"Freddie's" is the familiar name of the Temple Stage School, which supplies London's West End theaters with child actors for everything from Shakes...
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Jul 24, 2009
Petra X
rated it: 
I loved The Bookshop and so I was eager to read another Penelope Fitzgerald book. But after weeks of trying I cannot get past page 50 and I cannot care about it either.
The story is of a very fat old woman who was once well-known in theatre circles and now runs a decrepit stage school and her efforts to save it from financial ruin. So far she has hardly moved from her chair and doesn't seem to have made much of an effort. The other action is between two new Irish teachers neither o More...
The story is of a very fat old woman who was once well-known in theatre circles and now runs a decrepit stage school and her efforts to save it from financial ruin. So far she has hardly moved from her chair and doesn't seem to have made much of an effort. The other action is between two new Irish teachers neither o More...
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Oct 09, 2011
Lisa
rated it: 
Penelope Fitzgerald's slender novels are so very brilliant that it is almost possible to miss their perfection. A subtle writer with a true understanding of human foibles and so full of compassion, she rarely misses her mark. At Freddie's, is true to her rare form. Centered around a children's acting school in London during the early 1960s, one meets characters as varied as the incompetent teacher hired to make sure the professional child actors have their state mandated hours of academics to
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Jul 09, 2011
Alena
rated it: 
My personal theater history led me to this book, set in a London stage school in the 1960s. I'm also on a bit of a Penelope Fitzgerald kick. Given these two interests, At Freddie's did not disappoint. Fitzgerald's portrayals of the theater characters ring incredibly true. Freddie is indomitable, manipulating people around her while maintaining a smile and beguiling innocence. She keeps her school open through sheer force of will and longevity. (I have known this woman in many forms.)
Fitzger More...
Fitzger More...
Mar 05, 2011
Susan
rated it:
"He felt unwell. Weakmindedness makes one feel as poorly as any other over-indulgence." "Her devotion to Freddie, necessitating very long hours, was difficult to explain, even to herself. She was, perhaps, under some form of mild hypnosis." These two characters have each experienced Freddie, the somewhat obsessed proprietor of the Temple School, a children's acting school. The story encompasses Freddie, her assistant Miss Blewett, her accountant, a possible investor, two
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Jun 23, 2011
Katie
rated it:
Freddie’s is the name by which the theatre school officially known as the Temple Stage School is referred to by anyone in the know in the 1960′s. Dilapidated and old fashioned, it is kept running by the machinations, scheming and sheer force of will of Freddie, the proprietress. However, but money is needed and times are changing and Freddie must choose either to change with them or remain true to what she knows.
Penelope Fitzgerald has a very light touch. In the hands of a differe More...
Penelope Fitzgerald has a very light touch. In the hands of a differe More...
Jul 14, 2010
Tory
rated it:
easy read, entertaining. Penolope is a booker prize winner. It is about a drama school, and as the general subjects teacher says - all children tall lies. But not all of them, if reproached, well up at once with unshed crystal tears, or strike their foreheads in self-reproach, like the prince in Swan Lake.
Jul 11, 2011
ginny
rated it:
Slim and delightful. A very British, funny character ensemble piece following the eccentrics, oddballs and sweethearts that populate a London children's acting academy that is perpetually on the precipice of foreclosure.
Dec 10, 2009
Bonnie
rated it: 
I got through it but it wasn't my favorite P.F. book. I do love her writing style though and her humor. I appreciate the birdseye view into another time and culture.
Jul 26, 2010
Michael
rated it:
A fun little story about children at a London school who learn to perform in Shakespeare or Peter Pan plays. Filled with Fitzgerald's usual wit and sublime writing, but lacking in substantial characters for me.
Oct 04, 2011
Alison
rated it: 
Great, funny novel about a school for professional child actors in London in the early 60s.
May 12, 2008
Christian
rated it:
My same comment from Offshore, but here a childhood in theater (theatre, in this case).
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