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鈥淟ook at Cristabel. She is already at work. Picturing her future productions. The American is right to say love inspires art, but not only love. Art inspires art. Anger, hatred, hunger 鈥� these can also inspire. But whatever it is, however it comes, there always is the work. The work of art is never done. Even when my hands are empty, I am still painting.鈥� 鈥� 鈥淭he Whalebone Theatre鈥� by Joanna Quinn

鈥淭he Whalebone Theatre鈥� is a freshman novel by Joanna Quinn. This fantastic book is a period piece that starts in 1919 and goes to the end of World War II. For those who love art, theater and historical fiction, this is a perfect book for you.

The story starts with a young motherless girl named Cristabel Seagrave. She is an inventive, precocious girl who lives at Chilcombe manor which is a 鈥渕anor house with an elephantine air of weary grandeur.鈥�

Cristabel is raised by irresponsible adults who end up allowing her to have free reign over the manor and the outdoors. One day she discovers that Whale has washed ashore, and she decides that the whale belongs to her. She has two other siblings, Digby and Flossie, who are always with Cristabel.

After Whale decays, they decide to make a theater out of the bones. They are accompanied by a parade of international visitors where an artist named Taras takes interest in Cristabel and her shows. People from London drive to Chilcombe to experience the magnificent Shakespearian productions that they showcase.

As the children grow up, World War II takes the magic away from Chilcombe manor and the story centers around the now-grown adults being carted off to war. Digby, Cristabel's half-brother, enlists as an ordinary private in the army. Cristabel joins the Special Operations Executive as a secret service agent. Flossie stays at the manor and turns the Whalebone Theatre into a garden that feeds the troops.

As the story describes their WWII experiences, it highlights the tragedies, fears and deep love the siblings have for each other. Quinn also highlights women鈥檚 roles during WWII and how they were largely forgotten. Women had to fight so hard for their positions in the military.

Cristabel is a tenacious woman who is always at the doorstep of the authorities, making sure she positions herself to fight fascism.

鈥淪he realized that, for all she resents the unfair advantages given to the opposite sex, she does not want to be a man, she only wants it not to matter that she is a woman.鈥�

鈥淭he Whalebone Theatre鈥� is atmospheric, lively and filled with some of the most loveable characters. Enjoy this perfect summer book!

Deborah Condit is the owner of Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Lane, Suite A-2 or at .