Shadowplay
The Costa-shortlisted novel from the author of Star of the Sea
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Discover the enthralling Richard & Judy Book Club pick from international bestseller Joseph O'Connor.
'The best novel that I've read in the last twenty years... It's fantastic' RICHARD MADELEY
'Breathtaking... A hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love' Sadie Jones, Guardian
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London, 1878. Three extraordinary people begin their life together - and the idea for Dracula is born.
Fresh from life in Dublin, Bram Stoker - now manager of the Lyceum Theatre - is wrestling with dark demons in a new city, in a new marriage, and with his own literary aspirations. As he walks the streets at night, streets haunted by the Ripper and the gossip which swirls around his friend Oscar Wilde, he finds new inspiration. Soon, the eerie tale of Dracula begins to emerge.
But Henry Irving, volcanic leading man and impresario, is determined that nothing will get in the way of Bram's dedication to the Lyceum. And both men are growing ever more enchanted by the beauty and boldness of Ellen Terry, the most celebrated actress of her generation.
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Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2019
Winner of the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year
'A colourful tale of secret love and public performance...in a romantic, lost London' The Times
'Hugely entertaining and atmospheric' DEBORAH MOGGACH
'Extraordinary' SEBASTIAN BARRY
'A novel I'd recommend to anyone: a rollicking and moving story' James Naughtie, Radio Times
'Fabulous... A truly great book you simply cannot put down' JUDY FINNIGAN
'Rich, sad, funny, and a beautiful read. You'll LOVE it' RICHARD MADELEY
'Ingenious...hugely impressive and utterly haunting' Sunday Mirror
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
O'Connor's high-spirited latest (after The Star of the Sea) puts ample flesh on the bones of the little-known story of the theatrical m nage involving celebrity actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, and Irving's business manager, Bram Stoker. Composed (like Dracula) in epistolary style from diary entries, letters, recording transcripts, and the like, the narrative follows Stoker as he moves with his family from Dublin to London in 1879 to help Irving establish his Lyceum Theatre. Over the next quarter century the two indulge in a frequently bitter love/hate relationship Irving drives Stoker mercilessly and cruelly taunts him for his literary ambitions. Via commentary from Terry on Dracula, O'Connor's narrative suggests that Stoker likely channeled the personality of Irving and the drama of their contretemps into his tale of the imperious vampire scourge. O'Connor's characters are magnificently realized and colorfully depicted by the virtues that define them: Irving's egotism, Terry's feminism, Stoker's stoicism, and for the brief time he appears Oscar Wilde's witticisms. The repartee O'Connor imagines between them is priceless, in particular when they refer to each other by their nicknames ("Chief" for Irving, "Auntie" for Stoker), and he fills the tale with numerous rib nudges that readers of Dracula will recognize. This novel blows the dust off its Victorian trappings and brings them to scintillating life.
Customer Reviews
Play it again
Author
Irish. Writes both fiction and non-fiction. Cowboys and Indians (1991) was shortlisted for the Whitbread (now Costa) prize. Voted Irish writer of the decade (this decade) by Hot Press magazine (whatever that is).
Precis
Abraham 'Bram' Stoker (1847-1912) was a Dublin clerk and aspiring writer in the late 19th century. His major work, the gothic horror novel Dracula (1897), did not capture the popular imagination until after he died. While trying to write, he moved to London with his new bride Florence to take up a position with celebrated actor and theatre director of the times Henry Irving ('the Chief'). He ends up managing Irving's Lyceum theatre, which he manages to save from bankruptcy. In the process, he becomes friends with the indomitable Irving, the Mick Jagger of his day according to some, and his frequent leading lady Alice 'Ellen' Terry, the greatest star in the firmament in 1870s and 1880s apparently. The evolving relationship between the three provides the substance of the tale told, like Dracula, in the form of a host of documents (diary entries, unpublished manuscript fragments, news clippings etc) left to Ellen by Bram. London of the time, with Jack the Ripper lurking its streets, and Oscar Wilde its parlours and cafes, features prominently.
Writing
Convincingly Victorian style including brief chapter introductions of what's to follow. The prose flows beautifully. Mr O'Connor is clearly a master of his craft. The descriptions of London and the way the author captures the mood of the city are stand out features. Some reviewers have disputed the historical detail, to which I say, it's fiction. Duh! Given my prior knowledge of the three protagonists was minimal to non-existent, I thought it was interesting.
Bottom line
High quality genre fiction, which would probably suit theatre history buffs best, but has something for everyone. (For me anyway.) The audiobook is better than the text version IMHO, the chief narrator Finlay Robertson superb.