Reviews - The Whalebone Theatre

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1.87k reviews for:

The Whalebone Theatre

Joanna Quinn

4.02 AVERAGE

maria_silv_reads's review against another edition

4.0

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Plot was a mix of different plot lines which prpved quite difficult to follow. Very emotional and I loved the significance of female characters within the book. Not my favourite historical fiction but definitely not the worst.

Content Warnings

angelgrrl's review against another edition

5.0

[4.5 stars]

I lost steam when they went off to war, but the writing was fantastic and brought me back.

I did struggle a bit at the end trying to remember all of the characters who popped up briefly, but they were fun little reunions.

nikkirolli's review against another edition

3.0

I expected to be writing a raving review about this one. The first half was SO incredibly well-written. I was inspired on so many levels. The first half was about the main characters as children, and their imaginations coming to life in this washed up whale carcass, now theatre. There was childlike wonder, excitement, and creativity, juxtaposed with the mess the adults were making all around them. The second half follows the main characters through their young adulthood and their involvement in the war efforts. They are now the adults and their parents are no longer present. At this point, the novel took a very stoic turn and lost all of its humor and whim. It was no longer a page turner for me. I expected to love this one. Bummer.

nicky_booksandabrew's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

bookbiter79's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional medium-paced

efirer's review against another edition

3.0

Sometimes when a book is hyped up so much, expectations are not met. I felt the first half of the book dragged, and the antics of Cristabel, Flossie and Digby quite unrealistic. To then jump into the chapters where the home front and the war’s front were well described, felt like it didn’t fit with the first half. I appreciated the emphasis on the unfairness in keeping women out of leadership yet putting them in danger as undercover operatives. I just didn’t love the book as others have. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.