This past month I read two novels whose world is “the theatre”: “The Garrick Year” by Margaret Drabble (1964) and “The Lake Shore Limited” by Sue Miller (2010).
I had picked up a used copy of this short Drabble novel years back and finally found time to read it. Drabble spent her early career years as an actress, including being part of the Royal Shakespeare Company where in 1960 she understudied Broadway’s current Miss Daisy, Vanessa Redgrave. After a few years of stage work she shifted to writing. Her first husband was an actor. Despite her first-hand knowledge of theatre, Drabble is still clearly learning the craft of fiction with this novel, her second of the seventeen she’s published. The protagonist is a young mother married to the requisite narcissistic actor. Affairs happen, relationships are damaged, plays open. Characters are poorly developed; I didn’t believe in any of them for a minute. I doubt an unknown novelist would be able to find a publisher for such a mediocre effort today. Recommendation: Save your time.
On the other hand, Sue Miller’s “The Lake Shore Limited” is a wonderful read. The female protagonist Billy is a playwright and college instructor in Boston. Miller alternates among four main characters’ points of view and gives each a distinctive voice and rich inner life. The reader is quickly invested in them. Miller also did her homework with theatre – the rehearsal and performance scenes ring true. In her acknowledgements Miller thanks David Auburn, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (“Proof,” 2001) and other stage pros for their assistance. I have not read Miller’s other novels and bought this one after reading Michiko Kakitani’s rave in the Times last April (yes, it is true, good reviews do help sell books and tickets). I was not disappointed. Recommendation: You won’t be disappointed either.
