Whistling Women and Crowing Hens: A Novel

Melora Fern
4.77
31 ratings 27 reviews
To escape her strait-laced overbearing sister, Birdie Stauffer auditions for the all-female Versatile Quintet, Chautauqua circuit’s opening act. Through this train-traveling roadshow she experiences the tumultuous 1920s, a modern era of shocking flappers and smuggled whiskey, with the camaraderie of newfound friends. Her exceptional gift of concert whistling entertains more than songbirds as she gains national notoriety and she’s soon entangled in two romantic relationships—one with a dapper circuit manager, the other her fellow pianist. Accompanied by four other musicians—a slang slinging flapper, a confident girl-next-door, a tight-lipped loner, and a virtuoso sapphic—and following a series of traumatic events, Birdie discovers even the best relationships can be filled with misunderstandings. As she learns to trust her intuition, she finds it may cost her love interests, her sister, and maybe even herself.Praise for Whistling Women and Crowing Hens"Whistling Women and Crowing Hens is an immersive read set in the Chautauqua circuit of the 1920s. Talented whistler and trombonist Birdie Stauffer finds herself a member of a quintet performing throughout the northeast. When small-town Birdie steps into the wider world, she discovers aspects of herself she never knew existed. Increasingly at odds with societal and sisterly expectations, she must choose between following her truth and disappointing the most important people in her life.Melora Fern’s debut novel offers an unconventional coming of age story set against the backdrop of a nation doing the same. As the propriety of the Victorian era gives way to the anything-goes roaring twenties, women find themselves newly enfranchised and empowered, yet still traditional expectations endure.Fern’s attention to detail and a cast of unforgettable characters make this book hard to put down. Full of the drama and humor that come from five women sharing close quarters for weeks at a time, Whistling Women and Crowing Hens is at times raucous, tragic, and uplifting. At its heart, this book is about finding one’s voice and singing (or whistling) it loud."—Culley Holderfield, award-winning author of Hemlock Hollow
Genres: Historical Fiction
376 Pages

Community Reviews:

5 star
25 (81%)
4 star
5 (16%)
3 star
1 (3%)
2 star
0 (0%)
1 star
0 (0%)

Readers also enjoyed

Other books by Melora Fern

Lists with this book

The Handmaid’s Tale
Madame Bovary
Soulless
Ladies Wearing Hats
255 books • 32 voters
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Mockingjay
Divergent
Best Book with Blue on Cover
1001 books • 308 voters
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The Raven
Books with birds in the title
1755 books • 267 voters
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Paris Wife
The Diviners
Best 1920s Historical Fiction
194 books • 254 voters