The Whalebone Theatre: The Sunday Times bestselling historical novel and beautiful coming-of-age story
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‘A tour de force’ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
This is the story of an old English manor house by the sea, with crumbling chimneys, draping ivy and a library full of dusty hardbacks. 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.
This is the story of a whale that washes up on a beach, whose bones are claimed by a twelve-year-old girl with big ambitions and an even bigger imagination. An unwanted orphan who grows into an unmarriageable young woman, fiercely determined to do things differently.
But as the children grow to adulthood, another story has been unfolding in the wings. And when the war finally takes centre stage, they find themselves cast, unrehearsed, into roles they never expected to play.
They raised themselves on stories. Now it’s time for them to write their own…
‘One of those big chunky stories that swallows you whole’ The Times
‘Beautifully compulsive … The Whalebone Theatre will feel like a much-loved book even if you’re reading it for the first time’ Red Magazine
‘Pure heaven, from first word to last’ Sunday Times
Instant Sunday Times bestseller, September 2023
ASIN : B09HX526LB
Publisher : Penguin (9 Jun. 2022)
Language : English
File size : 4.0 MB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 540 pages
Customers say
Customers find this historical novel to be an extraordinarily good debut, with lovely descriptive writing and beautifully drawn characters that are resilient. The book receives positive feedback for its attention to historical detail, with one customer noting how it takes readers on a tour through the decades, and another mentioning how it captures the attitudes of different times. While some customers find the book engaging and hold their attention, others describe it as boring, and many find it too long.

£4.99