The Evening Chorus - Brossura

Praise for Helen Humphreys:

"Lyrical [and] moving. . . Humphreys has an ethereal touch."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Finely wrought. . . [with] meticulous, lucid prose."—New York Times Book Review

"Beautifully written."—Washington Post

"Humphreys has a gift for complex characterization, which she renders in a few terse strokes."
—Boston Globe

"Lyrical. . . Humphreys is a metaphysical novelist; for her, intricate emotional content finds specific analogues in the made world."—The New Yorker

"[Humphreys] has an impeccable command of imagery, and her prose finds strength in its subtlety."
—Publishers Weekly

"Humphreys's simple, declarative sentences reel us into the novel and never let us go. She captures, most alluringly, the joyful and solitary nature of the human heart."—Globe and Mail (Canada)

"Humphreys (Nocturne, 2013, etc.) offers a heartbreaking yet redemptive story about loss and survival...Humphreys deserves more recognition for the emotional intensity and evocative lyricism of her seemingly straightforward prose and for her ability to quietly squirrel her way into the reader’s heart."

—Kirkus, starred review "Like birds thrown off course by severe storms, James, Rose, and Enid all emerge from the war in places far different from where they started. Inspired by the resiliency of the natural world, Humphreys (Coventry, 2009) creates a narrative arc that is compact and sinewy, yet from her spare prose and refined imagery springs an arresting novel of regret, contrition, and redemption that glimmers with transcendent moments of hope and valor.Aningeniously elegant and instinctively restrained tale about the durability of the human spirit." —Booklist, starred review "The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live - and relish - the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose - exquisitely limpid - Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless." —Emma Donoghue, author of Room and many others “In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.” —Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others “The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.” —Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others “If there's a writer of English prose with a more profound connection to the natural world and to the subtleties of human love and sorrow than Helen Humphreys, I don't know who it is. The Evening Chorus is rich with her particular gift for symphonic cadences and beautiful imagery that moves a story forward with the momentum of a big train gathering speed. This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” —Richard Bausch, author of The Last Good Time, the forthcoming Before, During, After and others  

"Humphreys (Nocturne, 2013, etc.) offers a heartbreaking yet redemptive story about loss and survival...Humphreys deserves more recognition for the emotional intensity and evocative lyricism of her seemingly straightforward prose and for her ability to quietly squirrel her way into the reader’s heart."

—Kirkus, starred review "Like birds thrown off course by severe storms, James, Rose, and Enid all emerge from the war in places far different from where they started. Inspired by the resiliency of the natural world, Humphreys (Coventry, 2009) creates a narrative arc that is compact and sinewy, yet from her spare prose and refined imagery springs an arresting novel of regret, contrition, and redemption that glimmers with transcendent moments of hope and valor.Aningeniously elegant and instinctively restrained tale about the durability of the human spirit." —Booklist, starred review “The Evening Chorus is a quietly commanding narrative of nature’s constancy in a time of unspeakable human ruin.... In characteristically effortless prose, Humphreys relates a familiar tale of love and loss in war, but reveals a valuable truth: that nature in its timeless wisdom has the ability to remind humans, in the darkest of days, of their humanity.” —Quill & Quire "The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live - and relish - the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose - exquisitely limpid - Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless." —Emma Donoghue, author of Room and many others “In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.” —Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others “The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.” —Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others “If there's a writer of English prose with a more profound connection to the natural world and to the subtleties of human love and sorrow than Helen Humphreys, I don't know who it is. The Evening Chorus is rich with her particular gift for symphonic cadences and beautiful imagery that moves a story forward with the momentum of a big train gathering speed. This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” —Richard Bausch, author of The Last Good Time, the forthcoming Before, During, After and others “I love this book. It is so beautifully written. So sad and full of loss and so hopeful at the same time. I truly think that we all do not recognize those moments, or truly appreciate them, when they are happening, but only after many years can we look back and realize they were special, or even amazing. Bright spots in a long journey through life that is mostly made up of the everyday dull and even dreary. [There are] scenes that strike blows to your heart and make you realize the ultimate value of pain is that you are alive to experience it.” —Micheal Fraser, Joseph-Beth Booksellers  

“In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.”
—Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others

“The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.”
—Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others

"The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live - and relish - the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose - exquisitely limpid - Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless."
—Emma Donoghue, author of Room and many others

“In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.”
—Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others

“The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.”
—Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others

"Like birds thrown off course by severe storms, James, Rose, and Enid all emerge from the war in places far different from where they started. Inspired by the resiliency of the natural world, Humphreys (Coventry, 2009) creates a narrative arc that is compact and sinewy, yet from her spare prose and refined imagery springs an arresting novel of regret, contrition, and redemption that glimmers with transcendent moments of hope and valor. An ingeniously elegant and instinctively restrained tale about the durability of the human spirit." --Booklist, starred review

"The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live - and relish - the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose - exquisitely limpid - Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless." —Emma Donoghue, author of Room and many others “In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.” —Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others “The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.” —Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others “If there's a writer of English prose with a more profound connection to the natural world and to the subtleties of human love and sorrow than Helen Humphreys, I don't know who it is. The Evening Chorus is rich with her particular gift for symphonic cadences and beautiful imagery that moves a story forward with the momentum of a big train gathering speed. This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” – Richard Bausch, author of The Last Good Time, the forthcoming Before, During, After and others  

"The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live - and relish - the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose - exquisitely limpid - Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless."

—Emma Donoghue, author of Room and many others “In The Evening Chorus the interventions of war, and the resulting human tragedies, play out against a natural world at once remote, alien and ultimately redemptive. The novel has a crystalline quality about it—it's clear and complex and self-contained. It sparkles.” —Jo Baker, author of Longbourn and others “The Evening Chorus is a poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation. It resonates afterwards. I read it with pleasure.” —Helen Dunmore, author of The Siege and A Spell of Winter, among others “If there's a writer of English prose with a more profound connection to the natural world and to the subtleties of human love and sorrow than Helen Humphreys, I don't know who it is. The Evening Chorus is rich with her particular gift for symphonic cadences and beautiful imagery that moves a story forward with the momentum of a big train gathering speed. This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” – Richard Bausch, author of The Last Good Time, the forthcoming Before, During, After and others  

Amid the chaos of World War II, three lives reveal a natural history of war and the human heart

“The Evening Chorus serenades people brutally marked by war, yet enduring to live — and relish — the tiny pleasures of another day. With her trademark prose — exquisitely limpid — Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless.” — Emma Donoghue

Downed during his first mission, James Hunter is taken captive as a German POW. To bide the time, he studies a nest of redstarts at the edge of camp. Some prisoners plot escape; some are shot. And then, one day, James is called to the Kommandant’s office.

Meanwhile, back home, James’s new wife, Rose, is on her own, free in a way she has never known. Then, James’s sister, Enid, loses everything during the Blitz and must seek shelter with Rose. In a cottage near Ashdown forest, the two women jealously guard secrets, but form a surprising friendship. Each of these characters will find unexpected freedom amid war’s privations and discover confinements that come with peace. The Evening Chorus is a beautiful, astonishing examination of love, loss, escape, and the ways in which the intrusions of the natural world can save us.

“The Evening Chorus sparkles.” — Jo Baker

“A poised, lyrical novel about the griefs of war, written with poetic intensity of observation.” — Helen Dunmore

“This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” — Richard Bausch

HELEN HUMPHREYS is the author of seven novels, four books of poetry, and two works of nonfiction, including several New York Times Notable Books of the Year. She has received the Lambda Prize for fiction, among other awards.

www.hhumphreys.com

Author photograph © Ayelet Tsabari

Mariner
www.marinerbooks.com
$14.95
ISBN 978-0-544-34869-1
Fiction
 
0215 / 1586127