I am not going to be reviewing this book, but thank you for the approval.

Oliver is an illusionist. He has learnt his art from a master and believes that he too can become famous worldwide. In the meantime, he makes his own props and performs in Belfast theatres and on tour around England.
Oliver meets Edith, a theatre accompanist, they fall in love and marry. Oliver continues to try to make ends meet on the circuit, while Edith tries to adapt to a stay- at- home life when they have twins.
But this is the early 20th century, and Oliver’s ambition is compromised, first by the strictures of WWI, and then by a fall- off in the popularity of Variety Theatre which is being overtaken by cinema.

The novel starts in the middle, as Oliver and Edith meet. Oliver’s tragic upbringing, which has influenced who and where he is, takes some time to unfold. He struggles to avoid failure as father, husband and, most of all, a great performer, but the cards are stacked against him.
The theatre backdrop feels beautifully authentic with attention to detail, even details of Belfast in the 1920s. The characters are carefully drawn too, and while Oliver takes up most of the story, Edith’s forced abandonment of her career is dealt with sympathetically. There are many, many lyrical descriptions and down to earth dialogue.
But it just felt a little too long. Parts are so sad they are almost too difficult to bear, but this book did not make me care as much as I thought I should.
Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for this read.

Thanks Orion Publishing Group and netgalley for the ARC.

Real life, love, pain, failure, and endurance; we hear Edith and Oliver's musings, daydreams, and inner dialogue to themselves. This is a rare novel that gives a inner picture of our and others minds and hearts.