piper_sh's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful play and i would recommend it to everyone.
The writing was fluent and the stage directions very precise which
made it very easy to actually picture it in my head and
I would love to see the play on stage.
I really cared about Sophie. Her journey was beautifully written
without being romanticised. Towards the end when she pushed everyone away
so they would not miss her as much after her passing was just so real and painful!
I will sure revisit this little gem in the future.
The writing was fluent and the stage directions very precise which
made it very easy to actually picture it in my head and
I would love to see the play on stage.
I really cared about Sophie. Her journey was beautifully written
without being romanticised. Towards the end when she pushed everyone away
so they would not miss her as much after her passing was just so real and painful!
I will sure revisit this little gem in the future.
bookaneer808's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A play about four women, one of whom is suffering from Stage 4 cancer - at the age of 13. Beautiful, real, heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness and Child death
micrummey's review
4.0
I saw this play some years ago at the Royal Exchange, Manchester and wasn't impressed, I have since put it down to the way it was directed because when I read it I began to understand it better, this is about the fourth time I have done so.
Judy returns to Birmingham after living a hippy lifestyle around the world. She brings her daughters with her, Sophie 13 and Cal 16. Sophie is dying from a form of bone cancer and the play is about the family's relationships and how they cope with the impending demise of Sophie.
They move back in with Judy's mother Daphne and old tensions are re-ignited between Mother and daughter which reflect those between Sophie and Judy.
The play asks questions about how we cope and move on with a crisis with questions on religion and re-incarnation a subject which bookends the play at the start and in the final scene.
A lot of the speeches are made up of a series of monologues especially from Sophie but these are written well and seem natural and consistent with the whole play.
Judy returns to Birmingham after living a hippy lifestyle around the world. She brings her daughters with her, Sophie 13 and Cal 16. Sophie is dying from a form of bone cancer and the play is about the family's relationships and how they cope with the impending demise of Sophie.
They move back in with Judy's mother Daphne and old tensions are re-ignited between Mother and daughter which reflect those between Sophie and Judy.
The play asks questions about how we cope and move on with a crisis with questions on religion and re-incarnation a subject which bookends the play at the start and in the final scene.
A lot of the speeches are made up of a series of monologues especially from Sophie but these are written well and seem natural and consistent with the whole play.
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