JOANNA QUINN was born in London and grew up in Dorset, in thesouthwest of England, where her debut novel, The Whalebone Theatre, is set.She has worked in journalism and the charity sector. She is also a short storywriter, published by The White Review and Comma Press, among others. She teaches creative writing and lives in a village near the sea in Dorset.
A Best Book of the Year: New York Times Notable, Washington Post,
Sydney Morning Herald, Vox, Book Riot, Geek Girl Authority • A
Best Gift Book: Seattle Times, Broadway Direct • A TODAY SHOW
#ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK, in collaboration with the Queen
Consort Camilla’s Royal Reading Room
“Gorgeous . . . Delightful . . . Absolute aces . . . Reading it is
like plunging into a tub of clotted cream while (or whilst) enrobed
in silk eau-de-Nil beach pajamas . . . Quinn’s imagination and
adventuresome spirit are a pleasure to behold, boding more
commanding work to come.” —The New York Times
“What’s remarkable, especially for a first novel, is Quinn’s deft
way of depicting this lost world—whether a subsiding seaside
aristocracy or a training school for British agents or a Parisian
theater in wartime . . . Her vision is so fine and fully realized
that it’s hard to imagine her doing anything else—and hard to have
to wait to see what that might be.” —Washington Post
“An immersive, capacious delight . . . The pages fly by . . . The
Whalebone Theatre is a supremely accomplished feat of storytelling.
. . Quinn excels with the nuts and bolts of her
craft—characterization, pace, plotting, and well-calibrated humor
and suspense—and brilliantly depicts the rugged beauty of her
county ‘on the crumbling bottom edge of England.'” —Minneapolis
Star Tribune
“The story is just as imaginative as its protagonist, involving
spycraft, World War II, and Dickensian children carving wondrous
worlds out of the mundane.”
—Seattle Times (Bookseller Approved Giftable Books)
“This is a book that will be loved unreasonably and life-long, I
believe, like I Capture The Castle.” —Francis Spufford, author of
Light Perpetual
“Honestly, I want to sound a trumpet and put out some flags. It is
pure heaven from first word to last. It’s a debut novel, incredibly
for something so assured and fully realised . . . Generous,
filling, deeply satisfying funny-sad, every page crammed with life
and experience . . . The Whalebone Theatre is one of those books
that has you hooting with laughter one minute and feeling
absolutely floored the next . . . Quinn is one of those writers who
has her finger on humanity’s pulse. An absolute treat of a book, to
be read and reread.” —The Sunday Times (London)
“The Whalebone Theatre has all the makings of a classic. And
Cristabel Seagrave is the most gratifying hero. The war scenes
often left me breathless: they are as good as you will ever read .
. . A tour de force.” —Sarah Winman, author of Still Life
“In an astonishing debut, Quinn creates an enchanting world and a
cast of thoroughly endearing characters whom readers will be sorry
to leave behind . . . A genre-bending delight.” —Booklist
(starred)
“Destined to become a classic . . . Elegantly
written and totally immersive, this is escapism fiction
at its very best . . . Quinn’s debut is a wonder.” —Daily
Mail
“The Whalebone Theatre gives you wings . . . Slightly alarmingly,
it is Joanna Quinn’s debut—how on earth is she this good? . . .
Full of brilliant set pieces that pop and crackle with tension . .
. Quinn handles her sprawling cast with ease and compassion . . .
Reading contemporary fiction is rarely that fun . . . Just dive in
and slurp it up.” —The Times (London)
“Quinn has a sublime touch: Cristabel and her troupe are
unforgettable, as riotous in comedy as they are heart-breaking in
tragedy.” —Frances Liardet, author of We Must Be Brave
“My ideal novel . . . Quinn creates a world so rich with
observation, detail, humanity, and heart that you are
incapable of doing anything but drinking it in with greedy
delight.” —YOU magazine
“It’s astonishing to discover that this beguiling story is Joanna
Quinn’s first novel . . . If you loved Elizabeth Jane Howard’s
Cazalet series and Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle you’ll
absolutely adore this. It’s touching, enthralling, and superbly
written—an extraordinary book that deserves to be read and
re-read.” —Independent, #1 Best Overall of “10 Best Books to Read
This Summer”
“Far and away my favourite novel of the year . . . It’s a gorgeous
book, following the lives of three half-siblings from the ‘20s and
through World War II, the same canvas Kate Atkinson has used to
such great effect. Love, grief, and comedy in perfect balance: it’s
hard to believe that this accomplished novel comes from a
first-timer.”
—Sydney Morning Herald
“Just absolutely wonderful . . . It is so doggone readable, and you
really care about these characters . . . The book just really keeps
you reading.”
—Public Radio Tulsa
“I was swept away by
this compelling, beautifully written debut and
its plucky heroine.” —Good Housekeeping
“Dazzling and imaginative . . . Peacetime whimsy gracefully segues
into scenes of unbearable tension and heart-wrenching suspense . .
. Combining elements of I Capture the Castle, Brideshead Revisited,
and Charlotte Gray, this is a reading experience to be long
cherished.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
“Utterly heartbreaking and joyous . . . I just disappeared into The
Whalebone Theatre and didn’t want to leave.” —Jo Baker, author of
Longbourn
“Playful, inventive, sharp, funny, The Whalebone Theatre offers the
sort of reading experience that is remarkably rare, even for those
of us whose happiest hours are spent with books: sheer, undiluted
delight from start to finish . . . It breathes fresh, bracing air
into the lungs of the multi-generational saga—and the very form of
the novel itself . . . Most importantly of all, perhaps, Quinn
gives us Cristabel, the sort of intelligent heroine that has been
sorely missing from every other classic since Middlemarch . . .
It’s impossible not to be charmed by this book.” —Susan Elderkin,
author of Voices
“Magnificent. As capacious, surprising and magical as the whale
that lends its bones to Cristabel’s theatre: a tale of intertwined
lives and braided fates as deftly managed and heartbreaking as a
Dickens novel.” —Rebecca Stott, author of Ghostwalk
“Utterly captivating. An epic romp with characters you cannot help
but fall in love with and a plot that takes you in all sorts of
unexpected directions. Written with great heart, humour and
humanity, it’s the kind of book you want to escape normal life to
read at every available opportunity.” —Elizabeth Day, author of The
Party
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