LoveReading Says
'The Woman of Stencils' is the title of the tenth story in Marianne Price's book of 22 short stories. As a West End actor and singer brought up in North London, the author draws on her very varied life experiences as well as her prolific imagination to enrich her writing of these exceptionally wry and moving tales.
The common theme to all is that of loss, or perceived loss, of something or someone, and the very profound and lasting effect that can have. A few of the stories, such as 'Remember, Remember' and 'The All Too Perfect Teddy Bear' deal with the loss of a child in a very dark and ghostly way, so that they read like horror stories, guaranteed to have the hairs on the back of the reader's head up on end. Far more laid back are the stories dealing with the fragility of romantic attachments, whilst the saddest and most poignant are those dealing with lost youth and time. All the stories have a surrealism about them, are thought provoking and compelling.
Perhaps the most memorable in the collection are the stories with a theatrical backdrop, where the characters and scene setting are particularly realistic and well drawn, since performing has been the natural environment of the author for so much of her life but every story will resonate with and be appreciated by the reader. We look forward to more soon.
Drena Irish, A LoveReading Ambassador
LoveReading Ambassador
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The Woman of Stencils and other stories Synopsis
This is a collection of twenty-two finely crafted short stories which range from working-class life in North London seen through the eyes of a child, to the backstage world of West-End theatre and the islands of Kalymnos, Sardinia and Tobago. Some are humorous, others poignant, a few quite dark but all thought provoking and totally compelling.
These stories include ? a woman driven to sow discord, a discovery too late for an elderly man, the oldest boy dancer in the West End, an opera singer suffering low self-esteem and a young man coming to terms with his life following an accident.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9798694795692 |
| Publication date: |
10th October 2020 |
| Author: |
Marianne Price |
| Publisher: |
Independently published |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Primary Genre |
Indie Author Books
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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About Marianne Price
Marianne Price has been a singer and actress for more than fifty years and has worked in cabaret, television, West End musical theatre, tours, repertory theatre, radio and film. She is also a highly sort after public and after dinner speaker.
Marianne comes from Tottenham, North London where at the age of fifteen she started out singing in the working men’s clubs and pubs in the area and also in the East End. She went on to perform leading roles in various musicals as a member of Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop at the Theatre Royal Stratford East and as a solo singer in the theatre’s Sunday Cabaret nights. She also was a performer in a Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium. In musical theatre in the West End Marianne played roles in many well-known shows, including “The Rocky Horror Show”, “Evita” and “Little Me”. Notably are playing Sheila in “Hair” at the Shaftesbury Theatre, “Jeannie in the revival of “Hair” at Her Majesty’s Theatre, taking over the role of Rita from Elaine Paige in “Billy” opposite Michael Crawford at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane and performing the role of Sandy in the original London production of “Grease” at the New London Theatre opposite Richard Gere.
Over twenty-five years ago when living in an old house overlooking the sea in Suffolk, she started writing short stories and also poetry. She has won poetry competitions and her work has also been published.
Her collection of short stories 'The Woman of Stencils and other stories' was published in October 2020 and was one of only three literary fiction books featured for that month on top UK book review website LoveReading. Her first novel 'Rylands' was published in August 2022.
Marianne now lives in Southport on the coast in the North West of England with her husband.
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