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Blood Brothers
A Liverpudlian West Side Story: twin brothers are separated at birth because their mother cannot afford to keep them both. She gives one of them away to wealthy Mrs Lyons and they grow up as friends in ignorance of their fraternity until the inevitable quarrel unleashes a blood-bath.
'Willy Russell is less concerned with political tub-thumping than with weaving a close-knit story about the working of fate and destiny … it carries one along with it in almost unreserved enjoyment" Guardian
One of the longest-running and most successful ever West End musicals, Blood Brothers premiered at the Liverpool Playhouse in January 1983.
130 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
153 people are currently reading
1965 people want to read
About the author
Willy Russell
47 books83 followersWilliam Russell is a British dramatist, lyricist, and composer. His best-known works are Educating Rita, Shirley Valentine, and Blood Brothers.
Willy Russell was born in Whiston, on the outskirts of Liverpool, where he grew up. His parents worked in a book publisher's and often encouraged him to read. After leaving school with one O-level in English, he first became a ladies' hairdresser and ran his own salon. Russell then undertook a variety of jobs, also the first play he wrote was Keep Your Eyes Down Low (1975). His first success was a play about The Beatles called John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert. Originally commissioned for the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool was transferring to the West End in 1974. Educating Rita (1980) concerned a female hairdresser and her Open University teacher. The semi-autobiographical Educating Rita was turned into a 1983 film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters. The musical Blood Brothers (1983), for which Russell also composed the music, first opened in Liverpool and transferred to London's Phoenix Theatre. It won the best actress award at the Lawrence Olivier awards. Bill Kenwright produced a revival in 1988 which has run for more than twenty years; the show was produced on Broadway in 1993. Shirley Valentine, which first opened in Liverpool in 1986 before a new production opened in London in 1988 starring Pauline Collins. It was also made into a successful film, in 1989, again with Collins in the title role. Russell received BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for both Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.
Russell has also written television projects, including the one-off drama, Our Day Out, which aired in 1977. He penned another television drama, One Summer, which aired as a five-part series on Channel 4 in 1983, starring a young David Morrissey.
In 2000, Russell published his first novel, The Wrong Boy. In epistolary form, main character Raymond Marks, a 19-year old from Manchester, tells the story of his life in letters to his hero Morrissey.
Russell has written songs since the early 1960s, and has written the music to most of his plays and musicals. He also co-wrote "The Show", the theme song to the 1985 ITV drama series Connie, which became a top 30 hit for vocalist Rebecca Storm. His first album, Hoovering the Moon, was released in 2003.
The Willy Russell Centre for Children and Adults Who Stammer, was opened by Russell in Liverpool, 1996. The centre took Russell's name as his writing in many of his plays puts forward the philosophy that anyone is capable of change whatever obstacles may be in their path, a theory shared by the centre.
Willy Russell was born in Whiston, on the outskirts of Liverpool, where he grew up. His parents worked in a book publisher's and often encouraged him to read. After leaving school with one O-level in English, he first became a ladies' hairdresser and ran his own salon. Russell then undertook a variety of jobs, also the first play he wrote was Keep Your Eyes Down Low (1975). His first success was a play about The Beatles called John, Paul, George, Ringo … and Bert. Originally commissioned for the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool was transferring to the West End in 1974. Educating Rita (1980) concerned a female hairdresser and her Open University teacher. The semi-autobiographical Educating Rita was turned into a 1983 film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters. The musical Blood Brothers (1983), for which Russell also composed the music, first opened in Liverpool and transferred to London's Phoenix Theatre. It won the best actress award at the Lawrence Olivier awards. Bill Kenwright produced a revival in 1988 which has run for more than twenty years; the show was produced on Broadway in 1993. Shirley Valentine, which first opened in Liverpool in 1986 before a new production opened in London in 1988 starring Pauline Collins. It was also made into a successful film, in 1989, again with Collins in the title role. Russell received BAFTA and Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay for both Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.
