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annettenis 's review for:
The Wardrobe Department
by Elaine Garvey
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.