Book 0071

A drama critic once said novels were plays with too many stage directions. If you love dialogue, and sometimes skip the bits in novels about weather and landscape, you’ll love reading plays. They’re usually nice and short too. One sign of a good play is when you don’t have to keep checking across to see which character is saying which line. Everyone has their own recognisable voice. The first play I read with sheer pleasure was “The Importance of Being Earnest”. I couldn’t believe a play could be that elegant, that provocative and that funny. It’s still my favourite.