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Review
'I loved Lucky Break - being taken away and plunged into that vivid group of actors with all their fun and excitement - and of course their tensions, disappointments and anxiety too. It struck me as completely authentic and enthralling' Sir Michael Holroyd 'Freud stands out as a clear, attractive voice in the literary hubbub' Observer 'A highly talented writer' Independent 'In a culture which dins with brashness and self-advertisement, attending to Esther Freud's still, truthful voice becomes not only a pleasure but a necessity' Jonathan Coe
Product 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 she 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 caravans, 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.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having attended the drama school so thinly disguised by Esther Freud in this novel I looked forward to comparing a seminal time in my life. No such luck. This superficial account trades the authentic for generalised cliches. It's infuriating. So much of what is written about the theatre - the narcissism, backslapping, bitching, tantrums and neuroses - only serves to feed the generally received idea of the profession. And in any case it's out of date. Real life for the modern actor is so much more complex, surprising and tough. There are some sharply observed moments here, revealing the fact that the author knows this world from first hand. But this only serves to highlight the novel's deficiencies. We skip from episode to episode in the lives of a group of actors without ever being made to care about what happens to them. There are almost no references to the world at large and by the time we reach the end - the Royal Gala premiere - we might as well be reading Hello! without the benefit of that magazine's glossy photos . A big disappointment.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As an actor in training myself, I found it enjoyable to read because it was like reading about people I actually know. Freud captures the actor's struggle in a clever, funny and sensitive way. I will recommend it to my mother because I think she still thinks all we do is sit around reading plays to each all day, acomplishing nothing. I've been waiting for this kind of book to surface!
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I picked up this book because of its attractive cover; but having read the first page in the bookshop I knew I was going to love it. 'Lucky Break' is really easy reading and I finished it within 24 hours of buying it (which for me, with three young children on half term holidays, is super speedy). It has a televisual quality, and I enjoyed the highs and lows of the three main protagonists as they arrive at drama school and the subsequent years that follow their successes and failures. Whilst superficially having a "chic-lit" plot, the novel gives depth to its characters, raising it above the usual romantic fodder: thoroughly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Quite dull
I read this book in 2 sittings (which is unusual for me as I am a slow reader). Not because I was so riveted that I couldn't put it down, but because I was waiting for something... Read more
Published 1 month ago by KPSW
Sadly lacking in insight or verve
Freud shows us the lives of her characters in scenes spanning 14 years. Her handful of aspiring actors suffer dully predictable professional highs, lows, indignities and strokes of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Huggermugger
Not good Really Not good!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the worst books i have read in a long while, Its like Enid Blyton for adults, all that is missing is lashing and lasting of ginger beer. Read more
Published 5 months ago by nexus6
Enjoyed it very much, wish there'd been more about the student years
I really enjoyed this book, although having read the comment that Esther Freud originally wrote a harsher, more cynical version, I concur with the wish that she'd stuck to it! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Goth lady
Could have been tougher!
First of all let me say that I throughly enjoyed this book, but I would have liked to have read the orginal more cynical draft which Freud produced before showing it to her husband... Read more
Published 10 months ago by brianpwharton@yahoo.co.uk
trash
The way this book was advertised, I hoped it would be something of a documentary about actors' lives while accepting that it was only a novel. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bob
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