A Theatre for Dreamers

When this book first appeared accompanied by a string of glowing reviews I felt compelled to read it particularly as I have visited Hydra a number of times and am a lifelong fan of the words and music of Leonard Cohen.Unfortunately I found the book to be very disappointing falling far short of the original hype.The style of writing is rather limp and vacuous.The narrative is provided by the main character Erica,a young visitor to the island.Much of it is like diary entries dealing with trivial and banal events.But nothing really happens and the story is just a litany of parties,meals,outings and vague insubstantial talk about writing.I suppose the book is about dreamers so it would be wrong to expect too much.I struggled through to the end of the book and came to the conclusion that the minor scene on Hydra during the early sixties didn’t really lend itself to a significant story.But for Cohen it would have passed unnoticed as probably this book would also have done had his name not been used as a hook in the publicity blurb.In the book Cohen’s golden voice seems strangely muted given that he was the person solely responsible for the Hydra myth.I believe that this book was mainly based on archive material and to me it did feel rather cut and paste never really coming together to create a substantial and absorbing story.

So disappointed by this. Disliked the characters, especially Charmian Only the protagonist, Erica held my interest at all. The insertion of Cohen lyrics into the narrative was irritating: ‘The cup she gave me was all caked and cracked around the rim.’ In fact the whole novel might have worked better without Leonard or Marianne. Cohen is painted in a tentative manner while Marianne is revered. Some passages felt like little more than descriptions of photographs from the Songs of Leonard Cohen book. Frankly astonished by the praise and effusive reviews of this book.

In Theatre for Dreamers, Polly Samson introduces the main character as Erica, a young girl grieving for her mother who escapes to Greece with her brother and boyfriend after a book arrives from an old friend, however, we actually see and hear very little from her. Erica’s character was a device for other characters to project on to, and this would have been interesting to read if any of the characters had been fully developed. Reading A Theatre for Dreamers was like meandering through a patchwork of confusing events and rambling conversations that lacked context and structure.I was sucked in by the picture of Greece Samson depicted and the promise of seeing Erica evolve. But rather than a plot emerging, the narrative was built on trivial galavanting and picturesque picnics bombarded by insignificant characters and random events which made the book feel like it had no real substance. I found it hard to be invested in any of the characters. Their relationships were chaotic, selfish and most importantly unbelievable - playing to every gendered stereotype they could in overused and cliched ways. I wanted to like this book and the reviews made me excited to read it, but I couldn’t force myself to finish it.Ultimately, the book and Erica’s character are a vehicle for Samson to talk about Leonard Cohen and his relationship with Marianne Ihlen from an observer perspective, yet the narrative felt stunted by her efforts to do this. For me, the moments of good writing were continually overshadowed and made the book inaccessible and forced for someone who might not know a lot about Cohen. Maybe, if I knew or cared more about Cohen’s history I would have enjoyed the book.

I adore Greece and its islands. I also developed a huge respect for Leonard Cohen and an interest in his time on Hydra and relationship with Marianne. This along with being a huge Pink Floyd fan (Polly Samson is married to David Gilmour and has contributed lyrics to much of his work over the last 30 years), meant it was inevitable I would read this novel. It did not disappoint. She captures a time and place beautifully. The weaving of real characters with fictional ones is seamless. Occasional descriptive flourishes take the breath away, nailing aspects of the Greece I love. This book is unique, warm, fascinating and ultimately sad. The added bonus for me was that my Amazon copy came signed by the author! Recommended.

You know you are in for a literary etymological treat when you savour the delicious treat of opening one of Polly Samson's novels. Her lyrical way with words and the emotions and experiences she can convey are completely unique and a rare gift. I have revelled in reading this novel, the characters are so clear that, to steal Polly's imagery, they 'shine up at you like jewels through the water' (page 110) There are moments when Polly creates the world so vividly that you feel you are there too, eating, drinking and smelling the sights. This book is a heady summer dream, cleverly constructed with perceptive insights and longed for past times. I loved it so much that I immediately downloaded the audiobook after reading the novel too, a rare treat to have it read by the author and her vision is audible. Lamenting the loss of my Greek holiday this year has been made easier with this beautiful book and magical words. A must read for all literary lovers, dreamers and creatives.