bringing with it terror and grief.
The individual stories that make up the book provide the reader with a number of scenarios that are full of emotion, but equally entertain. One moment the horror of war could leave readers in flood of tears, the next, Mrs B.’s pretentious personality and vaunting comments bring amusement and laughter.
All the while these events are playing out, the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir pulls the women together, providing them with a source of comfort to get them through the terrible times. No matter what disasters befall them, whether caused by war or their own actions, joining together in song gives them a purpose and opportunity to have a break from their fears and grief. War may destroy, but they will carry on singing.
Written in the manner of private letters and journals gives the novel a personal touch. The story is not merely narrated, it is expressed through the emotion and feelings of individual characters, making the scenarios seem more authentic. The downside to this method is the lack of distinction between each character’s voices. With no detectable dialect, the musings of a 13-year-old are composed in much the same manner as the much older Mrs Tilling.
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is an enjoyable piece of historical literature, which is bound to appeal to many people. Although set during World War II, its primary focus is on the people in the village, making it more attractive to readers who are fed up of reading about bombs and fighting. A mix of family issues, bribery and romance provide considerably more entertainment than a generic wartime novel. Being Jennifer Ryan’s debut novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is of a quality that suggests the author has so much more to deliver in the not-so-distant future.
"Just because the men have gone to war, why do we have to close the choir? And precisely when we need it most!"
Set in the fictional village of Chilbury, Kent during the Second World War, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir explores the lives of the women left behind whilst the men go off to fight. The remaining villagers are disappointed at the closing of the church choir, which, according to the vicar, cannot go on without any men to sing the tenor and bass parts. However, the arrival of bold, forthright Primrose Trent brings the birth of a new choir, a choir for women only.
Although a war is going on, the ladies of Chilbury have so many other things on their minds. Told through a conflation letters and diary entries, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir reveals the everyday lives of a handful of characters. Mrs Tilling’s journal provides an overview of the general events, whilst 18-year-old Venetia’s letters divulge the wiles and charms she uses in the name of romance. Other characters, particularly the young teenager, Kitty, offer other insights to the goings on in the village.
From falling in love, to having babies, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is full of secrets, schemes and misunderstandings that almost let the villagers forget there is a war on. However, the effects of war do reach the little village, bringing with it terror and grief.
The individual stories that make up the book provide the reader with a number of scenarios that are full of emotion, but equally entertain. One moment the horror of war could leave readers in flood of tears, the next, Mrs B.’s pretentious personality and vaunting comments bring amusement and laughter.
All the while these events are playing out, the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir pulls the women together, providing them with a source of comfort to get them through the terrible times. No matter what disasters befall them, whether caused by war or their own actions, joining together in song gives them a purpose and opportunity to have a break from their fears and grief. War may destroy, but they will carry on singing.
Written in the manner of private letters and journals gives the novel a personal touch. The story is not merely narrated, it is expressed through the emotion and feelings of individual characters, making the scenarios seem more authentic. The downside to this method is the lack of distinction between each character’s voices. With no detectable dialect, the musings of a 13-year-old are composed in much the same manner as the much older Mrs Tilling.
The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is an enjoyable piece of historical literature, which is bound to appeal to many people. Although set during World War II, its primary focus is on the people in the village, making it more attractive to readers who are fed up of reading about bombs and fighting. A mix of family issues, bribery and romance provide considerably more entertainment than a generic wartime novel. Being Jennifer Ryan’s debut novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir is of a quality that suggests the author has so much more to deliver in the not-so-distant future.
Friedrichstrasse 19
8.0
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Sometimes I get fanciful and think the buildings speak. That all their history is locked into the...
Historical fiction Literary fiction Germany Berlin
Alison Pink (7 KP) rated Five Quarters Of The Orange in Books
Jan 15, 2018
I am always fascinated with any novel, fiction or otherwise, that is set in the time of World War II. This book took me a bit longer to get in to than is typical of a book set in this time period. But the end made it well worth the wait.
At times it is hard to follow because it bounces back & forth between Boise's life currently & her childhood spent in a small village in France during WWII. The story itself didn't form fully for me until it ended...all the loose ends were tied up & the events up to that point finally made sense. The 1 thing that frustrated me was Mirabelle, the mother. I was left not being quite sure whether or not she was really crazy.
At times it is hard to follow because it bounces back & forth between Boise's life currently & her childhood spent in a small village in France during WWII. The story itself didn't form fully for me until it ended...all the loose ends were tied up & the events up to that point finally made sense. The 1 thing that frustrated me was Mirabelle, the mother. I was left not being quite sure whether or not she was really crazy.
Lindsay (1717 KP) rated Prairie Song (Hearts Seeking Home, #1) in Books
Feb 15, 2018
This book is really good. I loved it from the beginning. You will be reminded of a book from the other series that you may think that it connected to it. It was really intruding. You will learn how to deal with some really serious issues.
The issues are a various of different things. One person in this book can show how they deal with geif and it not all good. You get to experience some things going on Trail as well. I would recommend this book to any one that likes historical fiction, a bit of civil war era, romance.
Though I am not going to make you decide I will let you decide for yourself if you want to read it or not and rate for yourself.
The issues are a various of different things. One person in this book can show how they deal with geif and it not all good. You get to experience some things going on Trail as well. I would recommend this book to any one that likes historical fiction, a bit of civil war era, romance.
Though I am not going to make you decide I will let you decide for yourself if you want to read it or not and rate for yourself.
Lee KM Pallatina (951 KP) rated Escape from New York (1981) in Movies
Jun 18, 2019
Snaaaaaake!
Escape from New York is a 1981 dystopian science fiction-action film.
In 1997, a major war between the U.S and Russia is continuing and the whole of Manhattan has been converted into a giant free roaming maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.
Dark toned action adventure spawning a cult franchise and heavily inspired the Metal Gear Solid franchise. (I mean its lead character is snake plissken)
co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter.
It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton
In 1997, a major war between the U.S and Russia is continuing and the whole of Manhattan has been converted into a giant free roaming maximum security prison. When Air Force One is hijacked and crashes into the island, the president is taken hostage by inmates. Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell), a former Special Forces soldier turned criminal, is recruited to retrieve the president in exchange for his own freedom.
Dark toned action adventure spawning a cult franchise and heavily inspired the Metal Gear Solid franchise. (I mean its lead character is snake plissken)
co-written, co-scored and directed by John Carpenter.
It stars Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Donald Pleasence, Ernest Borgnine, Isaac Hayes, Adrienne Barbeau, and Harry Dean Stanton
David McK (3369 KP) rated Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven, #1) in Books
Jan 30, 2019
This is pretty much what I would term your standard high-fantasy fiction: high fantasy as opposed to, say, urban fantasy, as it involves Dragons (albeit only at the very beginning, and then more-or-less forgotten about), Elves and Magic amongst other genre staples.
The Raven of the sub-title ('Chronicles of the Raven', remember!) are a group of mercenaries who, at the beginning of the novel, have lived and fought together for years. At the end of one contract, they are hired by a former enemy, before events start overtaking them and they find themselves as amongst the last hope for their land, which is descending into war ...
I found this to be an OK read: not the best of such-like books I've ever read; nor the worst.
The Raven of the sub-title ('Chronicles of the Raven', remember!) are a group of mercenaries who, at the beginning of the novel, have lived and fought together for years. At the end of one contract, they are hired by a former enemy, before events start overtaking them and they find themselves as amongst the last hope for their land, which is descending into war ...
I found this to be an OK read: not the best of such-like books I've ever read; nor the worst.