The Choir: a moving and thought-provoking novel from one of Britain’s best loved authors, Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope's first* novel 'The Choir' focuses on a group of people whose lives centre around Aldminster Cathedral; there is Alexander Troy, headmaster of King's School, whose wife, Felicity, suffering from the pressures of being a clergyman's wife, has temporarily disappeared; there is the Dean, Hugh Cavendish, a quietly autocratic man, who despite doing his best to control matters in the Cathedral Close, has a bossy, opinionated wife and has failed to maintain any effective control over his four unusual and independently-minded children - three of whom are now adults living fairly dysfunctional lives and the youngest of whom is causing havoc at the local comprehensive (after having been removed from the King's School for disruptiveness); then there is Leo Beckford, the school organist and choirmaster, who begins a love affair with Sally Ashworth, the unhappily-married mother of Henry, one of Leo's most talented choristers (and a particularly endearing young character); and there is Sally's father-in-law, Frank Ashworth, a down-to-earth, socialist councillor - who, despite feeling proud of his grandson's achievements, feels strongly about the "elitist" atmosphere of the Cathedral Close and has some rather unsettling ideas about how to address this elitism. And when the Dean discovers that the roof of his beloved Cathedral needs hugely expensive repairs, he considers it necessary to sacrifice the choir in order to pay for it - a situation which, along with Frank Ashworth's proposition for making the Close more accessible to the general public, causes a whole series of events which have significant consequences for everyone involved…This is an enjoyable and believable story (and most probably Joanna Trollope's best book) with a whole host of interesting and (mostly) sympathetic characters and a plot that remains involving throughout the length of the novel. And it is not just the main protagonists who are well portrayed - those on the periphery, such as Bishop Robert, a truly Christian individual (whose brand of Christianity is much more people-orientated than the Dean's self-interested brand), was very well-depicted, and I would have liked to have read more about him and his wife. I would also have liked to have learnt more about the Dean's two older children: Fergus, an atheist and assistant editor of a satirical magazine, and Petra, a sculptor, who "sculpted vast metal beasts in a warehouse shared by a Welsh painter older than the Dean, whose wife broke into the warehouse regularly and wrecked anything of Petra's she had the strength and time to destroy." In addition to reading about the personal lives and relationships of the main characters, I particularly enjoyed reading about the more ecclesiastical aspects of the lives of those living within the Cathedral Close, such as the interesting information about church and choral music, the internal politicking and the pressures of being a clergyman's wife - a subject Joanna Trollop returned to and very much focused on in a later novel 'The Rector's Wife'. Although I have had mixed feelings about some of Ms Trollop's more recent books, I particularly enjoyed rereading'The Choir' (as I did ' The Rector's Wife ' and ' A Spanish Lover ') and would certainly recommend this novel to anyone looking for an intelligent and enjoyable downtime read.* First novel published under the author's own name.5 Stars. The Rector's WifeA Spanish Lover

It may be my age, but trying to remember the names and occupations of the main protagonists I find a bit complicated. I don't seem to remember this when I first read the book shortly after publication, but this time around I do.But it's a great story, and Joanna Trollope has certainly done her research about the inner workings of a cathedral and the politics that surround it!Well worth reading - like The Rector's Wife by the same author.

An easy read. Which is why I bought it. I remember reading it in the 80s, for the same reason. The setting is beautiful - the Close of old houses, the cathedral etc. Nice, ordinary people. And happy endings all round.What strikes me now, and what one has to tolerate when reading the book, is the casual sexism of the times: a holiday with a group of friends, people like accountants and bank managers and so on "and all their wives"; a young woman hit on the side of the head by a man because she was screaming and throwing things around (so-called "hysterics", a word which says a lot in itself...); everyone praising young boys' voices being considered "platonic" and "pure". That was the point, of course: that we all accepted this as normal...

The book started with enthusiasm, promising a good story with enjoyable atmosphere based around the cathedral and music. Unfortunately it wandered off into petty quarrels and resemblance of teenage romance,leaving what should have been the melody and hallelujah ending to rather disappointing fizzle.

Disappointing read. Like her ancestor Ms Trollope shows an interest and knowledge of the ecclesiastical world around a cathedral. Unlike him, she doesn’t paint realistic characters and the narrative is too wordy so that the story was confusing to follow.