Cirrus@Austlit

'A Theatre for Dreamers, Polly Samson’s third novel, is pages and pages of rapturous fantasy of summer days on a small Greek island at the start of the 1960s. Dazzling sunlight, nude swims in the blue sea, midnight hikes while wrapped in blankets under the stars, stray cat rescues, endless glasses of retsina and ouzo, fresh bread, feta, honey, lemon and olive oil, sardines and grilled octopus and ice-cream. Yes, it is a book for people who wish they could have a holiday right now, and amid the glut of sensory descriptions you really do feel like you’re there – and it’s a really nice feeling. But in a novel of this length, that wealth of atmosphere wants some kind of driving question, or a real plot, to hang itself on.' (Introduction)