by Gill Hornby
La, la, la, la-la
And then she too would understand just how much bigger all our lives can seem when they are lived in a smaller space.
La, la, la, la-la
She looked at Annie, in the arms of her husband, surrounded by her girls, the cynosure of her family unit. She looked at the Choir, jubilant in the middle of the High Street, still dancing; the audience, all over the pavements, hanging out of windows, still clapping. She saw Billy, over by the war memorial, dancing with the little girls from her St Ambrose Choir, and Ben, blowing her a kiss before ducking into the CK to deal with the overwhelming rush. She looked out over the houses, which all seemed today to be facing towards her.
She raised her arms to bring this one song to its end, called out a euphoric, ‘THANK YOU, BRIDGEFORD.’
And then she took her bow.
Acknowledgements
I am so grateful to the team at Little, Brown–Antonia Hodgson, Reagan Arthur, Clare Smith, Tamsin Kitson and Rhiannon Smith–for their intelligence and enthusiasm, and to my agent, Caroline Wood, for her wise advice and staunch support.
Joanna Kaye, Sabine Durrant, Josephine Love, Yvonne de Jager, Judi Henson, Jonny Newell, Kle Savage and Holly, Charlie, Matilda and Sam have all helped me at some point along the way. Robert Harris has been, as ever, wonderful.
Although the choir and all the characters in this book are purely fictional, the great joy and the sense of community that singing brings are taken from life. I could not have written this book without my Monday nights with Newbury Rock Choir. They didn’t know it at the time, but Caroline Redman Lusher, Kat Penn and the members were my inspiration, I thank them all.
And lastly, my mother, Margaret Hornby, who is still singing in a choir every week as she has done, continuously, for over seventy years: this book is dedicated to her.
About the Author
Gill Hornby is the author of the novel The Hive, as well as several nonfiction books. She lives in Berkshire, England, with her husband and their four children.
Songs
‘Homeward Bound’: Words and Music by Paul Simon, Copyright © 1966 (Renewed) Paul Simon (BMI) International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP)
‘Sing’: written by Joe Raposo, Copyright © Nick Raposo International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted by Permission of Music Sales Corporation (ASCAP)
‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light’: Meat Loaf, Music Sales, 1977. By Jim Steinman.
‘Summertime’: Porgy and Bess, Faber, 1935. By George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward.
‘The Rhythm of Life’: Sweet Charity, Music Sales, 1966. By Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields.
‘Goodbye to Love’: The Carpenters, Music Sales, 1972. By Richard Carpenter and John Bettis.
‘Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)’: Diana Ross Music Sales Sony/ATV, 1975. By Gerald Goffin and Michael Masser.
‘Some Enchanted Evening’: South Pacific, Imagem Publishing (Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals Europe), 1949. By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
‘Thank You for the Music’: ABBA, 1977, Music Sales. By ABBA.
‘Maria’: West Side Story, Music Sales, 1957. By Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
‘Congratulations’: Cliff Richards, Peter Maurice Music, 1968. By Bill Martin and Phil Coulter.
‘The Sound of Music’: The Sound of Music, Imagem Publishing (Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals Europe), 1965. By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
‘Three Little Maids’: The Mikado, 1885. By W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.
‘Get Lucky’: Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams, EMI, 2013. By Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Nile Rodgers and Pharrell Williams.
‘The Merry Widow’: 1905, Faber; Hal Leonard. By Franz Lehár.
‘Let Me Entertain You’: Robbie Williams, EMI, 1997. By Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers.
‘Time to Say Goodbye’: Andrea Bochelli, Double Marpot Di Malavasi Mauro and Sugar Songs UK Ltd, 1995. By Frank Peterson, Francesco Sartori and Lucio Quarantotto.
‘People Get Ready’: Curtis Mayfield, Music Sales, 1965. By Curtis Mayfield.
‘Big Yellow Taxi’: Joni Mitchell, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, 1970. By Marc Williams, Joni Mitchell, Timothy Mckenzie.
‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’: Simon and Garfunkel, Music Sales, 1969. By Simon and Garfunkel.
‘Oliver’s Army’: Elvis Costello, Music Sales, 1979. By Elvis Costello.
‘Midnight Train to Georgia’: Gladys Knight & the Pips, Music Sales, 1973. By Jim Weatherley.
‘Lean on Me’: Bill Withers, Music Sales, 1972. By Bill Withers.
‘Happy’: Pharrell Williams, EMI and Music Sales, By Pharrell Williams.
‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’: Gerry and the Pacemakers, Imagem Publishing (Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals Europe) 1963. By Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
Also by Gill Hornby
The Hive
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Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
Dedication
Epigraph
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Songs
Also by Gill Hornby
Newsletters
Copyright
Copyright
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Copyright © 2015 by Gill Hornby
Cover design and illustration by Ben Wiseman
Cover copyright © 2015 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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First ebook edition: July 2015
Originally published in Great Britain by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group, June 2015.
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ISBN 978-0-316-23473-3
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