Hannah – The Soldier Diaries

Read Time: 2 Minutes

I love a well-written short story. Crisp and to the point, and this one hit the mark. Unsurprising as I have since found out it’s based on a stage musical, so when you only have a limited amount of time to capture and keep the attention of your audience, every word must count. I’ll admit, I can probably count the number of musicals I’ve seen live on two fingers, so story mixed with songs at the end of each chapter was different for me.

This is a whirlwind love story between Hannah, who works in a hair salon, and Jack, a Lance Corporal in the armed forces, set in the summer of 2012. Hannah and Jack have four weeks together before Jack is due to be shipped off to fight for queen and country in the Afghan War.

I honestly can’t say too much about the story as being so brief you’d end up reading it all here.

I’m on the fence about the songs at the end of each chapter. They can be a little overpowering for the narration, especially during the overlaps where Hannah is still narrating, and the song begins. The songs themselves are poppy, light, and easy to groove to, but for me, I’m not convinced a musical turned into an audiobook hits the mark.

The narration was excellent. Zoe Wright has an expressive and easy to listen to voice. The production was good too, with no noticeable quality issues or background noises – nice and clean.

Overall, it’s an excellent short story with a tight plot. I could take or leave the music, but that’s likely just me being some kind of philistine and preferring stories over musicals. 🙂 If you’re a fan of musicals though, give this a listen.

One final thing; I googled the title and found a website for the musical and some glowing reviews of the show. If you’re around North Yorkshire in England, maybe keep an eye out for it! https://hannahthesoldierdiaries.co.uk

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