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The Spies of Shilling Lane
The Spies of Shilling Lane: A Novel | Jennifer Ryan
15 posts | 14 read | 29 to read
From the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies Choir comes a thrilling new WWII story about a village busybodythe mighty Mrs. Braithwaitewho resolves to find, and then rescue, her missing daughter Mrs. Braithwaite, self-appointed queen of her English village, finds herself dethroned, despised, and dismissed following her husbands selfish divorce petition. Never deterred, the threat of a family secret being revealed sets her hot-foot to London to find the only person she has lefther clever daughter Betty, who took work there at the first rumbles of war. But when she arrives, Bettys landlord, the timid Mr. Norris, informs her that Betty hasnt been home in days--with the chaos of the bombs, theres no telling what might have befallen her. Aghast, Mrs. Braithwaite sets her bullish determination to the task of finding her only daughter. Storming into the London Blitz, Mrs. Braithwaite drags the reluctant Mr. Norris along as an unwitting sidekick as they piece together Bettys unexpectedly chaotic life. As she is thrown into the midst of danger and death, Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question thats been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life? Readers will be charmed by the unforgettable Mrs. Braithwaite and her plucky, ruthless optimism, and find in The Spies of Shilling Lane a novel with surprising twists and turns, quiet humor, and a poignant examination of mothers and daughters and the secrets we keep.
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Lynnsoprano
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Pickpick

I enjoy this author‘s work, but this book didn‘t catch my attention the way her others have. The MC was not terribly likable, and although she had a change of heart through the course of the story, I found it hard to have much sympathy for her. The plot was predictable. Still, it‘s well written and a different take on the WWII novel. One of those somewhere between so-so and pick books.

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Lynnsoprano
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I started this yesterday, and I‘m nearly halfway through. I really enjoy this author, whose WWII novels tend to deal with ordinary people and the effects of the war on their lives. Photo is of my current reading spot in the mountain lodge where we‘re staying. Heading to home and reality tomorrow 😊

Bookwormjillk Lovely! I wouldn‘t want to leave! 10mo
kspenmoll Cozy! 10mo
CatMS What a great reading spot, I would hate to leave also. 10mo
Kennglenn That looks like a great spot to read 10mo
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intothehallofbooks
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Pickpick

This is very much in the same tone as Jennifer Ryan‘s previous books except it seems to be a little more humorous, with a mystery tied into the story. I adored Mrs. Braithwaite and Mr. Norris, both bumbling amateur sleuths with a slowly developing crush on one another. I love the way Mrs. Ryan writes WWII settings but somehow manages to avoid the heaviness that accompanies stories of that time period. Her characters are charming and quirky.

Texreader Awesome review! 2y
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arattyreads
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Mehso-so

Although not one of my favourite books, it is really sweet and funny and witty which I really enjoyed about it.

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CaitlinR
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“... she realized that being a mother was far, far more then giving birth to someone. And it wasn‘t just about being strong and resilient, although that was certainly part of it. It was about being human” (p. 285)

Quick, fairly superficial read. Written as though for a mini-series? Fun tho‘

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Booknerd2
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Pickpick

I‘m torn with this one. The main story seemed long and drawn out. However, the theme running throughout saved it. Self exploration, mother/daughter relationships, friendship, and women supporting women were some of the messages interwoven in the story.

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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

This book was so fun. A women goes to London to visit her daughter during wwii. Her daughter isn‘t where she should be so the mother goes on an adventure to figure out what is going on.

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Michellekidwell
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Pickpick

Mrs. Braithwaite is forced to rethink her old-fashioned notions of status, class, and reputation, and to reconsider the question that‘s been puzzling her since her world overturned: How do you measure the success of your life?

If you are looking for a novel with a lot of twists and turns along with a quiet humor you will love The Spies Of Shilling Lane!

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booksaremyfavorite
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Pickpick

Mrs. Braithwaite is a busybody who ends up heading off to see her daughter only ends up rescuing her. I loved the characters. A great read!

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Lillie
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Pickpick

Wasn't sure what I was going to get with a novel about spies set in 1941 London but it ended up being about mother-daughter relationships, spies, Nazis, and reevaluating pre-conceived notions. Feeling was more like a cozy mystery than a gritty war novel. Will be reading more by this author.

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JenlovesJT47
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Pickpick

The Chilbury Ladies‘ Choir is a great WWII historical fiction so I had high hopes for this. It didn‘t go in the direction I thought, in the best way possible. Mrs. Braithwaite goes to London in 1941 to visit her daughter, but she‘s missing. She becomes an unlikely spy, along with her daughter‘s landlord, Mr. Norris, as they try to find Betty, who turns out to be a spy working for the government. This is a heartwarming story & reminds us of all ⬇️

JenlovesJT47 Of the victims of the Blitz, and shows another side of the war that we maybe don‘t think about much anymore. Worth reading if you are a fan of historical fiction. Sometimes a little far-fetched but definitely a lot of fun. 4⭐️ 5y
Maggie_Reads Oooo....I love these types of novels. Putting this on my TBR list. 5y
Dragon Sounds good! Stacking! 😀🐉 5y
65 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Aims42
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Pickpick

Just finished this, A GREAT READ!! I think Jennifer Ryan is becoming a favorite author of mine 👍🏻

28 likes2 stack adds
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BookishClaire
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Jennifer Ryan is back on the Brit Lit Podcast to tell us about her new novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane. She talked about the importance of the British stiff upper lip in the second world war, why women made great spies in that period, and more. https://buff.ly/2Xe01G5

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Aims42
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Picked up these beauties from my library today. I was so excited to pick up ‘The Spies of Schilling Lane‘, it just came out like 2 weeks ago 🥳🤩

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Between.The.Covers
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