how we play roles to get through our days, and how the great roles teach us how to live. this line is what drew me into this book.
i wasnt captured by it but i think that was more because i went in wanting this woman to find herself and her voice. but maybe that also being unrealistic. because at the end the woman seemed to have a night of letting and running free. but then went back and stayed in her role. or realised it was the role she wanted? i was never quite sure.
the cast of characters was a triumph though. and the delve in this world of the theatre was a fun one. i think i wanted more from this book but even saying that im not sure exactly what that is. but maybe this book is more real than i give it credit for. that the roles we play are perhaps not as important as the roles we end up choosing, or are indeed us. it certainly made me think. and the witty and fun prose throughout gave me smiles and giggles. i thought the touch on what happens behind the doors of the theatre was really well touched upon. that is exactly as i could picture those darker parts occuring. weve all seen it happen. sadly we all still see it happening.
this was one womans journey and i did enjoy traveling alongside her in her search for "Parsley"...

Mona Acts Out by Mischa Berlinski is a perceptive and well-written novel about a woman struggling with her relationships with her husband and her inlaws and with her son at the same time as she is navigating a bereavement after the death of her sister and also re-evaluating her career decisions.

Mona is an established stage actress living in New York. During a mid-life crisis moment, and after receiving a postcard from a stage director, whom she had worked with, Mona finds herself in a metaphorical play of her life divided into blurring acts (as in parts of a play).
I found some parts, especially the first two chapters, engaging and funny.
Pros
the theatre scene
NY
in-laws
Mona’s dilemmas
the rage

Room for improvement
The plot
the resolution
the layers and details (more sophistication)

I love novels that have anything to do with the entertainment industry and it was so fun getting a behind the scene look at life through famous theatre actress Mona. Sometimes you just have a break in life and half to find your way back and it was so nice seeing Mona find her self again and go on this journey with her.