Book Review: "Play It Again" by Georgia Clark

As teenagers they were inseparable. Four friends—Annie, Lola, Vicky, and Dylan—took their hometown by storm when they starred in a gender-swapped adaptation of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. It was an incredible summer, but the night the show closed the four were torn apart, and went their separate ways.

Twenty years later, they all have very different lives from what they dreamed of. But when their hometown of Rhodes, NY, gets a less-than-impressive write up in a tourism magazine, the town gets closer to dying out completely. Given that Annie owns a pet grooming place in town, she’s definitely concerned.

All four of them get summoned back to the now-closed playhouse where their fondest memories reside. Jazz, their director, wants to revive their production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead to hopefully bring some life (and money) back into the town and the theater. Of course, it will only work if all four agree.

The pleasantries of their reunion quickly fade as the memories of the show’s end 20 years ago are revisited. There’s no doubt that the feelings both couples had for one another still linger, but so do secrets, misunderstandings, and emotional wounds. Can they put the past aside to not only save Rhodes and put on a show, but also to see if a second chance is possible?

This was a mostly fun and lighthearted story, full of nostalgia and emotion. I was a theater kid so I definitely enjoyed those aspects of the book. I felt like the pacing got very slow in the middle and I also thought at times the characters’ actions were a little more petty and childish than they should have been.

Book Review: "Audition" by Katie Kitamura

So, here’s the thing: I’m a lazy reader. While I read to be entertained, to be moved, to see things from a different perspective, even to learn something new, I don’t want to have to work too hard. Books that are vague, when everything is left to interpretation, rarely resonate with me. I tend to enjoy books that are told in a more traditional fashion.

That being said, if you’re a fan of unorthodox storytelling, of finishing a book with your mind exploding with the possibilities a book raised, you might love this. There’s certainly no doubt that Katie Kitamura is a talented writer.

“What was a family if not a shared delusion, a mutual construction?”

Audition is a novel in two parts. The book opens in a New York City restaurant. Our narrator, a well-known actress, is eating with a much younger man. She is self-conscious because she perceives (or imagines) that people think she paid the man to dine with her. But the truth is, this young man, Xavier, mistakenly believed that he was the actress’ son that she gave up for adoption years ago. (He isn’t. I think.)

The narrator is struggling with a transformative scene in a play she is rehearsing. She cannot seem to grasp it and it causes a tremendous amount of anxiety. And then, suddenly, she gets it. But then in the second part of the novel, everything changes, and you don’t know which part is supposed to be true.

As you can tell, I’m even struggling to describe this book. The lines blur between performance and reality, what is and what could have been. And then, in the last 50 pages, everything is flipped on its head. I haven’t a clue what this really was about, and I hate feeling clueless when I read.

Book Review: "The Third Gilmore Girl" by Kelly Bishop

“I’ve been blessed with a career that’s had its disappointments, but for the most part it’s been a series of dreams come true. The fact that I’ve done it on my terms, without compromising my privacy, my integrity, and my relative anonymity, makes it even more gratifying. I can’t imagine having done it any other way and still looking back on it with the joy and the satisfaction I do today.”

I was obsessed with the movie Dirty Dancing when it came out. While I loved everything about it, Kelly Bishop’s small role as Baby’s mother definitely made me laugh. But at that time, I had no idea that she was a Tony-winning actress, with a career in theater, dance, and movies.

Of course, she hit her stride as Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls. It was (and still is) one of my favorite shows, and she was utterly perfect as the appearance-obsessed matriarch, who fiercely loved her family and wished she could connect with Lorelai as well as Lorelai connected with Rory.

Ever since I found she had a memoir coming out, I was eager to read it. And it was so good, truly written in her voice (which I could hear the whole time). This is an account of her career, from her early days as a dancer to Gilmore Girls and beyond. It’s also a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of A Chorus Line, and the way she helped shape her role as Sheila.

At the same time, it’s also a chronicle of her relationship with her parents, particularly her mother. She also recounts her romantic life, the ups and the downs through the years. Bishop tells it like it is but she is never mean, and she refused to embarrass anyone by name.

Celebrity memoirs can be unpredictable, but I absolutely loved this. It’s funny, emotional, self-deprecating, and full of details about Bishop’s career. What I loved the most, however, is her warmth and her gratitude about the path her life has taken. (And she’s unabashedly Team Logan, IYKYK.)

Book Review: "Summer Stage" by Meg Mitchell Moore

Summer may be over here on the East Coast, but it's never too late for a beach read! I've had this on my stack since it was released in May, but after a succession of chilly, rainy weekends, it seemed to be the perfect time to pick it up. And it definitely hit the spot!

Timothy Fleming has had tremendous success as an actor and director, and has two Oscars and a Tony to show for it. And while opportunities still exist for him in his early 60s, there is at least one whole generation that doesn't know who he is. But life in Los Angeles has been a bit boring lately, so when he is invited by his ex-wife, famed actress Gertie Sanger, to direct a summer production of Much Ado About Nothing on Block Island, where he grew up, he jumps at the chance.

