A review by sarahmatthews
At Freddie's by Penelope Fitzgerald

lighthearted reflective medium-paced

At Freddie’s by Penelope Fitzgerald

Read as e-book using a mix of Braille and TTS

Pub. 1982, 160pp

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Penelope Fitzgerald wrote the introduction to my first #NovNov23 (Novellas in November) read, A Month in the Country by J L Carr, so I figured I’d lean into the connection and read At Freddie’s, her 1982 book.

This is the story of a chaotic stage school in central London and the many children who pass through it in search of a life on the stage.

Run by Freddie, a well known and loved personality in the theatre world, it’s a ramshackle place which is always under threat of closure but always manages to pull through, mainly by the charity of those in the business who adore her. This ongoing struggle is a big theme in the book along with the relationship between two teachers, Hannah and Pierce, neither of whom knew what they were taking on when they said yes to their jobs. They can’t help spending a lot of time together, resulting in a difficult relationship and at one point Hannah decides they must talk it over:

“Lyons teashops might almost have been particularly designed for the resolution of such awkward situations…In a Lyons, as Hannah had reflected, the limits of communication had to be reached by seven o’clock, while at the same tine it was necessary to share a table or at all events to sit very close to other customers, so that although everyone restricted their elbows, their bodies and their newspapers and by a long established convention showed no signs of understanding what they overheard, they provided all the same a certain check on human intimacy.”

And I particularly like this description of the legendary Freddie ‘here she occupied an entire corner, commanding her territory, a hugely moulting royal raven sprinkled with gems”

If you love the theatre or were a theatre kid this will be a great read but equally, like me, if you know very little but enjoy beautiful writing and great characters this won’t disappoint!