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70th out of 100 books
—
46 voters
At Freddie's
"Freddie's" is the familiar name of the Temple Stage School, which supplies London's West End theaters with child actors for everything from Shakespeare to musicals to the Christmas pantomime. Its proprietress, Freddie Wentworth, is a formidable woman of unknown age and murky background who brings anyone she encounters under her spell -- so common an occurrence that it is...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
September 15th 1999
by Mariner Books
(first published 1982)
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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 of whom interes...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 of whom interes...more
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Fitzgerald is consistently excellent. This is another of her stories exploring institutions, here Freddie's school for young actors, and from that particular vantage the British stage. This book does not focus on one character, but a narrow cast that includes Freddie, and her overwhelming personality, a couple of new teachers at the school, a couple of gifted students, and an actor. As always Fitzgerald provides deep insights with the smallest comments and revelations made in brief scenes. A fun...more
Oct 09, 2011
Lisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of Pym, Austen and Byatt
Shelves:
english
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 a...more
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.)
Fitzgerald's...more
Fitzgerald's...more
"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 teachers hired for the s...more
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 different author this...more
Penelope Fitzgerald has a very light touch. In the hands of a different author this...more
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.
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.
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.
This is an absolutely brilliant book. You really have to read it twice through, because the voice is so cagy, and the story so subtle that, first time through, you (or I, at any rate) missed what appears to be on the margins, but in fact is at the book's moral center. The story is about Freddie's, a school for children in theater; it's also about the profound but often invisible distinction between genuine art and commercialism. The sacrificial figure of the book is a small child who is a true a...more
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Like being trapped in a room with someone who won't stop talking.
Read anything by Penelope Fitzgerald!
Apr 24, 2013
Mary
added it
A fun read
Penelope Fitzgerald's novels are like little treats. Freddie was greatly portrayed and the story was incredibly well plotted and well evoked. I love Fitzgerald's writing style, particularly with regard to the dialogue. An amusing novel which is well worth reading.
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.
Great, funny novel about a school for professional child actors in London in the early 60s.
My same comment from Offshore, but here a childhood in theater (theatre, in this case).
I just couldn't get into this one.
Moderately entertaining
May 06, 2013
DownWithIcarus
marked it as to-read
May 06, 2013
Tobi
marked it as to-read
Apr 26, 2013
Cate
added it
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She was the daughter of Punch editor Edmund Knox (E.V. Knox) and the niece of theologian and crime writer Ronald Knox (Ronald A. Knox), cryptographer Dilly Knox and Bible scholar Wilfred Knox.
"When I was young," Fitzgerald later wrote, "I took my father and my three uncles for granted, and it never occurred to me that everyone else wasn't like them. Later on, I found that this was a mistake, but...more
More about Penelope Fitzgerald...
"When I was young," Fitzgerald later wrote, "I took my father and my three uncles for granted, and it never occurred to me that everyone else wasn't like them. Later on, I found that this was a mistake, but...more
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“... human beings interested her so much that it must always be an advantage to meet another one.”
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