Date published April 2008
ISBN 978-0-345-48008-8
Woman's Fiction
Trade Paperback
Reviewed by Pam
Leigh Majors has worked hard to become a successful theatre director, but her mother is determined to ride along on her coat tails. When her dentist husband gives her a play he has written and expects her to direct, as a birthday present, her life spirals out of control. Her mother, Bridie Hart, was a success in a TV series and now she has her heart set on playing the lead in Michael’s play.
The backers begin to insist, Bridie has the part. So with a group of offbeat actors, Leigh begins to work on her ‘gift play.’ Juggling all the different parts of her life, Leigh tries to keep everyone happy which leads to some humorous scenes, as all their troubled pasts begin to collide. The biggest drama of all is the way Leigh begins to find her life changing course, as being on Broadway may not be all that will change it.
WOMEN IN HATS is a moving story containing all the human emotions as past and present for the characters. The reader also gets interesting glimpses of what it is like behind the scenes at the theatre, where most of us never go. The characters are a mix of comic and pathos, as Bridie tries to take over the actors, the backers and the way it is directed. There are as many dramas off stage as on, as the miss-matched group of actors try to become their characters. Michael and Leigh discover their love and respect for each other is beginning to fade as their lives are no longer entwined.
There are many surprises as Leigh’s past and present collide and she begins to find herself. It is mostly an engaging tale, but does seem slow moving at times. Bridie is a character that not many daughters would want in their lives, and it made me glad I’d only met people like this who weren’t related to me.
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