As both a historical and an experimental novel, Crow Court is unusual. It switches style from section to section (which read like separate stories but do come together if you hang in there long enough), switching tenses and focus. There are parts which are breathtaking in the quality of the description and the way they build interest and suspense (e.g. 'Nelson's Fleet' which doesn't end as you suspect and foreshadows the gripping 'The Voice O'Strangers). It also has an incredibly strong sense of place, which roots the 23 years of the narrative, which begins with a suicide in 1840 and ends with a hanging. I'm not sure it all quite hangs together - Shakespeare's Thief is a fine set-piece but doesn't add that much to the book overall for me - but I'd like to see Andy Charman follow this up with either a more "integrated" novel or a more experimental one. Both will undoubtedly be worth reading.

A fascinating historical fiction, a choral story that describes the life in a town during XIX century.
Even if it's a bit slow it was an engrossing read.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

*Many thanks to Andy Charman, Unbound, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
An intriguing historical fiction which begins in 1840 in Dorset with a most tragic event whose mystery and consequences unfold in over decade. Only after rwading three or four chapters do we realize that the are going to learn more about the culprit and the lives of those who were directly or indirectly involved in the tragedy.
Tha narration is slow-paced and I think the language stops us from reading fast as well..
When most people think of the 19th century and Dorset, the name of Thomas Hardy pops up immediately, and indeed, there is a certain feel of this classic writer in this book.

So, I don’t particularly appreciate reading a summary of a book right before I start it. I like to go in with some vague knowledge – genre, period, etc. – but I don’t want to know much about the plot.
That backfired with Crow Court. I was so flipping confused as each chapter seemed to have nothing to do with the previous, aside from a brief mention of a character that appeared earlier. Or I’d think I knew who the chapter was about, but I couldn’t remember any character names. It’s more of a collection of short stories with a deep, deep underlying connection that I do not understand. I know some of them were originally published as short stories. Still, the book seems like it’s caught in a strange in-between novel and story collection that I didn’t necessarily dislike, but I wouldn’t go searching out.
I did enjoy the stories, but since it claimed it was a novel, I kept waiting for everything to come together. It didn’t.

My thanks to Unbound for a digital review copy via NetGalley of ‘Crow Court’ by Andy Charman.

This proved a fascinating work of historical fiction set primarily in the Dorset market town of Wimborne Minster. It opens in the spring of 1840 as the town residents are shocked when a young choirboy drowns himself. Not long after the choirmaster is found murdered, though given his disturbing reputation he is not mourned. Four local men are under suspicion and the fallout from this murder reverberates down the years. It concludes in 1863.

Andy Charman reveals this story through fourteen interwoven episodes with the town of Wimborne Minister as its backdrop and peopled with a variety of interlinked characters. The crow court of the title refers to an observed behaviour of crows and is also stylistically depicted on the cover.

Charman utilises a number of narrative styles throughout the book. The most unusual is the opening chapter, which was deliberately written in a modern style with short, incomplete sentences that at times resembled bullet-points. It was intended to contrast with the flowery, often verbose, language used during the Victorian period.

These changes in style places this between a short story collection and a conventional novel. Aside from themes of formal and natural justice, family and friendship, Charman explores the changes in society outside of London following the Industrial Revolution and the challenges to religion and faith brought about by the publication of Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of the Species’ along with discoveries in geology and palaeontology.

Charman utilises bits of local dialect throughout the book, and helpfully includes a glossary following the main text taken from the Glossary of Dorset Dialect by William Barnes, first published in 1847.

Overall, I found this very well written and a highly engaging read. I found it easy to relate to its characters, caring about their fates (apart from the aforementioned choirmaster). The descriptive passages throughout were especially vivid.

While the episodic format and changes in style did create a little unevenness in pacing, I felt that the various narrative threads did come together in a satisfying manner.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"The chronicle of Crow Court unravels over fourteen delicately interwoven episodes, the town of Wimborne their backdrop."

Well, I'm not sure how to rate this. I found myself a little bored and my thoughts wandered as I was reading. The books starts with two murders. But then the subject and the characters all changed with the new 'episode' and ended on a completely different subject. The different 'episodes ' made the book feel like it was meandering.

2.5☆

Crow Court is a beautifully written novel constructed from interlinked short stories. The plot centres around the murder of an abusive choirmaster in nineteenth century Dorset after the suicide of one of his choirboys. Different perspectives of the individual characters build up the whole picture of the events as well as an insight into local life. The story continues over a number of decades, so you get to follow some of the characters through marriage, childbirth, old age and death.

I read the glossary of Dorset dialect at the back of the book before I started and I recommend this to future readers to avoid confusion with some of the more impenetrable conversations.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Crow Court is a collection of interconnected stories. In the very first story, a choirboy drowns himself because of the choirmaster's poor treatment of him. Not long after the choirmaster himself is found murdered.

The following stories weave in and out of this community and follow the men who might have caused the death of the choirmaster. There are a lot of interesting characters and each story both stands on its own and ties to the overall plot.

I enjoyed my time with these stories and liked the colorful characters.

with gratitude to Netgalley and Unbound for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

I just couldn't finish this book. The level of unkindness in it was just more than I could bear to immerse myself in right now at the end of 2020.

i enjoyed reading this book, it was a good plot with interesting characters and an entertaining world. I look forward to more from the author.