Lucky Break
A Novel
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
It is their first day at Drama Arts, and the circle of huddled, nervous students are told in no uncertain terms that here, unlike at any other drama school, they will be taught to Act. To Be. To exist in their own world on the stage. But outside is the real world--a pitiless, alluring place in which each of them in their most fervent dreams, hopes to flourish and excel.
Nell, insecure and dumpy, wonders if she will ever be cast as anything other than the maid. She'll never compete, she knows this, with the multitude of confident, long-legged beauties thronging the profession--most notably Charlie, whose effortless ascendance is nothing less than he expects. While Dan, ambitious and serious, has his sights fixed on Hamlet, as well as on fiery, rebellious Jemma.
Over the following decade these young actors will grapple with haphazard tours, illogical auditions, unobtainable agents, deluxe trailers, rocky relationships, and red-carpet premieres. This dazzling new novel from Esther Freud uncovers a world of ruthless ambition, uncertain alliances, and the many-sided holy grail of Success.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Freud (Hideous Kinky) chronicles 14 years in the life of a group of young actors who meet at the world-renowned acting school, Drama Arts, in London. Nell is insecure, plain, and passive, allowing her beautiful friend Charlie to walk all over her. Dan and Jemma, both ambitious and passionate, fall quickly in love as schoolmates. But a lot can happen in a decade, especially to people in their tumultuous 20s; careers diverge, creating, in the case of Dan and Jemma, an insidious gulf in their marriage. Charlie, meanwhile, finds that maintaining her looks is not just difficult (and costly), but exacts a different kind of price.And while after years of obscure toil, an unlikely film role finally brings the spotlight upon Nell (she even shares the red carpet with Prince Charles and Camilla). These four hopefuls succeed, fail, rise, and fall, tumbling together in Freud's easygoing narrative. The fragile egos, intense competition, and uncaring industry have an impact on all involved, no matter what level of success they enjoy, but no one ever seems ready to abandon this world, even if it's abandoned them. Drawing inspiration from her early acting training, Freud finds joy and heartbreak in her winning ensemble.
