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The Songbirds of Colliers Row
From the ashes of war rose a song of hope...
A warm-hearted, nostalgic and uplifting saga, The Songbirds of Colliers Row by Jennifer Hart is perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Donna Douglas, Kate Thompson's Secrets of the Singer Girls and for anyone with a song in their heart...
A village without a voice. That's what the locals are saying about Llandegwen, deep in the Welsh valleys. The village choir, once a source of pride for the small mining community, has been forced to disband; the elderly choirmaster heartbroken by the empty seats belonging to those who'll never return from the battlefields.
The arrival of a young war widow from the East End with her little boy sets tongues wagging, not least when rumours abound that she's looking to revive the choir. Can the community set aside their grief and lift their voices, and the village's hopes, once more?
A warm-hearted, nostalgic and uplifting saga, The Songbirds of Colliers Row by Jennifer Hart is perfect for fans of Call the Midwife, Donna Douglas, Kate Thompson's Secrets of the Singer Girls and for anyone with a song in their heart...
A village without a voice. That's what the locals are saying about Llandegwen, deep in the Welsh valleys. The village choir, once a source of pride for the small mining community, has been forced to disband; the elderly choirmaster heartbroken by the empty seats belonging to those who'll never return from the battlefields.
The arrival of a young war widow from the East End with her little boy sets tongues wagging, not least when rumours abound that she's looking to revive the choir. Can the community set aside their grief and lift their voices, and the village's hopes, once more?
- GenresHistorical
336 pages, Paperback
Published February 12, 2019
2 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 13, 2023
Sometimes you just want to read something that leaves you feeling good. For me, it was this book. Josie, a young widow after her husband Matthew died in the World War Two has fled London in fear. She and her six year old son Sam have arrived in Llandegwen, Wales. She has been offered a home with Glenys and Harry, her husband Matthew’s parents. Glenys is happy to have Sam and Josie there but her husband Harry seems less than thrilled with the presence in his home. Josie is thankful for Glenys and a chance to start anew, hopefully where her past mistakes will not find her. When she learns the village used to have a choir, Josie who has a love of music wonders if this is a way she can give back to the village and try to fit in. Does she have a hope of reforming a choir and helping people who have lost so much in the war found some joy? Some of the village people seem keen but there is on person in particular, who does not want Josie and the choir to succeed.
Josie is lovely, as are her mother in law Glenys and Peggy who befriends Josie. Some others are far from likeable and then there are a number of complex characters each with their own secrets, dreams and hopes. The people of this community are very real. Sometimes though people can be different to what one initially expects. Will Josie’s past find her and bring all her plans crashing down?
This is a gentle, heartwarming story of a community coming out of hard times. I loved the emphasis on singing and the difference it can make in a person’s life and how music is a balm to the soul. It is about family, secrets and community. Did I mention there is also a romance?
I adored this book that left me smiling. I thought the ending was perfect.
Josie is lovely, as are her mother in law Glenys and Peggy who befriends Josie. Some others are far from likeable and then there are a number of complex characters each with their own secrets, dreams and hopes. The people of this community are very real. Sometimes though people can be different to what one initially expects. Will Josie’s past find her and bring all her plans crashing down?
This is a gentle, heartwarming story of a community coming out of hard times. I loved the emphasis on singing and the difference it can make in a person’s life and how music is a balm to the soul. It is about family, secrets and community. Did I mention there is also a romance?
I adored this book that left me smiling. I thought the ending was perfect.
July 22, 2018
A wonderful, inspiring and uplifting story. I really enjoyed this book, it reminded me of 'The Chilbury Ladies Choir' which I also loved. This story was set not during the second world war but a few years after it's end. The lead character is Josie who's husband has died in the war leaving her with their son to bring up alone, she looses her parents when their road is bombed, she struggles to cope and is rescued by a letter from her mother in law who she has never met asking them to leave London and live in Wales with them. She has a talent for music and is persuaded to restart a village choir. She and other choir members have obstacles to overcome before they can bond and fit in to this village community, and Josie and her son, Sam can get their much needed new start. Recommended.
February 11, 2018
The war had torn the Welsh mining village apart and the power of music and singing brings it back together, A heartwarming, uplifting story set just after w.w.2 I enjoyed this book it is a compelling but easy read.
