Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh

 "Well, shoot. This isn't how my life is supposed to go."

The plot: Rosie Waterman has always dreamed of acting, which is why she moved to New York after college. But now, seven years later, the play she's in just closed after only two performances, her roommate is kicking her out for not paying her rent, and her dream feels like a distant memory. To add salt to her wounds, her three best friends from high school seem to have found success and love in their lives, making her feel even worse. She can't tell them the truth:  that she's a failure. So when she's offered a job directing a production of Cinderella at a regional theatre in Wisconsin, she jumps at the chance. It's not until she arrives and a very cute physical therapist named Booker Hayes is showing her around that she realizes the regional theatre is actually a retirement community, and all her actors are senior citizens. What's Rosie to do now? 

Favorite quote:  "Dreams shift and change and grow, and changing along with them isn't failing. Pivoting isn't quitting. Happiness isn't linear, and seeking it isn't selfish."

My thoughts:  This delightful novel is about finding and following your dreams, embracing all the big emotions, finding community, and not being afraid to open up and connect with others. After all, "People, it turns out, really are life's greatest adventure." There's also a lot of humor and heart. Rosie is an engaging character--relatable and funny. And I loved her cute romance with Booker, and her interactions with the Sunset Players. (My only complaint is Walsh's overuse of the word smirk--one of my least favorite words!) Other than that, this book is an entertaining 4-star read. 

Happy Reading!

A Classic Play...

For several years now, I've been working my way through Shakespeare's plays, trying to read each and every one. (Boy are there a lot of them!) I'm getting close; I only have seven more to go. And one of those is Cymbeline. Which is why I picked it to read for Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge. It's not one of Shakespeare's plays that I was very familiar with, but after reading it, I think they should change the name of the play to Imogen, because I felt like it was more her story than her father's.

.....Alas, poor princess,

Thou divine Imogen, what thou endur'st.--

Betwixt a father by thy stepdame govern'd:

A mother hourly coining plots; a wooer

More hateful than the foul expulsion is

Of thy dear husband ... The heavens hold firm

The walls of thy dear honour; keep unshak'd

That temple, thy fair mind; that thou mayest stand

To enjoy thy banish'd lord and this great land.

So, here's my attempt at explaining the plot of this play. Be forewarned...it gets a little complicated. 

Cymbeline is the king of Britain. His two oldest sons were stolen away in their infancy, leaving him with Imogen, his only daughter, as his sole heir. He wants her to marry Cloten, the son of his second wife, who's now the queen. (And a very conniving one at that.) Instead, Imogen marries Posthumous Leonatus, a noble Roman soldier. Before the marriage is consummated, the king banishes Posthumous from Britain. Before Posthumous leaves, he gives Imogen a bracelet as a token of his love and she gives him a ring, promising to be faithful to him. 

Back in Rome, Posthumous brags about his beautiful and virtuous wife, so much so that his friend, Iachimo, bets him that he can easily seduce her. Posthumous agrees to the bet and off Iachimo goes to Britain to woo Imogen. But the princess refuses his advances. (Just as she's been refusing Cloten's.) Not wanting to lose his bet, Iachimo sneaks into Imogen's rooms at night and steals the bracelet from her arm as proof of her infidelity. When he sees the bracelet, Posthumous believes Iachimo's lies, gets all mad, and sends a letter to his servant, Pisano, ordering him to kill his wife. Pisano helps Imogen escape to Wales instead. There, she disguises herself as a boy named Fidele. While in disguise, she meets her two older brothers who don't know who she is....or that they are actually Cymbeline's sons. (It's another miraculous Shakespearean coincidence!)

Meanwhile, Cloten comes to Wales determined to kill Posthumous, have his way with Imogen, and then bring her back to Britain. Happily, he fails. Imogen never encounters him, but she does drink a potion which causes everyone around her to think she's dead even though she's not. Complicated, right? While all of this is happening, Rome prepares to invade Britain over unpaid tributes. This leads to war, which everyone participates in. In the end, Imogen's two brothers and her husband help Cymbeline defeat the Romans; Cloten is killed; Jupiter makes a brief appearance; Cymbeline and his two sons are brought back together; Iachimo is captured and admits his deceit; and Imogen's honor is restored and she and her penitent husband are reunited at last. Whew. What a play! 

Despite it's convoluted plot, I actually ended up liking this one. And if they ever perform it on a stage near me, I'm definitely going. And congrats if you actually made it to the end of this post!

Happy Reading!