A Theatre for Dreamers
Author: Polly Samson
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 352
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Pages: 352
Format: Hardback
My Rating ★★★★
1960. The world is dancing on the edge of revolution, and nowhere more so than on the Greek island of Hydra, where a circle of writers, painters and musicians live, ruled over by Charmian Clift and George Johnston, troubled queen and king of bohemia. Within this circle forms a love triangle: its points magnetic, destructive writer Axel Jensen, his dazzling wife Marianne Ihlen, and a young Canadian poet named Leonard Cohen.
Into their midst arrives Erica, with little more than a bundle of blank notebooks and her grief over losing her mother. Settling on the periphery of this circle, she watches, entranced and disquieted, as this creative paradise unravels.
Burning with the heat and light of the Greek islands, A Theatre for Dreamers is a spellbinding novel about utopian dreams and innocence lost – and the wars waged between men and women on the battleground of genius.
Into their midst arrives Erica, with little more than a bundle of blank notebooks and her grief over losing her mother. Settling on the periphery of this circle, she watches, entranced and disquieted, as this creative paradise unravels.
Burning with the heat and light of the Greek islands, A Theatre for Dreamers is a spellbinding novel about utopian dreams and innocence lost – and the wars waged between men and women on the battleground of genius.
My thoughts
Capturing the halcyon days of an artistic community on a Greek island in the 1960s, this blissful novel of escapism is hugely readable and atmospheric. I loved being whisked away to a little island in Greece with this delightful story! It really was the perfect book for a sunny Easter weekend at home.
The author uses vivid description to set the scene on Hydra, and describes it as ‘a theatre for dreamers. The stage is lit by sun and sea...’
In the 1950s the Greek island of Hydra became a magnet for artists and writers, including Lawrence Durrell, Patrick Leigh Fermor and Henry Miller. Polly Samson’s novel, set in this makeshift artists’ colony in 1960, focuses on the married Australian authors Charmian Clift and George Johnston, Norwegian novelist Axel Jensen, his wife Marianne Ihlen, as well as an unknown young poet from Canada named Leonard Cohen.
We see all of these real-life characters from the perspective of our narrator, Erica, a seventeen-year-old outsider. Using a legacy from her mother, Erica travels with her brother Bobby and boyfriend Jimmy to the Greek island of Hydra. Here she finds herself in the group of bohemians and artists surrounding authors.
I enjoyed living precariously through her as she lives on the island. Erica initially seems quite naive in the early stages of the book and I found her a little frustrating at times. This is however also part of her charm too and I enjoyed following her as she grows up. Charmian is another fantastic character who seems like someone I’d like to know in real life. She is complex and feels a little mysterious which I found interesting.
I particularly loved the descriptive passages throughout the book which are so immersive. Despite being a little long, they didn’t bore me at all. In fact, these vivid details set the scene and work perfectly to evoke the atmosphere, era and mindset of the time and place. Before I knew it, I could already feel the heat on my skin and see the sun-washed houses and blue seas if the small Greek island. I felt immediately transported.
For me, this booked worked as a much-needed piece of escapism. This wonderful, absorbing book truly helped distract me from everything that is currently happening in the world. If you’re getting cabin fever and are hankering for some armchair travelling, I can’t recommend this novel enough.
A Theatre for Dreamers is a glorious read and I’m so pleased I was able to take part in the online read along for this one. Thanks again to Bloomsbury and Tandem Collective for gifting me with a hardback edition of the book.
Overall reaction:
Capturing the halcyon days of an artistic community on a Greek island in the 1960s, this blissful novel of escapism is hugely readable and atmospheric. I loved being whisked away to a little island in Greece with this delightful story! It really was the perfect book for a sunny Easter weekend at home.
The author uses vivid description to set the scene on Hydra, and describes it as ‘a theatre for dreamers. The stage is lit by sun and sea...’
In the 1950s the Greek island of Hydra became a magnet for artists and writers, including Lawrence Durrell, Patrick Leigh Fermor and Henry Miller. Polly Samson’s novel, set in this makeshift artists’ colony in 1960, focuses on the married Australian authors Charmian Clift and George Johnston, Norwegian novelist Axel Jensen, his wife Marianne Ihlen, as well as an unknown young poet from Canada named Leonard Cohen.
We see all of these real-life characters from the perspective of our narrator, Erica, a seventeen-year-old outsider. Using a legacy from her mother, Erica travels with her brother Bobby and boyfriend Jimmy to the Greek island of Hydra. Here she finds herself in the group of bohemians and artists surrounding authors.
I enjoyed living precariously through her as she lives on the island. Erica initially seems quite naive in the early stages of the book and I found her a little frustrating at times. This is however also part of her charm too and I enjoyed following her as she grows up. Charmian is another fantastic character who seems like someone I’d like to know in real life. She is complex and feels a little mysterious which I found interesting.
I particularly loved the descriptive passages throughout the book which are so immersive. Despite being a little long, they didn’t bore me at all. In fact, these vivid details set the scene and work perfectly to evoke the atmosphere, era and mindset of the time and place. Before I knew it, I could already feel the heat on my skin and see the sun-washed houses and blue seas if the small Greek island. I felt immediately transported.
For me, this booked worked as a much-needed piece of escapism. This wonderful, absorbing book truly helped distract me from everything that is currently happening in the world. If you’re getting cabin fever and are hankering for some armchair travelling, I can’t recommend this novel enough.
A Theatre for Dreamers is a glorious read and I’m so pleased I was able to take part in the online read along for this one. Thanks again to Bloomsbury and Tandem Collective for gifting me with a hardback edition of the book.
Overall reaction: