If you are a fan of O’Connor , here is a reimagined version of great writers interacting, ribbing each other through word and actions . It is a historical novel that plays with the what ifs of lives larger than the word. It is lyrical and true to the language of the day.

Beautifully written, atmospheric novelization of the life of Bram Stoker. Any poetic license taken with timing of events is overpowered by the historical accuracy of the relationships and social climate. Thoroughly engaging read, enhanced by gorgeous language.

I had problems getting in to this book and did not finish it. Sorry, but thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

Seems I’m zero-for-two in the last several weeks. Books that I thought were going to be page turners turned out to be total duds. First, Kate Morton’s “The Clockmaker’s Daughter,” then this one.

Have you ever not given up on a book because you are positive it’s going to get better? I’ve done this on several occasions, but I must admit that I was too pig-headed to give up on this one. Turns out, after I turned the last page, I could not tell anyone what this book was about. Oh, there were glimpses of that “it’s gonna turn around here,” but they never came to fruition. Basically the best I can do it a say it is an epistolary novel involving real-life theater folk and literary figures.

Now if I was in y’all’s shoes, I’d be headed to Amazon to read the synopsis, so I’ll save y’all the trouble:

“…set during the golden age of West End theater in a London shaken by the crimes of Jack the Ripper.
Henry Irving is Victorian London’s most celebrated actor and theater impresario. He has introduced groundbreaking ideas to the theater, bringing to the stage performances that are spectacular, shocking, and always entertaining. When Irving decides to open his own London theater with the goal of making it the greatest playhouse on earth, he hires a young Dublin clerk harboring literary ambitions by the name of Bram Stoker to manage it. As Irving’s theater grows in reputation and financial solvency, he lures to his company of mummers the century’s most beloved actress, the dazzlingly talented leading lady Ellen Terry, who nightly casts a spell not only on her audiences but also on Stoker and Irving both.

Bram Stoker’s extraordinary experiences at the Lyceum Theatre, his early morning walks on the streets of a London terrorized by a serial killer, his long, tempestuous relationship with Irving, and the closeness he finds with Ellen Terry, inspire him to write DRACULA, the most iconic and best-selling supernatural tale ever published.

A magnificent portrait both of lamp-lit London and of lives and loves enacted on the stage, Shadowplay’s rich prose, incomparable storytelling, and vivid characters will linger in readers’ hearts and minds for many years.”
“Shadowplay” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Europa Editions!***

Through this entire book I got the feeling that I should be liking it more than I actually did. I felt like I should have been more motivated to read it than I was. I put the book down and it seemed to leave my thoughts. Often, I wouldn’t remember to pick it back up for days at a time. Then when I would pick it back up I felt no excitement for it, but found the story enjoyable.

So, in the end, I decide that I liked this book but it was forgettable. I loved the characters of Bram Stoker and Henry Irving. The two of them together were utterly delightful. Their banter was my absolute favorite part of this book. I could have read an entire of the exchanges between the two of these men.

I also loved the progression of Bram’s character. He starts out as the unwilling manager of a mismanaged theater who occasionally writes and turns into a passionate writer who has a family to support. I appreciate it when characters have a logical progression in a story and this one did. It also seemed fitting that the style of the novel was structured like a play. It was one of those things that didn’t distract from the story but I could nod to the author and think “I see what you did there. Nicely done.”

The biggest flaw this book had was the minutiae. There was just so many words. We did not need an entire 40 pages of Bram’s diary entries. We did not need a whole chapter on the accounting that goes into running a large theater. We got more than 100 pages in before they even had a play at the theater! I struggled to get to the good parts because there was just so much extra crap that did not need to be there.

The premise of yours book was really intriguing but unfortunately the execution wasn't to my taste. I found it a little overwritten.

I love good historical fiction and Shadowplay was such fun!

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

#Joseph O’Connor is an Irish novelist shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize 2020,Dalkey Literary Awards 2020 and also the Costa Novel Award.This will be a fascinating book for Dracula fans with all the Easter
eggs through out.And it’s interesting for historical fans with that addition of love.What a fun read.
Thank you,
#Netgalley,#Joseph O’Connor and #Europa Editions

A good book. I thought I was going to like it more. It was more about bram stoker and the theater owner. Not a nice man at all. It is set during to the time Bram wrote Dracula. Not the orginal name. But really it's more of a one man view (bram) about the strange walks he takes and how he likes to be alone and how much of an a** the owner of the theater is. This story dragged to me. If you area real theater buff you might like this book.

What a wonderful piece of historical fiction! The story of Bram Stoker during his years as manager of London's Lyceum Theatre is dripping in atmosphere and mood. The scene descriptions would make Dracula himself feel right at home.
The writing is superb and drops the reader right into Victorian London with all its soot, damp and danger.

There was so much I didn't know about Stoker; I didn't realize his most famous creation didn't make him famous until after his death and I didn't know that his life revolved around the theatre and not as a writer. It's also interesting to note that his immersion in the theatre world during the time of Jack the Ripper might have easily influenced the type of stories he wrote.

I definitely want to read more about Stoker and his two companions, actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry. Really interesting!

Shadowplay written by Joseph O'Connor has an interesting premise. I like the format but ultimately found this book was not quite for me.

The most authentically classic-sounding novel written in modern-day that I’ve ever read, "Shadowplay" is an immersive experience for those fascinated with Bram Stoker and the historical context surrounding "Dracula."

Written as if a series of letters, incomplete stories, journal entries, and transcripts, "Shadowplay" brings readers to the Lyceum Theatre at a time when Jack the Ripper roams the streets and the three lives of Ellen Terry, Bram Stoker, and Henry Irving converge to change each other forever.

Although the story centers around Stoker and is supposedly written by his hand, the focus is more on delving into the time period during which he lived and wrote, and his insights into the lives of Terry and (especially) Irving while several other famous names, such as Oscar Wilde, make occasional appearances. To add further drama, this historical fiction admits to taking quite a few liberties and is spiced up by some supernatural elements. 

The greatest strength of this story is assuredly the totalness in which it takes you to Victorian-era London, so much so that it truly feels as is Joseph O’Connor is barely a player in the writing of this tale at all and Stoker is the true hand of the writing. The trade-off, however, is that as much as the story immersed me in the time period, it did not immerse me in the story itself. 

Lacking a definitive plot, and rather meandering through Stoker’s life, the book takes on a long period of time and doesn’t always mark its passing adequately. The mix of formats and perspectives, although admittedly incredibly interesting, would switch too often without notice, causing a jarring reading experience. As soon as I became comfortable with one section it would move to the next, usually with a different setting and POV (switching between first, third, and play-like dialogue snippets even within a single chapter), and it would take some time to establish what exactly was happening and who was speaking. And perhaps because of this distraction, it was difficult to feel connected to the characters, who are also somewhat held at arm’s length due to the style. 

However, all of this can be said to be for the ‘greater good’ of keeping up the authentic tone of the book. A compromise that may be worth nailing the overall feeling, in some reader’s opinions. 

But as the story went on, some of the sections became more and more difficult to attribute to Stoker’s hand, and, by the end, I questioned whether segments really made sense in the original scope of the story. The supernatural elements, in particular, although they added interest and drama to the story, were difficult to digest when considered within the premise and it was difficult to discern what to make of them (are they real, Stoker's stories, an element of magical realism?). The ending was also a bit odd when considered as being a part of Stoker’s works, and went on for too long.

All of this may have been palatable, however, if the story weren’t so rife with incomplete sentences and fragments. Although a style often synonymous with classic novels, it’s the cherry on top of this story’s being difficult to engage with. If you’re not completely and totally invested, paying attention to every sentence, it becomes easy to get lost in the monotonous choppiness of the writing style and miss what’s going on, especially considering that the drama here is a quiet kind (despite the fact it features ghosts, vampires, and the most notorious serial killer of all time).

Highly recommended for those who are used to (and enjoy) reading classics. Likewise, fans of Stoker who are fascinated with learning about him further will want to pick this up, although they’ll want to take the historical context with a grain of salt and not take the facts and timelines too seriously. 

I rated "Shadowplay" 3 out of 5 stars. An interesting and immersive style, but without enough intriguing parts in the plot itself to interest a wide variety of readers. 

Thank you to Harvill Secker and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Shadowplay, by Joseph O'Connor, is a novel I won't soon forget. I read the book courtesy of NetGalley and Vintage Books, in exchange for an objective review. I am forever grateful. If i could give this book 10 stars I would.

Set in Victorian England, Shadowplay is a thoroughly entertaining story of friendship and love; a painfully moving look at sexuality, loss, loyalty and passion. It is filled with ghosts and monsters, both real and imagined. At its heart is a complex love story between four legends – the author Bram Stoker, the acclaimed actress Ellen Terry and the equally acclaimed actor Henry Irving. The fourth character, also legendary, is not a person at all but a theater – The Lyceum – which served as home for Irving's theater from 187i to 1902, managed by Stoker and featuring Irving and Terry in Shakespeare's great plays. This is not a supporting role as the theater (the building and the art) is an essential to the telling of the story, The setting allows O'Connor to explore serious questions of the duality of who we are and how we allow others to perceive us; the complexities of love that stands dangerously outside social convention, the restlessness of creativity, and the triumphs and tragedies on stage and in life 

Woven throughout the story is the writing of Stoker's masterpiece, Dracula, or The Undead. The book, a failure when it was published, is now considered a masterpiece of gothic horror. One of the joys of the book is how O'Connor weaves Dracula's story, characters and settings into Shadowplay's narrative.

Plot aside, the joys of reading Shadowplay is in the writing. It is exquisite, every sentence a thrill to read. It vividly captures both the lavish extravagance and elegance of society and the grimy decadence and desperation of Ripper-ravaged London. One of the true tests of great writing is reading it aloud. The prose is a celebration of the true power and beauty of words. Such vivid description of the world of the book. Do yourself a favor, read this book if you already haven't. Highly recommended.

A few years ago, I read Dracula for the first time. I know the story but wanted to read the actual book from Bram Stoker. Shadowplay by Joseph O'Connor is a fictionalized look at Stoker's life and it did NOT disappoint.

Hints at a love triangle, ghosts, cold streets full of mist....you can see where the inspiration came from. Full of diary entries, letter and other communication -much like Dracula itself - O'Connor did an excellent job as building the world where Dracula was born.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Painfully overwritten and belabored. The premise of a draft/collection of notes gives license to a scattered conglomerate of fragments, voices, and scenes. The attempt to mimic Stoker’s writing style fall flat, as it captures none of the sensuous lyricism that makes Dracula the classic that it is. I wanted this one to be good. Alas, it is not.

I wanted to like this one, but it fell short for me. The writing was ok, the concept was ok, but for some reason I couldn't get into the details of the story. I liked the imagery and descriptions of the locations, but the character dialogue seemed....forced? I don't know. There was a lot of jumping around and telling the story with different documents, and I think it took away from the tale it was there to tell. Truthfully, when I finished this I still struggled to put my finger on quite what it was that didn't hit the spot.

Note: I received an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Shadowplay is a historical fiction novel set in Victorian London. It follows the lives of Henry Irving, Bram Stoker, and Ellen Terry and their involvement in the opening and management of the Lyceum Theater. We mainly follow Stoker, who is responsible for managing the theatre, and how his time there as well as other personal matters inspired him to write Dracula.

Going into this book, I was unaware of much of Stoker’s life, including the fact that Dracula did not receive its merit in the literary world until well after his passing. O’Connor mentions in his author’s note that this is a fairly loose depiction of his time at the theatre, and while that was the case, this book still has me interested in learning more about Stoker’s life and his writing process.

Shadowplay was an incredibly atmospheric read, perfect for those who enjoy gothic literature and classics of the Victorian era. The descriptions and settings in this novel were so well-written that they were easily one of my favorite aspects of my reading experience and the book as a whole.

The integration of other literary figures at the time also made this story feel broader as a whole. Part of Stoker’s storyline includes the accusations made about his friend Oscar Wilde, and how Stoker is troubled by the gossip surrounding his friend. Again, as a fan of Victorian literature I found these parts of the story interesting and immersive.

Despite all of these things, I did find that the story was lacking in some areas. This was very much a character-based story; specifically a look into Stoker’s time at the theatre and his inspirations at the time. And while I am a big fan of character-based stories, I found that there wasn’t a strong exploration of his character itself. Rather, it was a glimpse of his life at a certain time, and to me this kind of timeline only works if there is a specific theme explored during that time. If there was one, it likely got muddled with all of the other conflicts that take place over the course of the novel. There are a lot of different characters and sub-plots that take place over the course of the novel, so it often felt more like a snapshot of the era than a story with a natural progression.

Despite all this, Shadowplay was certainly still an interesting novel overall. I could sense the author’s intent on sharing Stoker’s story, even if not as close to the real thing as it could have been. This has definitely provided me with some insight into his life in Victorian London, and has me interested in reading similar books and doing more research on Stoker’s life and the era in the future.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric novel with gothic elements, I do think Shadowplay is a good pick. And while it may be dry at times, learning the inspiration behind one of the world’s most well-known classics, plus others’ first reactions to the book, certainly made for an interesting read.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

Shadowplay is a gothic historical fiction told in a variety of formats (epistolary, interviews, variety of characters including a ghost) focusing on three characters: Bram Stoker (author), Henry Irving (actor) and Ellen Tracy (actress). They all embark on the rebirth of the Lyceum Theater and some groundbreaking plays. The novel also brings on the terror of times when Jack the Ripper was haunting London and how all of these events impacted Stoker and eventually his most well known novel.

I think the format my turn some people off but I for one really loved it. The writing can be abrupt as it doesn’t often have a pronoun when the character is telling their story. The ending was a little long as well which docked a star for me but I really did enjoy this novel and I am grateful for @walterscottprize for bringing it to my attention. I would be curious to check out O’Connor’s Star of the Sea. And of course Dracula ASAP!

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"1878: The Lyceum Theatre, London. Three extraordinary people begin their life together, a life that will be full of drama, transformation, passionate and painful devotion to art and to one another. "

Kind of a dry read, I found it hard to follow at times.

2.75☆