Russell has also written television projects, including the one-off drama, Our Day Out, which aired in 1977. He penned another television drama, One Summer, which aired as a five-part series on Channel 4 in 1983, starring a young David Morrissey.
In 2000, Russell published his first novel, The Wrong Boy. In epistolary form, main character Raymond Marks, a 19-year old from Manchester, tells the story of his life in letters to his hero Morrissey.
Russell has written songs since the early 1960s, and has written the music to most of his plays and musicals. He also co-wrote "The Show", the theme song to the 1985 ITV drama series Connie, which became a top 30 hit for vocalist Rebecca Storm. His first album, Hoovering the Moon, was released in 2003.
The Willy Russell Centre for Children and Adults Who Stammer, was opened by Russell in Liverpool, 1996. The centre took Russell's name as his writing in many of his plays puts forward the philosophy that anyone is capable of change whatever obstacles may be in their path, a theory shared by the centre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 442 reviews
March 9, 2015
I have no words for how this made me feel. It was beautiful, amazing, and heartbreaking.
August 22, 2011
Love this! Studied it for GCSE and really enjoyed it! So many themes and well developed characters as well as great songs
January 17, 2018
(Start and finish dates not accurate, but the year of read is accurate)
May 8, 2024
read two: i might actually throw up cry whatever please god let it be over soon
read one: eh 3.5 as a stage play is interesting but oh my god the amount i have learnt abt Margaret Thatcher in one lesson today makes me want to cry I GET IT OKAY THE 90S WERE BAD but the play itself is amazing would recommend
and this wraps up my years reading challenge!!
read one: eh 3.5 as a stage play is interesting but oh my god the amount i have learnt abt Margaret Thatcher in one lesson today makes me want to cry I GET IT OKAY THE 90S WERE BAD but the play itself is amazing would recommend
and this wraps up my years reading challenge!!
March 4, 2024
had to read this for class it was alright nothing special though
August 15, 2024
'Blood Brothers' by Willy Russell is the playbook of his worldwide smash hit musical - first staged way back in 1983.
I don't generally read play texts, but picked this one up out of curiosity. I've enjoyed what I've read or seen in the past by Willy Russell and have seen 'Blood Brothers' staged a couple of times.
As a playbook, this is great - it's such a strong and well developed narrative, so well written. It's the story of two Liverpool brothers growing up and it's a very moving, fun, but above all human story.
I'm curious though as to whether the play book would work as well, or in the same way for a reader not familiar with the musical?
'Blood Brothers' is a story about superstition, class, snobbery, secrets and lies - reading the playbook does I think emphasize the darkness running through the heart of this story. It's also amazing how the whole saga can be packed in to just over 100 pages.
Considering that the book, lyrics and music were all written by Willy Russell - it's somewhat surprising that he hasn't had more success with further musicals after this one.
Excellent stuff.
I don't generally read play texts, but picked this one up out of curiosity. I've enjoyed what I've read or seen in the past by Willy Russell and have seen 'Blood Brothers' staged a couple of times.
As a playbook, this is great - it's such a strong and well developed narrative, so well written. It's the story of two Liverpool brothers growing up and it's a very moving, fun, but above all human story.
I'm curious though as to whether the play book would work as well, or in the same way for a reader not familiar with the musical?
'Blood Brothers' is a story about superstition, class, snobbery, secrets and lies - reading the playbook does I think emphasize the darkness running through the heart of this story. It's also amazing how the whole saga can be packed in to just over 100 pages.
Considering that the book, lyrics and music were all written by Willy Russell - it's somewhat surprising that he hasn't had more success with further musicals after this one.
Excellent stuff.
May 30, 2025
this was such an unexpectedly good book - i think the whole plot of it was really cool and how different but the same rhe brothers are
my poor boy mickey will forever be in my heart
if you do read it listen to the songs that j youtube as well bc it gives you so much insight to how it would be performed ifykwim
my poor boy mickey will forever be in my heart
if you do read it listen to the songs that j youtube as well bc it gives you so much insight to how it would be performed ifykwim
December 14, 2019
It was good until the ending. The ending sucked.
