We meet controversial method actor Adam Sealey as he pulls off the performance of a lifetime, directed by his former mentor Jonathan. As the Oscar buzz starts to build, we follow Adam across two timelines – one following his as a student, learning the method from his teacher Jonathan at the famous Conservatoire, and the other in the present day, as Adam’s past seems to be catching up with him.

The plot is a great, slow-burn ride through the world of method acting. Adam’s simultaneous descent and rise at drama school under his exacting, often cruel mentor is as uncomfortable as it is compelling, and his relationships with his fellow students felt very real. Similarly, Adam’s growing discomfort in the present day, as he struggles with the notion that someone may have knowledge of his past which could threaten his future – despite his wealth and fame – is haunting and fascinating in equal measure.

There are several difficult themes in the book, so it won’t be to everyone’s taste, but I enjoyed this dark tale of obsession in the world of method acting.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

This story unfolds through two main narrative arcs that eventually converge. One storyline is set in the present day, focusing on Adam, our male protagonist, who emerges from rehab and delivers a stellar performance under the guidance of his mentor, Jonathan. Adam's potential Oscar win is jeopardized when an anonymous Twitter user alleges Jonathan's involvement in a disappearance and hints at a secret from Adam's past, leading to conflict and uncertainty.

The other narrative arc takes us back to the past, where a young Adam is auditioning for a coveted spot at the Conservatoire, a prestigious acting school in North London. This storyline unfolds chronologically, offering insight into Adam's formative years and the events that shaped him. As the past narrative progresses, we witness the collision between past and present, leading to a climactic resolution that ties the two arcs together.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

After a controversial career so far, Adam Sealey's has a role in 'Woodsman' that is finally catching the eyes of those that matter in the world of film and is now hotly lauded to receive his long-awaited Oscar. Adam is sure he owes it all to his former mentor, Jonathan, a teacher at The Conservatoire, who lives and breathes 'the method' or method acting: where an actor uses their darkest secrets and traumas to tap into that depth of emotion for the role. But in the modern world were the understanding about the impact trauma can have on someone's mental health this controversial method is not looked upon as impressively as in the past.However, Jonathan has always been controversial and when Adam discovers that one of his current pupils has gone missing after suffering a mental breakdown, it brings back memories of a death from Adam's time at this unique theatre college.
The novel is told through Adam's eyes and whilst he's living a star like existence memories of his time at the Conservatoire heading his dreams and but by bit he reveals just what happened to create his most fearful memory.
This was an incredible read, on the one hand you have a Hollywood actor living the dream, and on the other you learn just what he's done to get there and it's not always very pretty..
Chris McDonald's writing draws you in until you feel you're there inside the novel living and breathing 'the method' alongside Adam.

A very intense book telling the story of Adam Sealy from drama student at the Conservatoire in London to Oscar nominated actor. Adam's method acting is extreme and the question has often been asked of how far he'd go for his craft. Unduly influenced by Conservatoire drama teacher, Jonathan Dors, who has just directed Adam in the film that has seen his Oscar nomination, there seem to be no lines Adam won't cross. Jonathan uses a traumatic event from student days to get the performance of a lifetime from the actor and it leaves him unable to sleep and obsessed with events of the past. An eye opener and utterly compelling read. #netgalley #TheActor

The Actor wasn’t quite the read I thought it was going to be, although there are a lot of positive reviews for this book it wasn’t really my cup of tea. The genre was sold to me as thriller but I think it’s more drama.
Adam Sealey is “the actor” all he wants is to win an Oscar and will try anything to get there. Adam studied at the prestigious Conservatoire an acting school that teaches “the method” where it gets actors to dig deep into their pasts and recall traumas to enable them to bring any role to life. But unfortunately Adam does have a secret from his time at Conservatoire and he has received a message that someone else knows and if the media get to know Adams life is going to change for the worse. The book is told in two timelines, the now and then when he was at The Conservatoire in 1990. This works well it’s just the pace of the book for me to far too slow and the chapters were far too long so you couldn’t dip in and out when you had a few moments spare. The book is narrated by Adam and for me that didn’t work as I thought he was an unlikeable character and I couldn’t gel with him. Others will love this but I’m more thriller and this wasn’t one.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

In a Nutshell: There’s a great story somewhere in here, but it is tough to locate the plot with all the flaws. This isn’t a thriller as advertised. Might work if you want a slow literary suspense.

Story Synopsis: (Too bored to write sensible sentences.)
Adam Sealey. Method actor. Obsessed with winning an Oscar. Blindly trusts controversial mentor Jonathan, who teaches him to tap into his greatest trauma, from back in drama school, to bring out the best performance of his career.
Someone accuses Jonathan of something. Investigations begin. Danger of Adam’s dark secret coming out. Will he get the Oscar? (For that’s all that matters, right?)
The story is written in Adam’s first person perspective.

What I thought this book would offer:
👉 A taut psychological thriller. (To all those who advertised it as a thriller: please DM me with YOUR definition of ‘thriller’.)
👉 A quick-paced storyline in keeping with the promise of a thriller.
👉 A lead character who is a method actor obsessed with winning the Oscar, and is ready to do anything for his craft.

What the book actually offered:
🚩 A detestable first-person narrator who is one of the most shallow and self-absorbed fictional characters I have ever read.
🚩 Mostly unlikeable characters (except for Nina) who generate no sympathy or understanding in our hearts.
🚩 A dragged pace that takes ages to move the plot ahead.
🚩 A back-and-forth storyline that shuffled between past and present with no indication of any timestamp and no chapter divisions as well; and
🚩 Pretentious writing that uses needlessly highbrow vocabulary (even when it doesn’t suit the characters.)

This was a slog-fest to read and generated a headache upon completion. The only reason I plodded through till the finish line instead of DNFing it is that I had already invested multiple days on this book and didn’t want those efforts to go to waste.
The only positive I can think of is the light it shines on the exploitation in method acting schools done in the name of training. I wish the current timeline had been scrapped and the book had focussed only on the acting school and the shenanigans within. It would have made for a far more compelling read.
Apologies to the team behind the book, but I cannot advocate this work in any way. If I were a better actor, I might have faked my way towards enthusiasm. But I am not as talented at acting as the lead character of the novel.
Please read other reviews before you take a final call. The book *might* work a tad better if read as a slowburn literary suspense than as a psychological thriller. Simply having some surprises and/or twists doesn’t make a book a thriller, and I wish it weren’t advertised as such.

1 star.

My thanks to Penguin Random House, Michael Joseph, and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Actor”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn’t work out better.

The Actor is an intense, pacy and incredibly engaging read. It is a psychological thriller that delves behind the glitz and glamour and delves into the murky territory of method acting.

This is not a book that tiptoes around. It is visceral and excruciating to read at times, with mounting pressure and moments of humiliation. Everything is a move in a twisted game of chess - to secure your legacy and leave your mark. It completely turns its head on the dazzling world of movie stardom to reveal a seedy story of secrets, lies and some truly sickening moments. It is a book that pulls no punches. However, it also delights in ambiguity and keeps you dangled on a hook. It is disorientating by design, placing you in as muddled a headspace as Adam’s at times. The line between reality and fantasy becomes blurry as time and space seem to overlap. You must question everything that is presented before you.

I have always loved films and find the psychology behind some acting methods absolutely fascinating. In truth, I think we are all enthralled by method acting and the tabloid pushing headlines that seem to emerge from it. There is a question of how far we should push to create art and to cement yourself as a star that will echo through the ages. That central question of immortality through legacy is used as a manipulative tool within the book and it leaves a grim taste in your mouth. Here, narratives are constantly being challenged and changed, leaving the truth in a different place at times. It makes for addictive reading, especially as awards season bursts into full bloom. Don’t be too dazzled by the lights though, this is very much a character driven and psychological story.

The Actor is a fascinating case study of a book - placing questions of legacy, the price of art and the depths to which trauma is exploited firmly in the spotlight.

The intense, self absorbed voice of narrator and his decriptions of his fellows, especially Jonathan (a true grotesque) held me for a long while .. despite tedium at times of sameness. Unaccountable attachments of people to each other on this fantasy world has always intrigued me (I'm nearby in my work world) so it is interesting seeing it play out here .. clearly something happened at their school together all those years ago that is working is easy to defeat them, even on cusp his winning an Oscar... the supporting role of his partner. Her jealousies and desires are subject to his wandering eye ..

This was a good read. An insight into the acting profession along with a bit of a crime / thriller twist.
Adam is on the verge of Oscar glory for the performance of a lifetime. However he is a method actor and has drawn a lot on his past experiences to take him to truly dark places. In the main he’s managed to keep the details of this past secret… but someone knows the truth and is trying to expose him, threatening the biggest prize of his life.
I enjoyed this, felt original to me, and a good mix of drama and whodunnit.

Sinister, disturbing and thrilling.

What really happens in Hollywood has been news since the dawn of time and this book gives a picture I would believe.

Method acting goes immersive experience in a book I couldn't put down.

Echoes of dark academia meet the glitz of Hollywood in a gripping and unsettling must-read! Utterly compelling, dark and addictive, I was sucked into the world of The Conservatoire and the trappings of getting what you want at whatever cost. The bright lights of Hollywood shine a little less dazzlingly after reading this devastating tale of obsession and the cost of achieving your dream.

The Actor by Chris MacDonald 4 stars

Ever wonder what happens in Drama School when rogue teachers take the Method to extremes with their students? Well this novel will enlighten you, probably have you muttering 'safeguarding, safeguarding' and 'how is he getting away with this?' And leave you feeling very unsettled.

As a drama teacher, I was keen to read this book since its subject matter is an obsessive belief in The Method and the extremes a student will go to when preparing for a role.

