*Warning: this review features a LOT of Caps Lock and has a tendency to ramble. Buckle up* Back in 2007, we all stumbled home from our midnight release parties and read the final Harry Potter book, racing against the sunrise, desperate to find out how it ended. We turned off our phones and chugged coffee, stopping only for reluctant bathroom breaks. Hours passed, and with three small words, the story that defined a generation ended: “All was well.” Flash forward a decade. Turns […]
Hamilton Makes a Dent in Modern History
Please spare me your lack of surprise that I’ve finished Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter’s book chronicling the gestation of the eponymous musical, before having finished the book said musical was based on, Ron Chernow’s Alexander Hamilton. They are both big thick tomes spanning years (arguable decades), but while Chernow’s prose is delightful and accessible, his book does not consist of rap lyrics, easily digestible footnotes, and beautiful photos. Like Cannonballer ellesfena, I bought the book because I am an obsessive Midwestern […]
A contemporary romance set in London. Yay Britishism!
Rising star and current darling of London’s West End, Elaine “Lainie” Graham has to pretend to be passionately in love with and kiss her ex-boyfriend Will Farmer every evening and sometimes for matinee performances. While none of her family really liked him, she was still shocked and upset when she discovered he was cheating on her – by seeing it splashed on the front page of the tabloid news media. Now she’s pretty much sworn off men for a while and is none too amused […]
The viscount and the playwright
Margaret “Maggie” Delamere makes a comfortable living as the popular playwright of the most successful burlettas (because the theatre doesn’t have an official licence, every line of all the plays has to be sung by the actors) at the Imperial theatre. In the past, she’s never had any problems getting new ideas or getting her plays finished on time. Now, with the Imperial’s board of directors and the audience clamouring for the sequel to her most popular play yet, Maggie is suffering from a terrible […]