"Can Charley save her family’s theatre from a criminal conspiracy?"
February 2025 Book of the Month
Another gloriously enjoyable historical adventure from Judith Eagle, which skilfully transports the reader to a vividly evoked setting of London in the 1930’s with brilliant historical detail, so that we can get thoroughly immersed in the atmosphere of Theatreland and the Jazz Age.
From its Dickensian opening, with a foundling baby rescued from the River Thames and a generous benefactor, unaware that he is being spied upon in a sinister fashion, our imagination is gripped. The baby, Toby, grows up to take over the running of the tiny Wren Theatre in Soho, when his benefactor retired to Ireland.
Toby has a daughter, Charley, who has grown up behind the scenes in the theatre, a lonely only child who treats the company as her second family. She is about to make her dancing debut on stage when she is struck down by stage fright, but this huge disappointment soon becomes the least of her worries. Her father has to deal with an emergency in Ireland and leaves her in the care of their landlady, who is then incapacitated by a fall, and an aunt she has never met turns up to take charge.
Banished to a boarding school that turns out to be nothing more than a cruel workhouse run by thieves, Charley is determined to escape and with the help of a new friend she does. But after a long and difficult journey she returns to a theatre in darkness. Is she too late to save the theatre she loves? Can she trust her new friend or has she been betrayed? Will the machinations of a mysterious Fagin like character, who has been in the background since the story began, be able to thwart her clever plans?
All the elements of this intriguing mystery are satisfactorily and credibly resolved and Charley even learns to overcome her performance fears and to accept the friendship that is offered . She is a great character, and the reader cannot help but be swept along by her exuberance, determination and resilience and there is a great cast of colourful supporting characters too.
With great reading aloud potential, this is highly recommended
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