Know any stage-struck teenagers? This might be just the book for them. That wonderfully prolific author Adele Geras first published this in 1986, and here it is again, republished in a nice American paperback edition. It is the story -- told in the first person -- of sixteen-year-old Melusine Herbert (needless to say always called Mel). Bored and restless at the start of the long summer holidays, Mel takes up her mother's suggestion of trying out for a new production of Chekhov's The Three Sisters, to be staged with a cast consisting entirely of young people. Mel longs to play one of the sisters, but gets cast as the rather less romantic -- in fact actually rather unpleasant -- sister-in-law Natasha. Once she gets over her disappointment, though, she realises she is really lucky to be in the play at all, and starts to enjoy herself enormously. She quickly makes friends with the talented designer Clare, and soon a really strong bond develops between all the youngsters who are performing this wonderful play. Among them is a rather reserved young man called Mike who, as the weeks go by, opens up more and more to Mel, and soon they are a couple. Of course love affairs are springing up all over the place, and broken hearts too. All tremendously exciting and disturbing for Mel, whose life has been very uneventful up to now.
What this book catches perfectly is not only the agony and elation of those first teenage relationships but also the tremendous group feeling that develops in a situation like this when everybody is working towards a common project. Despite suffering terribly from stage fright, Mel acquits herself admirably in the performances and even gets a review in the local paper. All too soon the play is over and real life hits again -- but the real friendships Mel has formed will continue into the future. And through it all runs that extraordinary play, The Three Sisters, with its own love affairs, agonies, ecstasies and disappointments.
Having myself been cast as Natasha in a drama school production of this play, I felt a good deal of sympathy for Mel, though I suspect her performance was probably rather better than mine! Alas, though I wanted so desperately to be an actress, I was not really very good at it. Just as well, really, in retrospect, as I have had a very nice life doing lots of other interesting things instead.