July 22, 2020
From the ashes of war rose a song of hope. All she had left was her son, and her voice...When Josie Williams lost her beloved husband, Matthew to the Second World War which is now years past, she finds herself alone with her young son Sam struggling to make ends meet in London-the struggle is so much so that Josie feels the need to escape her home city with her son in tow. Then a lifeline arrives: her mother in law Glenys invites her and Sam to live in Matthew's former hometown located in the mining village of Llandegwen in Wales. Josie and Sam are warmly welcomed by Glenys when they arrive and they stay at her home, but Matthew's father, Harry, seems a recluse stuck in his own world. Josie finds the mining village a shadow of its former self; the community is in mourning for its menfolk who perished during the war. Once a source of pride and joy, even the village choir has fallen silent. The arrival of a young war widow from the East End with her young son sets tongues wagging, not least when rumours abound that she's looking to revive the choir. Can the community set aside their grief and lift their voices, and the village's hopes, once more? A talented musician by birth, Josie agrees to get everyone singing again, and soon her Songbirds are lifting everyone's hopes. But when a dark secret follows Josie to Wales, she fears her dreams will be shattered and hearts broken in the village once more. Wales suffered bombing during the war, the most infamous one being the Cardiff Blitz occurring between 1940 and 1944. Cardiff Docks were a strategic bombing target for the German Luftwaffe as it was one of the biggest coal ports in the world. Consequently, it and the surrounding area were heavily bombed. Llandaff Cathedral, like others caught in the raids, was damaged in 1941. Coal was central to the war effort. It not only kept people warm but powered industry, railways and shipping. Welsh coal was all the more important, which meant that the war saw some form of prosperity return to Wales coalfields after the long, hard interwar years. Thousands of Welsh workers left mining for the armed forces and other jobs.
March 11, 2018
The Songbirds of Colliers Row written by Jennifer Hart for me was a wonderful read and an even better audio version as the narrator Joan Walker has a wonderful gift of bringing the beautiful Welsh accent alive through her vivid narration.
The book tells the story of Josie and her six-year-old son Sam and as they both arrive in the mining village of Llandegwen to start a new life with her husband Michael's parents as she needs to get out of London but that is a secret she wants to keep to herself. Josie’s new life is so different from her old one in the city of London, but she is soon enjoying her new life.
As Josie narrates her own story we see her making friends as well as the odd enemy too, but Josie has a love of singing and she wants to share that love with the residents of Llandegwen which she certainly does with a passion. When Josie comes up with the idea of rejuvenating the village's choir she does not realise the choir will teach her many life lessons along the way, through the other members as well as facing her fears with the help of her new friends.
Josie sees a place of beauty in her new home, but she also sees the pain of those residents who are soon to become her new friends. The pain which is etched deep in the valleys of Wales is left raw from the many men they lost in the Second World War, not only through those men who did not come home but also the psychological suffering.
The Songbirds of Collier Row written by Jennifer Hart is a brilliant work of historical fiction and one I am happy to recommend. The author brought not only the many characters alive through very descriptive writing but the beauty of Wales and the pride of this beautiful country especially of the mining of coal is shown through wonderful storytelling.
Happy to recommend The Songbirds of Collier Row as it was a wonderful work of Historical fiction which entertained me throughout.
The book tells the story of Josie and her six-year-old son Sam and as they both arrive in the mining village of Llandegwen to start a new life with her husband Michael's parents as she needs to get out of London but that is a secret she wants to keep to herself. Josie’s new life is so different from her old one in the city of London, but she is soon enjoying her new life.
As Josie narrates her own story we see her making friends as well as the odd enemy too, but Josie has a love of singing and she wants to share that love with the residents of Llandegwen which she certainly does with a passion. When Josie comes up with the idea of rejuvenating the village's choir she does not realise the choir will teach her many life lessons along the way, through the other members as well as facing her fears with the help of her new friends.
Josie sees a place of beauty in her new home, but she also sees the pain of those residents who are soon to become her new friends. The pain which is etched deep in the valleys of Wales is left raw from the many men they lost in the Second World War, not only through those men who did not come home but also the psychological suffering.
The Songbirds of Collier Row written by Jennifer Hart is a brilliant work of historical fiction and one I am happy to recommend. The author brought not only the many characters alive through very descriptive writing but the beauty of Wales and the pride of this beautiful country especially of the mining of coal is shown through wonderful storytelling.
Happy to recommend The Songbirds of Collier Row as it was a wonderful work of Historical fiction which entertained me throughout.
March 6, 2019
Jennifer Hart is a new author to me. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the characters except for one. I'll let you read it to discover who I mean. I would love a follow up to this.
July 12, 2019
Great
A great read, but I wish we got to see what happened at the competition. Loved the characters and the drama
A great read, but I wish we got to see what happened at the competition. Loved the characters and the drama
March 23, 2021
This is an easy read, a gentle story of a woman trying to survive post WW2 in Wales. Josie's husband was killed in the war and her and her son have to move to her in-laws in Wales because they are penniless and almost homeless. The story centres on the choir in the village that Josie revives. She has 10 choristers and these 10 people become the friends that Josie needs. Her interactions with the villagers and her in-laws drive the story along but ultimately the novel is a bit dull. Even the drama of Ronnie and the blossoming relationship with Tom do not provide many sparks. If you want a story filled with historical detail and warm characters then read it, but do not expect any diversion from the fairy tale ending
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews