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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Thank you NetGalley and Canongate for this eCopy to review
Mairéad works tirelessly in the wardrobe department of a run-down West End theatre in London. Her days are filled with mending shoes, fixing zips, and handwashing underwear. Despite her skill and growing experience, she feels stuck between her demanding job and the life she left behind in Ireland. As she navigates the challenges of backstage life, including avoiding inappropriate behaviour from colleagues and dealing with a bullying producer, Mairéad struggles to find her true identity and the courage to change her present circumstances. The story beautifully captures her journey of self-discovery and the tension between her past and present.
The Wardrobe Department is a poignant and beautifully written novel that delves into the complexities of Mairéad's life. Elaine Garvey's prose is both sharp and tender, capturing the emotional struggles of a young woman caught between two worlds. The depiction of the theatre world is vivid and authentic, adding depth to the narrative.
A heartfelt story and insightful character development.
Mairéad works tirelessly in the wardrobe department of a run-down West End theatre in London. Her days are filled with mending shoes, fixing zips, and handwashing underwear. Despite her skill and growing experience, she feels stuck between her demanding job and the life she left behind in Ireland. As she navigates the challenges of backstage life, including avoiding inappropriate behaviour from colleagues and dealing with a bullying producer, Mairéad struggles to find her true identity and the courage to change her present circumstances. The story beautifully captures her journey of self-discovery and the tension between her past and present.
The Wardrobe Department is a poignant and beautifully written novel that delves into the complexities of Mairéad's life. Elaine Garvey's prose is both sharp and tender, capturing the emotional struggles of a young woman caught between two worlds. The depiction of the theatre world is vivid and authentic, adding depth to the narrative.
A heartfelt story and insightful character development.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Garvey takes us back to 2002 through the eyes of Mairéad, a young Irish woman working as a Costume Department assistant at the fictional St. Leonard theatre in London’s West End. “The Wardrobe Department” is a rich and engaging character study.
Working in the cramped confines of the theatre currently showcasing Chekhov's “Uncle Vanya” , Mairéad struggles to navigate the patronising and predatory attitudes of the cast and crew while also dealing with Oliver, the theatre’s despotic producer.
Feeling out of place, Mairéad perceives a sharp divide between herself and her colleagues. Her contact with family back in Ireland is infrequent, and she consistently tries to brush off her mother’s attempts to reach her. It’s apparent that she came to London to escape something from her past and to seek renewal, yet her loneliness has left her feeling stagnant. Throughout her experience, she often quotes Uncle Vanya, highlighting the parallels to her situation“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧? 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘢, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸.”It’s a brilliant choice by Garvey to feature a Chekhov play in Mairéad’s theatre. Additionally, she is reading Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway”, further reflecting her struggle with identity and belonging. I particularly enjoyed how Garvey uses these intertextual elements to reflect Mairéad's journey and the dynamics of her working life.
She wants to go back to college to study costume design, but her aspirations are quickly undermined by the wardrobe mistress, who questions her intentions: “𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘰? 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦? 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘣.”
Despite her desire to move forward, the past clings to her, as distant voices of criticism and doubt echo in her mind, intensifying her fears and insecurities.
I enjoyed following Mairéad in and out of her theatre working life, loved reading about her navigations around London, exploring locations like the Wallace Collection, Soho, Bond Street, Oxford Street, and Piccadilly. Even her flat in the outskirts of London – Kingsbury, in Brent, is vividly depicted, bringing the city and her experiences to life.
In the first week of following Mairéad - the story spans from March 28 to April 8 - she is called back to Ireland for her grandmother's funeral. This trip serves as a catalyst for Mairéad to confront her past, where she encounters her contentious parents and we learn of a painful history of abuse that anyone in their right mind would want to escape.
Mairéad is a complex and believable character, and I found her story quite compelling. Garvey has infused each character with rich nuance, bringing them to life. Margaret, the costume department manager, is also a standout character, providing a comforting presence throughout the story.
We start the novel with Uncle Vanya - “𝘐 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘰𝘯𝘺𝘢’𝘴 ‘𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵’ 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢’𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦”– and cleverly move towards Noel Coward’s ‘Present Laughter’, this shift not only highlights Mairéad’s evolving relationship with theatre but also serves as a commentary on the self-absorbed nature of the actors and producers she encounters. Bravo Elain Garvey! Exquisetely done! #pudseyrecommends
Thanks to Canongate Books and Netgalley for the advance review copy.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As an Am Dram luvie , I was drawn to this book by its setting in the wardrobe department for London Theatre . The story follows a young Irish girl Mairead who escapes a suffocating family situation to move to London and take up a job working in the wardrobe department of a theatre.
The story follows her day-to-day life in this job and the characters that she meets along the way including spoiled male leads and spiteful department heads. This is not an easy job by any means and she really struggles.
I love the description of the job itself making replacement gloves for example by hand and sourcing seemed stockings from sex shops in Soho
There is a “me too “ element at the end which is shocking but I really loved the absolute end of the novel it was perfect
The author has a clear flowing writing style. The book was an enjoyable read and I found it difficult to put down reading it in one session.
I’d recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a primarily character driven novel with a unique setting of a London Theatre backstage
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book was published on the 13th of February 2025 by Canongate
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.wordpress.com.
It will also appear on Amazon UK
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story follows Mairéad, a young Irish girl working in the wardrobe department of a run-down West End theatre.
This is not at all a plot driven book, but it is a such a warm, quiet, moving slice of life. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got into it, it was really easy to get through and to enjoy. I definitely enjoyed the second half a lot more, as it felt like it was all coming together and making more sense. It wasn't anything exceptional, but there are so many bits and pieces of this that stopped me in my tracks and left me to ponder about life. It has a lot of heart, and, to me, it makes up for what it lacks. I did feel like some of the characters were just a bunch of stereotypes glued together, but it wasn't that much of a bother in the general context of the story. Overall, it definitely was a great, interesting read.
Many thanks to Canongate Books & NetGalley for the eARC.
This is not at all a plot driven book, but it is a such a warm, quiet, moving slice of life. It was a bit of a slow start for me, but once I got into it, it was really easy to get through and to enjoy. I definitely enjoyed the second half a lot more, as it felt like it was all coming together and making more sense. It wasn't anything exceptional, but there are so many bits and pieces of this that stopped me in my tracks and left me to ponder about life. It has a lot of heart, and, to me, it makes up for what it lacks. I did feel like some of the characters were just a bunch of stereotypes glued together, but it wasn't that much of a bother in the general context of the story. Overall, it definitely was a great, interesting read.
Many thanks to Canongate Books & NetGalley for the eARC.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Wardrobe Department by Elaine Garvey is a character driven novel where each of the two main locations, London and the rural West of Ireland almost feel like characters in their own right. The deceptively simple story of Mairead, a young woman who has moved to London where she is working in the wardrobe department of a run down West End theatre drew me in because she felt like a living breathing person who sprang to life from the page. I could feel her struggle, the pull of a future in the city and a career in the theatre , the push of a difficult family background back home in Ireland but also the pull of home and family and familiarity against the push of the bullying producer meant that there was no easy decision for her, no route mapped out. I think that is a situation that will resonate with many readers, especially those who have been forced to leave home for economic reasons, an all too unfortunately frequent occurrence in the times we live in. The writing flows and feels very natural, from descriptions to dialogue there is almost a musicality at times that I found very pleasing. This feels like a book that will stay with me, one that I will think about and reach for again and I really hope that it finds its audience.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.