Here an invented (possibly familiar) drama school, nicknamed The Church, nurtures young actors in a bizarre manner which ultimately destroys many of them physically and mentally.
The guru, the Priestlike, Jonathan, has little regard for the mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of the students in his care, so driven is he by the desire to create the greatest actors in the world. Although our narrator, Adam, manages to achieve the desired outcome- an Oscar, as well as fame and fortune, his life is empty and he is haunted by one particular event that occurred when he was a student at The Church.

This is partly a crime story, partly a hero's journey, partly a love story and mostly an indictment of the power of an adherence to one particular and dangerous methodology.

In spite of grammatical errors ( I find these very intrusive) and some clumsy phraseology and descriptions, this is a compelling story. Even though there is a lack of a sympathetic character and Adam is a rather detached anti hero, there is plenty to encourage the reader to continue reading.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this fascinating book.

I was drawn to The Actor by the synopsis, which sounded intriguing, and some positive reviews on Twitter. It's a very slow paced and intense psychological drama with characters that I found difficult to warm to. The writing didn't flow for me and so it wasn't a novel I could immerse myself in. There are many positive reviews for this novel so please read them too.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/.5
It took me a while to get into this book but then I couldn’t put it down! The story is quite dark and Adam Sealey is an intense character. At college, he becomes obsessed with one of his teachers, another intense character, that pushes his students to see how far they’ll go for the cause. It felt more like a cult than a drama school, with Adam becoming obsessed with the leader, this didn’t really leave him throughout life. Adam’s sole intentions were to be liked and chosen by his idol teacher, and to become a great actor. There are parallels between one of his fellow students dying by hanging at college, and having to act out a hanging in the best movie of his career. With lots of twists throughout the book, it was definitely a page turner with a sinister undertone..
Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy.

Despite the hype, this book was not for me. The main characters are not likeable, but completely self- absorbed and pretentious, and I feel the author has been more than a little self- indulgent with the language in which he chooses to write this work. The narrative moves at a glacial pace, beyond slow- burn, and I could not sustain my interest sufficiently to continue reading. I really did not care where the story was going, or how the characters fared. This was a DNF for me, I’m sorry to say.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

An intense book that reminded me of Black Swan. Little bit too much of a slow burner for me.

3.5 stars from me. This journey into the actors' method and psyche that fuels that drive wasn't quite as I expected. The cult like devotion and focus was intense but lacked real punch, in my view. I'm not certain why I thought this was a thriller but it wasn't. The moments that may have been geared to shock felt a bit flat. It was quiet and thoughtful, actually ending at a level better than I anticipated, though not quite my cup of tea. Having no real investment in these shallow characters throughout, I was surprised by my reaction to the end, which felt like a worthwhile redemption.

I found this book quite slow going when I usually enjoy faster paced books but the premise was promising. It took a few attempts of reading other books first but I did get through it and overall it was ok. I was just expecting a faster paced story to keep me engaged. (sorry!)

This book is like a cross between Donna Tartt’s "The Secret History'' and the 2014 film Whiplash. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a book since I read R.F Kuang’s Yellowface. In fact, it had me up and reading before starting work in the morning!

The story has a dual narrative following the life and career of successful actor Adam Sealey. Present day sees him wrapping up an emotionally challenging film under the tutorship of his former drama school teacher. The past narrative details some of Adam's early life, his experience at a renowned drama school, and how his teacher's intense style shaped him and his acting style.

This isn't just a book about method acting or the actions of a rogue teacher. There is a huge "whodunnit" element which will appeal to crime novel fans. It touches on several interesting topics: the nature of fame and success, the student/teacher dynamic, attitudes toward acting as an art form and viable career, and how much we allow comfort and happiness to distract us from career goals. I also enjoyed the trope of unlikable characters that you end up rooting for. With thanks to Penguin Random House and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘To Achieve Greatness, He Must Sacrifice Everything’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to Michael Joseph Penguin Random House U.K. for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Actor’ by Chris MacDonald.

British actor Adam Sealey has secured a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his edgy performance in ‘The Woodsman’, a film directed by his controversial former mentor, Jonathan Dors. Adam had studied ‘the method’ at The Conservatoire, a prestigious U.K. drama school that encouraged its students to dig into their darkest, most personal traumas in order to bring a role to life.

Adam has a dark secret dating back to his time at The Conservatoire. He receives a message that indicates that someone knows. If they reveal it to the media, everything that Adam has worked for will come crashing down.

The novel moves between two timelines: Adam’s present day and his time at The Conservatoire in the mid-1990s. The author plays his cards close to his chest with respect to Adam’s past.

It’s hard to categorise ‘The Actor’ as it’s not a traditional thriller. I consider it more a psychological suspense with a perceptive peek behind the scenes of the acting profession from theatrical training to the glamour of Hollywood.

Chris MacDonald is himself an actor and has written that his novel was inspired by his experiences at a prestigious drama school. This insider knowledge is apparent throughout the novel.

While I didn’t find Adam a particularly sympathetic lead character, his journey through the hyper-competitive world of film production was certainly fascinating.

Overall, I found ‘The Actor’ a compelling drama that held my attention throughout.