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A review by chrysemys
The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton
3.0
Reality merges into imagination and stage drama in this high-concept novel. The book partially collapses under the weight of its own pretentiousness, its flowery language and philosophical introspection. But redeeming the book somewhat are:
a) Catton's depictions of the sociology of adolescent girls. To be fair, I didn't move in those kind of circles as a teenager so I never experienced most of the pressures involved in popular-girl-cliques. But it rang quite true nonetheless
b) a (presumably) satirical view of a drama school. Just how satirical I couldn't say
c) many of the characters are highly entertaining, especially the music teacher, and the author writes them engaged in a type of radical honesty (at least in their own imaginations) that makes me smile.
a) Catton's depictions of the sociology of adolescent girls. To be fair, I didn't move in those kind of circles as a teenager so I never experienced most of the pressures involved in popular-girl-cliques. But it rang quite true nonetheless
b) a (presumably) satirical view of a drama school. Just how satirical I couldn't say
c) many of the characters are highly entertaining, especially the music teacher, and the author writes them engaged in a type of radical honesty (at least in their own imaginations) that makes me smile.