Monday, July 15, 2013

Book Review - Dark, Love, and Light

Dark, Love, and Light

By: Marcus Brady
Publisher: Marcus Brady
Publication Date: October 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4452-5815-7
Reviewed by: Diane Lunsford
Review Date: July 16, 2013

Native Drogheda, County Louth, Irish author Marcus Brady, delivers his latest work; a play titled Dark, Love, and Light.

In the opening scene, the reader is introduced to Annabel O’Connor when she was just a wee one--one of Mr. Brady’s main characters. Annabel is enjoying her first exposure to the magnificence of the ocean and glories of the beach.

Fast forward to the second scene and the reader is introduced to young adult Annabel; now in love with Orville Whitworth...Annabel and Orville are attending an historic ceremony for the Irish diaspora at Galway Airport with a myriad of friends. Immediately after the ceremony, Annabel will be leaving for the States. Her father is taking her to America (Denver) along with her friend, Josie, to attend a multimedia entertainment company launch hosted by Habib, a Saudi Arabian friend. With a strong affinity for the arts, Annabel is thrilled to have such an opportunity.

Kara Stevenson, Annabel’s friend, stays behind and joins Orville and his friend, Preston. They too go abroad, but they head to Birmingham, England. Orville has been invited to play with his former rugby club, Young Dexterity, against his old club rivals The Mobilisers. Perhaps this was when a spark ignited between Orville and Kara...

Throughout the summer several events, twists, and turns challenge the young adults as they explore coming of age—individually as well as collectively. The common element among all, however, is that this particular summer is one of growth—be it through lessons of love, wisdom, experiences or perhaps answers to the meaning of life.

Dark, Love, and Light is an extremely complex work to follow. While the premise is quite easy to understand, there simply are far too many activities and occurrences happening throughout this 25-scene play. I applaud Mr. Brady for his vision and many opportunities to question “...the meaning of it all...” However, I was somewhat lost throughout the entire reading because of the overabundance of multiple plots running in tandem. This is not to say the writing is poor by any means. Rather, I would say this is a solid example of a work that I personally believe is far easier to follow when watching its live performance. Sadly, I have not had the luxury to do so. I do want to give Mr. Brady props for the comprehensive details and recommendations he provides the reader in the back of the book should one want to orchestrate a production of Dark, Love and Light. It is a very thorough production syllabus and because of this it provided me with a better understanding of the colossal details involved in moving a story from the pages to the stage.

Quill says: Dark, Love, and Light provides interesting young adult perspectives toward life’s challenges and wonders when transitioning from child to young adult.

For more information on Dark, Love, and Light, please visit the author's website at: www.marcusbradyonline.com








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