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chalkletters's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
After a conversation about how Anne's choir antics would make an excellent book, Anne bought me All Together Now for Christmas and I'm just getting around to reading it. As a long-standing choir member myself, I was obviously predisposed to enjoy and recognise aspects of this contemporary choir-based novel.
Actually, Bridgeford Community Choir is on the verge of not qualifying for the title. In the absence of their musical director, they descend into what sounds like any choir-leaders worst nightmare: no harmonies and total democracy over song choices. Not only that, but nobody turns up to performances and they keep singing the same songs over and over without learning enough to make any improvements.
From those depths, All Together Now should have been a satisfying story of the choir getting back on track (pun accidental, but fully intended). Gill Hornby sort of delivers on that promise, and the choir-related scenes are where the characters come most into their own. Tracey and Bennet’s storylines, in particular, work best when they're directly interacting with the choir, and the end of Annie's plot also works best in that context. Outside of the choir, on the other hand, a surprising number of the characters are just unpleasant to read about. Sue, Bennet’s ex and Annie's best friend, is the worst, but even Annie and Tracy have their moments.
As with the characters, All Together Now’s prose is at its best describing the choir coming together, the power of music and singing to have an outsized impact on a person's emotional wellbeing. There was one weird moment where Gill Hornby departed from her otherwise close-perspective character viewpoint and seemingly had the soul of the choir narrate a few passages. Other than that, the writing style was effective if unremarkable.
While All Together Now wasn't quite the choir book I was hoping it would be, it was enjoyable enough, and I have another choir book on my TBR which might still be the book I'm looking for!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Death, Medical content, Addiction, Drug use, and Pregnancy
No infidelity:
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