The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys. | My copy: ARC, 289 pages, Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), released February 3rd, 2015. | Source: The publisher via Shelf Awareness. | View on Goodreads here.
Synopsis:
Downed during his first mission, James Hunter is taken captive as a German POW. To bide the time, he studies a nest of redstarts at the edge of camp. Some prisoners plot escape; some are shot. And then, one day, James is called to the Kommandant’s office.
Meanwhile, back home, James’s new wife, Rose, is on her own, free in a way she has never known. Then, James’s sister, Enid, loses everything during the Blitz and must seek shelter with Rose. In a cottage near Ashdown forest, the two women jealously guard secrets, but form a surprising friendship. Each of these characters will find unexpected freedom amid war’s privations and discover confinements that come with peace. The Evening Chorus is a beautiful, astonishing examination of love, loss, escape, and the ways in which the intrusions of the natural world can save us.
The review:
The Evening Chorus is a very poignant World War II novel that focuses on three people: James, a prisoner of war, Rose, his young wife, and Enid, his sister. The book goes very slowly; there really isn’t any plot. It’s more about the characters and how they cope during and after the war. The writing, however, is beautiful. I wouldn’t call it simplistic prose, but it’s elegant and doesn’t meander around with too-sweet descriptions or giant, impressive words. The sentences aren’t needlessly long or short. The voice is perfect for the time period. Once I got used to the slow pace I really started focusing on the words. The writing made me enjoy this book a whole lot more.
Continue reading “Review — The Evening Chorus by Helen Humphreys”
The Leaning Tower of Tomes 