Timothy's sister, Amy Trevino, also had dreams of fame and fortune as a playwright, but instead she packed away her dreams and returned to Rhode Island, to become a teacher (and school play director) and raise a family. She loves her brother but doesn't really understand his life or the way he thinks spending money is the best way to show he cares. And she's always been resentful of the fact that her daughter, Sam, after a stint as a child actress on Broadway and in a Disney program, chose to forego college and move into a TikTok house in New York City.

When Sam leaves the TikTok house suddenly and returns home to Rhode Island, refusing to explain why she left, she quickly finds living with her parents and staying out of the public spotlight tremendously suffocating. She decides to move to Block Island for the summer and live with Timothy, to help out with the play. The incredible beach house that Timothy is leasing for the summer from a childhood friend becomes even more crowded when Gertie comes to stay as well. And then the play becomes even more of a family affair when Timothy hires Amy to be the stage manager.

This was a really enjoyable read, full of family drama, secrets, and romance, all in a beautiful setting. (Now I have to add Block Island to my travel bucket list along with Nantucket.) The characters deal with friction in their relationships with one another, as well as the vagaries of fame, pursuing your dreams, and being happy with the choices you make. I've always loved books that look behind the scenes of theatrical productions, and Much Ado About Nothing is one of my two favorite Shakespeare plays, so that added to my enjoyment of the book.

Crazily enough, this is my first book by Meg Mitchell Moore, but it definitely won't be my last!

Book Review: "Bellies" by Nicola Dinan

“I wore a dress on the night I first met Ming.”

When Tom meets Ming at a drag night at a bar near their university, both men are mutually attracted to one another. Tom, only recently out, is attracted to how together Ming seems, how serene, how confident in his future as a playwright and his sexuality. It’s not long before the two become inseparable.

As their relationship deepens, Tom realizes that Ming not only struggles with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder, but he seems increasingly dissatisfied with his body and appearance for reasons he cannot explain to Tom. After graduation, the couple moves to London, but no matter how they try to settle into their future together, the tension between them starts to intensify.

And then Ming tells Tom he intends to transition and become a woman.

The second half of the book follows Ming and Tom’s lives after Ming’s transition. Not only does this affect their relationship but their circle of mutual friends, and each confronts their own professional and personal issues. What happens after someone transitions? Can this individual who is finally living authentically find peace and satisfaction? And what parts of our lives should be open to public consumption?

This was a tremendously interesting premise. It was thought-provoking, emotional, funny, and insightful. Not much really happens in the book: it’s definitely character- and dialogue-driven, and it reminded me of a Sally Rooney novel. (That could be a positive or negative comparison depending on your opinions of her books.)

In the end, I just wish I enjoyed the characters more, so I could have been fully invested in the story.

Book Review: "Keya Das's Second Act" by Sopan Deb

This was a poignant story about forgiving yourself and finding the strength to move forward.

One day, much to the surprise of her Bengali parents and older sister, 18-year-old Keya came out to her family. Their reactions hurt, disappointed, and angered her, but they never found the opportunity to apologize to Keya, as she died shortly thereafter.

Years later, Keya's father Shantanu lives alone. His marriage is over and he doesn’t speak to his other daughter, Mitali, that often. One day he finds boxes in the attic, and one contains notes Keya wrote to her then-girlfriend as well as a play that the two young women had written.

When Mitali suggests that the family stage the play as a tribute to Keya, it is seen as a chance to make amends in a small way for the way Keya felt when she died. And as the production of the play progresses, it represents a chance for each of Keya's family members, who have been mired in grief and guilt for some time, to take tentative steps toward a new start as well.

This was a really well-told and emotionally rich story. I found myself really hooked on these characters and rooting for them to succeed. I felt like there was one thread, related to the man that Mitali is dating, which seemed extraneous and didn’t advance the story much, but I wasn’t too distracted by it.

Having grown up in the New Jersey suburbs, I loved the mention of lots of familiar places. I also was impressed that this is Sopan Deb’s debut novel and I look forward to seeing what comes next in his career.

Book Review: "The Astonishing Life of August March" by Aaron Jackson

Aaron Jackson's The Astonishing Life of August March is utterly charming and delightful.

August March took his first breaths in a New York City theater prior to World War II. Born to an actress during the intermission of her play, she abandoned him amidst her soiled costumes. He was found by an elderly laundress, who becomes his de-facto mother, but knowing that she wasn't truly the maternal type, she nurtures him when she's at work, but leaves him to spend his nights in the theater.

August is a wild but intelligent child, one who speaks in Shakespearean monologues and is prone to dramatic declarations because he grows up watching every theatrical production. At one point he even befriends an English actor who played King Lear. He knows what makes a good production and what makes a disastrous one, and he's more than happy to share his opinions.

But August knows nothing of the outside world and doesn’t know how to interact with people, and when his time in the theater comes to an end in the days after WWII, he must make his way in the world. His life is a continued adventure, from pickpocket to prep school student, drunkard to high-stakes con artist. But while he may have companions, he always feels alone.

