<p><span class="a-text-bold">'A tour de force' Sarah Winman, author of </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Still Life</span><span><br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>They raised themselves on stories. Now it's time for them to write their own...<br><br></span><span class="a-text-bold">'One of those big chunky stories that swallows you whole' </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">The Times</span><span class="a-text-bold"><br><br>'Beautifully compulsive ... </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">The Whalebone Theatre </span><span class="a-text-bold">will feel like a much-loved book even if you're reading it for the first time' </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Red Magazine</span><span class="a-text-bold"><br><br>'Pure heaven, from first word to last' </span><span class="a-text-bold a-text-italic">Sunday Times</span><span><br><br>Instant </span><span class="a-text-italic">Sunday Times</span><span> bestseller, September 2023</span></p>
<h3><span>Review</span></h3> <div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small"> <span class="a-text-bold">Destined to become a classic . . . Elegantly written and totally immersive, </span><span>Quinn's debut is </span><span class="a-text-bold">a wonder</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Daily Mail</span><span><br><br>Quinn creates a world </span><span class="a-text-bold">so rich with observation, detail, humanity and heart </span><span>that you are incapable of doing anything but </span><span class="a-text-bold">drinking it in with greedy delight</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">YOU magazine</span><span><br><br>A crumbling old country manor, three unconventional siblings and the looming threat of war makes for </span><span class="a-text-bold">a classic coming-of-age tale</span><span>, as imaginative Cristabel, sweet Flossie and charismatic Digby attempt to find their roles in life. </span><span class="a-text-bold">Brimful of charm, and wonderfully immersive, this is a captivating read</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Daily Mail</span><span><br><br>My </span><span class="a-text-bold">book of the year</span><span>. I adored this </span><span class="a-text-bold">beautifully compulsive</span><span> story with serious </span><span class="a-text-italic">Cazalet</span><span> vibes. Wild and wilful Cristabel was </span><span class="a-text-bold">the perfect heroine</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Red Magazine, The 10 Best Books of 2022</span><span><br><br>In classic English Country House novel style, [</span><span class="a-text-italic">The Whalebone Theatre</span><span>] focuses on the younger generation amidst a backdrop of scandalous adult misbehaviour. This is </span><span class="a-text-bold">a chunky novel to get lost in</span><span>, full of </span><span class="a-text-bold">pacy plotting</span><span> and </span><span class="a-text-bold">luscious language</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">The Independent</span><span><br><br></span><span class="a-text-italic">The Whalebone Theatre</span><span> is </span><span class="a-text-bold">absolute aces </span><span>... Quinn's imagination and adventuresome spirit are</span><span class="a-text-bold"> a pleasure to behold</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">New York Times</span><span><br><br>I was </span><span class="a-text-bold">swept away</span><span> by this </span><span class="a-text-bold">compelling</span><span>,</span><span class="a-text-bold"> beautifully written</span><span> debut and its </span><span class="a-text-bold">plucky heroine</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Good Housekeeping</span><span><br><br>One of those </span><span class="a-text-bold">big chunky stories </span><span>that </span><span class="a-text-bold">swallows you whole</span><span> - and it's </span><span class="a-text-bold">beautifully written</span><span> too ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">The Times</span><span><br><br>Written with </span><span class="a-text-bold">heart </span><span>and </span><span class="a-text-bold">humour</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Psychologies</span><span><br><br>[A]</span><span class="a-text-bold"> brilliant</span><span> debut ... A </span><span class="a-text-bold">truly immersive</span><span> read. The plot unfolds gradually, allowing you to really </span><span class="a-text-bold">connect</span><span> with the characters, all of whom are very real with their fears and foibles ... </span><span class="a-text-bold">Fascinating</span><span> ― </span><span class="a-text-italic">Dorset Magazine</span> </div> <h3><span>About the Author</span></h3> <div class="a-section a-spacing-small a-padding-small"> <p><span>Joanna Quinn was born in London and grew up in Dorset, in the southwest of England, where her bestselling debut novel, </span><span class="a-text-italic">The Whalebone Theatre</span><span>, is set. <br>Joanna has worked in journalism and the charity sector. She is also a short-story writer, published by </span><span class="a-text-italic">The White Review</span><span> and </span><span class="a-text-italic">Comma Press</span><span>, among others. She teaches creative writing and lives in a village near the sea in Dorset.</span></p> </div>
