The critics seemed almost universal in their praise for this novel. Some of this, I sense, was a lockdown phenomenon: A Theatre resonated simply because it constitutes a form of escapism, set on the Greek island of Hydra in a spirit of 1960s exuberance. It is not a badly written novel at all, just not the sort of thing I would normally choose to read. The narrative arc is somewhat formulaic: just as spring turns to autumn, so the naive and impressionable narrator comes of age and her former youthful dreams reset. I simply did not care about the self-indulgent nature of the vast majority of the characters, although it was interesting to have an insight into part of Leonard Cohen's backstory (he did live on Hydra in the era depicted), and the influence of his muse at the time, Marianne. Not strong enough overall to keep, six out of ten.
By Polly Samson