Today it is my pleasure to bring you my review of Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons by Patsy Trench on day one of her fabulous blog tour!
London, 1905. A show. A stuttering romance. Two squabbling actresses.
Is it Shakespeare? Is it Vaudeville?
Not quite. It is Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons, a satirical play about suffragettes which its creators – friends and would-be lovers Robbie Robinson and Violet Graham – are preparing to mount in London’s West End.
It is the play rival actresses Merry and Gaye would kill to be in, if only they hadn’t insulted the producer all those years ago.
For Robbie and Violet however the road to West End glory is not smooth. There are backers to be appeased, actors to be tamed and a theatre to be found; and in the midst of it all a budding romance that risks being undermined by professional differences.
Never mix business with pleasure?
Maybe, maybe not.
Robbie Robinson is finally bringing his play, Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons to the West End, and he knows just who should produce it; Violet Graham. Despite her lack of experience, and probably because of his feelings for her, he know she is the woman to bring his play to fruition in Edwardian London. With actresses vying for the role, despite their insulting behaviour to Violet in a past life, this is a play with plenty going on back stage!
It is clear that Patsy Trench has previously worked in theatre, and she brings that knowledge so eloquently to this novel. From the casting, to the financing, to the finalising of scripts, she really seems to know about all aspects of producing a play and it really comes across within the novel. Its not all technical though, the characters are well-rounded and believable. You can imagine the upset felt by rival actresses Merry and Gaye when they discover that Violet, a woman they were once so insulting to when she was but a junior member of staff, is now in charge of a play that they both both so desperately want to lead!
This is a novel full of great characters, set in the bitchy world of theatre in Edwardian London with a budding romance thrown in for good measure – it is light and fun; a very enjoyable read that I am happy to recommend!
Thank you to Patsy Trench and Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to be a part of this fabulous blog tour, and for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
Purchase Link
Author Bio
Patsy Trench has spent her life working in the theatre. She was an actress for twenty years in theatre and television in the UK and Australia. She has written scripts for stage and (TV) screen and co-founded The Children’s Musical Theatre of London, creating original musicals with primary school children. She is the author of three non fiction books about colonial Australia based on her own family history and four novels about women breaking the mould in times past. Mrs Morphett’s Macaroons is book four in her ‘Modern Women: Entertaining Edwardians’ series and is set in the world she knows and loves best. When she is not writing books she teaches theatre part-time and organises theatre trips for overseas students.
She lives in London. She has two children and so far one grandson.
Social Media Links
Chapter and Cake 