The Whalebone Theater

I spent 7.5 hours reading The Whalebone Theater by Joanna Quinn. Cristabel Seagrave's mother died as she was born in 1916. When she is 4 her father remarries. Soon she has a sister named Flossie but nicknamed "Veg." Then her father dies and her step-father marries her Uncle Willoby. Soon she has a little brother named Digby. The parents of these 3 kids are irresponsible and the kids are basically raised by the maid and the cook and the estate manager.  When Cristabel is 12 she finds a dead whale on the beach and she claims it for herself. She finds out that the King of England gets to claim all dead whales found on beaches. Eventually the whale is clean up and only the bones are left. Cristabel decides to use the large rib bones to make an outdoor theater. Eventually Cristabel and her siblings decide to put on a Shakespearean play. Flossie is musical and Digby is a natural actor. People come from London and neighboring towns to enjoy the performances. Eventually World War Two comes about. Digby joins up and serves in Nazi-occupied France. Cristabel is a code reader. Flossie stays at the estate and raises vegetables in the whalebone theater. Eventually Cristabel goes to France to act as a spy. She and Digby connect at a theater and reconnect and grow closer. This was a wonderful story about a couple of sisters and a little brother.