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A review by abookaddictsbookshelves
The Empire by Michael Ball
3.0
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Books UK and NetGalley*
The Empire Theatre is owned by the recently widowed Lady Lassiter. Leaving for America to mourn, the running of the theatre is left to the staff, some of whom do not wish to see the theatre do well. There are even people in the town that plot to take the Empire for themselves.
When Jack Treadwell turns up at the Empire following the suggestion of his deceased mother, he finds himself flung into a new and exciting life working at the theatre.
At the Empire, Jack makes friendships and works to save the theatre. All the while, secrets and plotting threaten to ruin everything the staff are working for.
As a fan of the author, I was intrigued to see what their debut novel would be like and it did end up surprising me.
There were a lot of characters introduced at once, which I did find a little confusing. Jack Treadwell was possibly the character that had the most runtime so to speak. He was a war veteran who had recently returned back to the UK after being in France. I liked his relationships with the other characters.
Whilst I didn't particularly have a favourite character, I did like that there was a variety of different characters with different backgrounds and motives. However, some of them did seem a bit two dimensional.
One of my favourite dynamics in the book ended up being between Joe and Agnes, which I hadn't expected at the beginning.
The setting of the 1920s was interesting, and the time period affected the story line.
The plot was enjoyable and held my attention throughout. There were several events that surprised me, and more layers to the novel than I expected. However, I was never gripped or sucked into the plot.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
The Empire Theatre is owned by the recently widowed Lady Lassiter. Leaving for America to mourn, the running of the theatre is left to the staff, some of whom do not wish to see the theatre do well. There are even people in the town that plot to take the Empire for themselves.
When Jack Treadwell turns up at the Empire following the suggestion of his deceased mother, he finds himself flung into a new and exciting life working at the theatre.
At the Empire, Jack makes friendships and works to save the theatre. All the while, secrets and plotting threaten to ruin everything the staff are working for.
As a fan of the author, I was intrigued to see what their debut novel would be like and it did end up surprising me.
There were a lot of characters introduced at once, which I did find a little confusing. Jack Treadwell was possibly the character that had the most runtime so to speak. He was a war veteran who had recently returned back to the UK after being in France. I liked his relationships with the other characters.
Whilst I didn't particularly have a favourite character, I did like that there was a variety of different characters with different backgrounds and motives. However, some of them did seem a bit two dimensional.
One of my favourite dynamics in the book ended up being between Joe and Agnes, which I hadn't expected at the beginning.
The setting of the 1920s was interesting, and the time period affected the story line.
The plot was enjoyable and held my attention throughout. There were several events that surprised me, and more layers to the novel than I expected. However, I was never gripped or sucked into the plot.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.