The Empire: 'Wonderful. A lifelong love letter to the theatre' Reverend Richard Coles

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For his literary debut, Ball has immersed himself in the world of perhaps the greatest author of novels such as The Good Companions set in and around the theatre, J B Priestley. There's an ailing theatre, villains and the dash of fairy dust that you'd expect if you've ever listed to Michael Ball! The book is set in the 1920s and revolves around the Empire, a theatre whose future is in jeopardy.

The Empire by Michael Ball | Waterstones

The Empire came up on NetGalley’s list, and I liked the sound of it. With other celebrity authors, though, I’ve had trouble getting rid of their voice. Would Michael Ball be different? The only way to find out is to read it. Michael Ball sets the scene well. His writing is cinematic and I can easily imagine the story being filmed. I found the whole world of the theatre enthralling. I was interested in what went on in putting on a show.Musical theatre legend Michael Ball brings his trademark warmth, wit and glamour to this, his debut novel. Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book. BUT! Just when things are on the up, interference from within threatens everything – perhaps even the theatre itself… We are carried along with all the ‘cast’, getting to know them and enjoying the warm and cozy feeling of belonging. Just when everything appears to be going nicely, a disaster hits The Empire and I galloped to the end of the book with my heart in my mouth!

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but its has to be myriad of characters associated with the empire that draws you in and its a story that you lose yourself in Using the theatre as the central character, this story kept giving more intrigue, more suspense and more entertainment. Lots of fun, this historic crime novel has a cast of entertaining characters who you will enjoy meeting. Write what you know they say. And Michael Ball, a star of musical theatre for over 30 years has certainly done that. The Empire is a glitzy production with an enormous cast and an authentic story that gives a greater idea of just how much work goes into every production, both on stage and behind the scenes. This isn’t just about a theatre show, there is so much more to the story – it’s about people, families, greed and money and sometimes touches on the darker side of life and includes strands of jealousy and sabotage, gangsters and secrets – and this is all off stage. There is plenty of drama the entire way through, with even some of the supporting characters having their time under the spotlight.Thank you to Rachel for my invitation to the blog tour and for my copy of e book in return for a fair and honest review. OK, so the writing isn't what I'd describe as the most accomplished, the story is something of a slow burner and there are a lot of characters {referenced to at the front of the book} introduced in a short space of time which can be problematic if you aren't on the ball {no pun intended} as whilst they may initially appear insignificant, some have a larger part to play overall, however ...