A review by jch2022
The Courage Consort by Michel Faber

4.0

This collection by the author of The Crimson Petal and the White had me engrossed from the first story which also happens to be the title of the collection. The Courage Consort is the tale of an a cappella group that is forced to endure much more time together than is usual in order to perfect a revolutionary new piece to be performed at an art's festival. This is a character study that I found compelling, it was my ability to identify with the narrator and her slow wakening to the humanity and fallibility of the other group members and in herself that made it so personal; or perhaps it was her struggle to overcome her isolation that made her so identifiable to me. Whatever the reason, this particular tale shone out of the four in the collection. This does not mean that the other tales fail, not by any means, it's just for me this was one that I found so many ways that I related to the narrator.