All Together Now

Hornby's (The Hive) newest is an uneven, familiar tale set in smalltown England. The Bridgeford Community Choir saw its glory days a decade ago, but still holds on in the present. When their singing coach gets into an accident right before a regional competition, they realize how desperate their current state is. They start roping in new members from across the village, whose lives become interconnected. Bennett, separated from his wife and laid off from his job, starts a whole new life in middle age. Tracy is a single mother with a secret who is struggling with her son leaving for Africa to find himself. Jazzy is a young woman who yearns for national stardom and feels confined by her small town. Annie has always put everyone ahead of herself and wants to rekindle her marriage. They band together with the rest of the choir to try to win the competition and bring the spark back to their lives and to Bridgeford. Readers familiar with smalltown ensemble-cast stories will find no real surprises here. The characters are broadly drawn and well-intentioned, their goals are modest, and sweetness suffuses the story. Hornby draws the central romance between Tracy and Bennett together well, but readers may come away feeling that they've read this story before. (July)