Transit of Venus

by Maureen Hunter

Obsessions and lifelong loves permeate Maureen Hunter's Transit of Venus as the eighteenth-century astronomer, Le Gentil, charts the heavens for Venus and the realm of his heart for his young fiancee. Le Gentil puts off marrying the young and wilful Celeste as he travels around the world in his attempts to plot the course of Venus across the sky, only to be undone at every turn by weather, war, and misfortune, and to find upon his final return a woman undone by his absence and ready to set her own course. Spanning eleven years in the lives of Le Gentil and Celeste, Hunter's play explores issues of faith, solitude, and the human spirit.

Genres: Plays

Paperback

First published November 1, 1992

About the author

Maureen Hunter (born 1948) is one of Canada's most accomplished playwrights. She is the author of eight full-length plays, including Wild Mouth, Vinci, Atlantis and Transit of Venus, the first Canadian play ever produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company of Britain. In 2007, Transit of Venus premiered as an opera at Manitoba Opera, with music by Victor Davies and libretto by Hunter. Her work has been produced extensively in Canada, as well as in Britain and the U.S. and by CBC and BBC Radio. It has been nominated for two Governor General's Awards, two Dora Mavor Moore Awards (Outstanding New Play) and the Lou Siminovitch Prize in Theatre. Other plays include Beautiful Lake Winnipeg and Footprints of the Moon.

Reviews

[Julianne Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this play. Age gap is crazy but it’s pretty well written :)

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many a love has been eclipsed by ambition, the kind which takes an invincible stance that aspiration alone will conquer all -- including time and hearts. Ah, man proposes, but God disposes... and in this case, the woman certainly chooses!


* Read for the '2020 Around the Year in 52 Books Challenge' task: A book related to Maximillian Hell (the noted astronomer and Jesuit priest who was born in 1720)

[Bt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The play was well-written and interesting for what it was, but it really just wasn't my type. I like happy plays and comedies, which this isn't. If I were rating on quality instead of how much I liked it, though, I would probably give this 4 stars. Like I said, it was well-done; the dialogue was very natural, and the characters were interesting and believable. They had good conversations about weighty things, which I enjoyed. They are complex and, in many ways, fascinating; they all have their strengths and weaknesses, and it's interesting to contemplate their dilemmas. I read this because I needed to read some plays for acting class, and I saw a monologue from this that I love - Celeste's monologue about why she likes reading. That monologue is still one of my favorites that I've ever encountered (second one here: http://www.earlhaig.ca/departments/cl...), and I'm glad to have read the play for the background on it. If someone was performing the play, though, I probably wouldn't go see it.