I was interested to drop into this world of these two Australian authors who lived so long in Greece. It's a warts and all "expose" of a period I had held in romantic esteem. The reality is far from romantic. And as usual for this kind of thing in this period - the standing of women in that world left a lot to be desired. ( )

The title of "theater" and "dreamers" conjures an image. The description of "utopia," "idyllic," and "bohemian" conjures an image. Unfortunately for me, the image scatters somewhat in the story told in a Theater for Dreamers by Polly Samson. The book is like a mosaic in which the individual pieces are interesting but, for me, do not quite come together to form a whole.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/05/a-theater-for-dreamers.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and a publisher's blog tour. ( )

There are no bigger secrets that our parent's lives, unless it is the secrets kept between lovers.

When Erica's mother dies she discovers she didn't know her mother at all. She had only seen the woman who stayed with an abusive husband and father. How did she secretly stash money away for her daughter's future, and where did that secret car come from, and how was it used?

Erica is nineteen and in love with the older, beautiful, wannabe writer Jimmy. When Erica's previous neighbor, her mother's friend Charmain, sends her newest book and invitation to visit her on the Greek island of Hydra, Erica uses her inheritance to take her and Jimmy to Greece.

Hydra is paradise on earth, nestled between the cliffs and the sea, with marble streets and exotic foods and floral odors competing with the smell of sponges piled on the fishing boats.

Charmain and her husband Gordon are the center of a group of ex-pat young people, artists and writers and poets and their muses. Erica finds a surrogate mother in her, and Charmain tries to guide the teenager to prepare for a fuller life, warning her of the pitfalls of love and men and being bound to a supporting role.

In the early 1960s, these Bohemians are seeking meaning in a world threatened by Atomic destruction, rejecting the conformity of the 1950s. And yet, the men still hold to old fashioned ideas about women and love and sex, and the women comply to keep their men. Charmain imagines another way of living, not merely being a man's muse and caretaker to protect his creative process.

A natural observer, Erica tries to puzzle out the twisted relationships around her, noting the tension in the marriages of Axle and Marianne Jensen and Charmain and Gordon. When Leonard Cohen arrives on the island, already published at age 25, he is ready to claim Marianne when her husband abandons her and their son for another woman. She is the perfect muse and compliant help-meet for a creative man.

As relationships topple, and alcohol and drugs fuel craziness, Erica is forced to alter her idea of her future.

Hydra is central to the novel, with lush descriptions vividly rendering its beauty and challenges. The Greek traditions are observed, the seasonal changes described. I dreamed of it at night, especially after viewing photographs online of the historical denizens of Hydra during this time. Samson's descriptions of these people, their clothing, is so detailed, arising from these photographs.

I also dreamed of Cohen's music, So Long, Marianne, That's No Way to Say Goodbye, and especially The Stranger Song, from Cohen's 1967 record album that I purchased at age 16. I was surprised to learn that the songs Cohen sang at the group gatherings were folk songs like I Ride an Old Paint. I always loved that folk song, and had a 45 record of it when I was a girl.

I read this book during a cold spell in spring, immersed in the bright light and sea air of a place I will never see, but feel as if I had. I loved this book for taking me to another place, and for the interesting and deeply flawed characters, and for its insight into women's role in men's lives.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. ( )

This novel is mesmerizing, bringing all the life, love and drama of a bohemian, hippy generation to life.

It’s the 1960’s, and Ericka flees her oppressive father along with her first love, Jimmy, her brother and his girlfriend. With a small inheritance and a vague invitation from a friend of her mother’s, Ericka arrives on the Greek island of Hydra looking for a place to belong. She finds one among an expatriate community of troubled, free-spirited artists, about whom one character says, “they hop like bloody fleas from bed to bed.”

This is a character-driven novel, and I was as absorbed as Ericka in the struggling marriage of the dazzling Charmain and the angry, sickly George; and beautiful, young Marianne, torn between her love for the brilliant novelist husband who abandons her with a baby and the young poet, Leonard Cohen, who wants to step into his place.

This is a glittering story of beautiful young artists drinking, loving, making mistakes and making art against the backdrop of a beautiful island.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Mit diesem Roman reisen wir in die sechziger Jahre nach Griechenland. Die achtzehnjährige Erica Hart ist nach dem Tod der Mutter am Boden zerstört. Als Charmian Clift, eine Freundin ihrer Mutter, sie auf die griechische Insel Hydra einlädt, macht sie sich mit ihrem Bruder Bobby und ihrem Freund Jimmy auf den Weg. In der Künstlerkolonie lernt sie eine Reihe von bekannten Persönlichkeiten kennen. Sie genießt das unkonventionelle Leben dort und fühlt sich frei und unbeschwert. Doch das Leben hat auch seine Schattenseiten, wie Erica dann feststellen muss.
Mich konnte dieser Roman nicht so packen, wie ich es erhofft hatte. Der Schreibstil lässt sich zwar flüssig leben, aber Spannung kam für mich nicht so recht auf. Die Atmosphäre auf der griechischen Insel ist gut und bildhaft dargestellt, so dass man sich alles gut vorstellen kann.
Das Leben in dieser Künstlergemeinschaft ist zwar interessant, doch die Personen kamen mir nicht wirklich nahe. Auch mit Erica konnte ich nicht so viel anfangen. Sie ist jung und natürlich gefällt ihr das Leben dort. Schon bald aber muss sie feststellen, dass sie das alles idealisiert hat. Ihre Beziehung zu Jimmy bekommt Risse.
Für mich blieb die Geschichte recht oberflächlich, dennoch ist es ein unterhaltsamer Roman mit teils interessanten Charakteren und einer tollen Atmosphäre. ( )