Yet despite the adventures, the highs and lows he experiences through his life, August longs for some sense of normalcy, for people to care for him. He thinks he may have found that with Penny, but is it for real or is she going for the ultimate con herself?

I thought this was such a fun, enjoyable book, and the characters are truly memorable. This was a special story which would make a fun movie, because August was so fascinating.

The Astonishing Life of August March is one of those books that sticks with you. I definitely wished it were longer.

Book Review: "The Babylon Line" by Richard Greenberg

Tony Award winner Richard Greenberg's new play, The Babylon Line is an intriguing, thought-provoking, and surprisingly emotional look at the lives of a group of suburban Long Island residents at the end of the 1960s, as they come together to participate in a writing class through an adult education program. Some of these people know each other, some merely know of each other, and not all of them intended to participate in a writing class—some were closed out of the classes they actually wanted to attend.

The teacher, Aaron, is a writer who once showed some promise but never delivered, despite his attempts to write every day. His failure causes him to take a job that forces him to commute from his New York City home to Levittown and teach a group of adults, the majority of whom have never written (and never had any desire to do so). These are people who would rather gossip and complain than put pen to paper, but little by little, some start to open up to the creative process, and their writing becomes more personal and therapeutic, and raise the hackles of their fellow students.

Aaron's most talented student, Joan, is a troubled housewife disliked by the other women in the class. She and Aaron, both in failing marriages, are drawn to one another through their love of reading and their desire to write, and Joan begins looking to Aaron as a life raft from the chaos of her life. But fear and ennui are powerful anchors.

The Babylon Line looks at the class over the course of a semester, and then follows each of the characters after the class is over to narrate what became of them. Greenberg has an ear for dialogue, and particularly captured the nuances of bored, angry, and self-righteous suburban housewives. Some of the characters are more well-developed than others, but they're all pretty fascinating, and you wonder what revelations will come from the students' stories.

Other than the new Harry Potter, it's been a long while since I've read a play. It required a little bit of an adjustment for me, since you must glean most of the plot from dialogue rather than description and imagery. I felt as if the plot took some time to build up steam, but once it did, it was amusing and thought-provoking, and the recaps of what happened to each character brought the sap out in me. And of course, like any good novel, there were times I wanted to shake the characters for their inaction, or for not saying what they were thinking.

I loved Greenberg's play Take Me Out, and The Babylon Line once again proves his talent. It would be interesting to see this performed some day, to see how everything takes shape on the stage. All in all, definitely a worthwhile read.

First to Read and Penguin provided me an advance copy of the play in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

So, let me collect myself...

I was a little late to the party with the Harry Potter series, but that was a good thing, so there were three or four books already published when I got hooked. Eventually I had to wait until J.K. Rowling wrote each one, and although I tried to demonstrate some self-control, I'd usually devour them fairly quickly. When the last book was released, I think I waited about six months to read it, because I couldn't fathom the idea of not having any more time with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and the gang. But then I broke down, read it, and broke down again (emotionally).

So when Harry Potter and the Cursed Child came out, you'd think I might want to hoard it for a while, especially in light of Rowling's recent announcement that this would be the last story in the series. Well, I just couldn't. It's Harry freaking Potter, for pity's sake! But given my attachment to the series, would this new story—a play, to boot—live up to my expectations? Would the chemistry between the characters feel the same? Would this generate the same emotional reactions I've felt before?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the last book. Harry is married with three children (if you've still not read the last book in the series, I'll not spoil the surprise of who his wife is), and is barely keeping things afloat as a high-level employee at the Ministry of Magic. His younger son, Albus Severus Potter, is about to start Hogwarts, and isn't too keen on the legacy of being Harry Potter's son following him through school. It doesn't take him long to distinguish himself as utterly different than his father, and his choice of best friend causes him even more alienation at the hands of his fellow students.

As his time at Hogwarts rolls on, Albus grows more and more disenchanted with school and his father. After an argument with Harry one night, Albus makes a decision in the heat of the moment that he wants to undo a wrong his father caused a number of years ago. Little does he know this will set into motion a chain of events which will cause the present, the past, and the future to collide, bringing the threat of danger, grief, loss, and the possible return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. All in all, it's a lot to face.

I'll stop here with the plot description for fear of giving anything away. I absolutely loved this story. Even though it was a little strange reading it as a play rather than a book, I got the old, familiar feelings as I was reading, became both excited and melancholy as old characters returned, and definitely was struck by suspense and trepidation as I wondered how the plot would wrap itself up. This is definitely more a book about Albus than it is about Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and the rest, but it still touches on the Potter-esque themes of friendship, hope, anger, abandonment, grief, and fear.

"People think they know all there is to know about you, but the best bits of you are—have always been—heroic in really quiet ways."

This is truly a perfect quote to sum up what is so special about Harry Potter. I'm so glad to have had another chance to spend even a short amount of time with these characters, back in their world. I hope Rowling will reconsider again allowing the world more visits with Harry and crew, but until then, this was a worthy nugget to hold on to.