Jennifer Ryan
asked
Jennifer Ryan:
Had you worked with the epistolary form before? How hard was it to make everything you needed to tell your reader fit in this format?
Jennifer Ryan
The letter form is one of my favorites, and I’ve used it in short stories and some previous novel ideas. I really enjoy the way the voice exposes the inner feelings and personality of the character, and the way she interacts with the off-stage recipient adds an extra tension—is she being true to herself or is some kind of pretense going on? It leaves some lovely space for an unreliable character to come through—someone who isn’t telling the recipient (or the reader) the truth, and will inevitably be uncovered by the end.
Most of all, I wanted The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir to be a fast-paced read that presented the stories of a selection of people over a short space of time, and the use of letters and journal entries gave me precisely that: the chance to display an inside-out delve into five characters, their dreams, their goals, and their deepest fears.
Most of all, I wanted The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir to be a fast-paced read that presented the stories of a selection of people over a short space of time, and the use of letters and journal entries gave me precisely that: the chance to display an inside-out delve into five characters, their dreams, their goals, and their deepest fears.
More Answered Questions
Isabelle Altman
asked
Jennifer Ryan:
I loved The Chilbury Ladies' Choir -- I bought it while on a road trip tour of independent bookstores and read it aloud to my mom while we drove -- we were both laughing aloud! What are some of your favorite books, and did any particular stories -- fictional or historical (from WWII maybe?) encourage or inspire you in writing this one? (Kitty is my favorite character. I read you were keeping a tally.)
Sue Seligman
asked
Jennifer Ryan:
As soon as I read the synopsis of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir on a book website I knew I had to own this novel! I read a lot of Holocaust fiction, and this book did not disappoint me. It reminds me of a PBS show called Home Fires which takes place in a small village in England impacted by the war. Do you think your wonderful characters and novel may somehow be adapted as a movie or TV show? I loved this book!
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