February 19, 2022
had to read this for school
April 19, 2023
top linda defender, loved it 👍
March 19, 2024
when will people learn to not put new shoes on the table
September 24, 2024
" But you've got to have an endin', if a start's been made.
No one gets off without the price bein' paid."
No one gets off without the price bein' paid."
August 20, 2021
I read this because my son was studying it at school. I really enjoyed it and would like to see it on stage.
May 28, 2025
Wonderful play - would hate to teach it but incredibly enjoyable
September 14, 2018
I don't really read a lot of plays/musicals and if I do read them, they aren't usually in this genre. But during my GCSEs, this was one of the plays selected for me to study for my exams- so basically I was forced to read this. However, I was surprised that I did enjoy this a little.
The things I most enjoyed about this was the little pieces of comedy, and how there was this whole superstition thing that tied the plot together.
I really liked both of the brothers, but for me Linda was not my cup of tea...
The relationship with the 2 mothers was also really interesting to see and their development was really enjoyable to witness- you could almost see them manipulating and breaking throughout different scenes. I also really enjoyed Sammie, he was quite comical, but also violent.
The music in this too was a bit up and down, some songs were really enjoyable, but others not so much (they all fitted very nicely in the plot though, which was nice as other musicals sometimes don't fit music in nicely for me sometimes).
I would recommend reading this to some, I also watched the play live with my school and I certainly would be lying if I say that I didn't enjoy myself that day.
The things I most enjoyed about this was the little pieces of comedy, and how there was this whole superstition thing that tied the plot together.
I really liked both of the brothers, but for me Linda was not my cup of tea...
The relationship with the 2 mothers was also really interesting to see and their development was really enjoyable to witness- you could almost see them manipulating and breaking throughout different scenes. I also really enjoyed Sammie, he was quite comical, but also violent.
The music in this too was a bit up and down, some songs were really enjoyable, but others not so much (they all fitted very nicely in the plot though, which was nice as other musicals sometimes don't fit music in nicely for me sometimes).
I would recommend reading this to some, I also watched the play live with my school and I certainly would be lying if I say that I didn't enjoy myself that day.
September 4, 2023
Was really bad and slow. The plot was good but the execution was shite. WHY THE FUCK WERE THEY RANDOMLY BURSTING INTO SONG???????? WHATS THE FUCKING POINT???????? LIKE JESUS CHRIST
The book had so much potential but failed miserably. Also, why the fuck in Linda such a hoe? She claims to be madly in love with Mickey, but at the first possible minute shes hooking up with Eddie? Like jesus women, get a grip on yourself. Would give it 0.25 stars if it was possible but alas it is not. I mean, I need to write an essay for higher this year on this shit show of a book. Honestly, do not waste your time on this book, because as you have read in my rant, it is shite.
The book had so much potential but failed miserably. Also, why the fuck in Linda such a hoe? She claims to be madly in love with Mickey, but at the first possible minute shes hooking up with Eddie? Like jesus women, get a grip on yourself. Would give it 0.25 stars if it was possible but alas it is not. I mean, I need to write an essay for higher this year on this shit show of a book. Honestly, do not waste your time on this book, because as you have read in my rant, it is shite.
May 31, 2015
I really really enjoyed this book. The first time I read this it was during my GCSE's. I loved it as much then as I still do now.
I think it is really upsetting that as a mother she wasn't able to keep both her children because she simply couldn't afford too. I don't think that I would ever find myself strong enough to give one of my children up even if it was to go into a life of luxury.
I found this to be quite fast paced which I loved. I'm really glad that I chose to reread this book. It is such a heartbreaking and tragic story.
This is a brilliant piece of literature!
I think it is really upsetting that as a mother she wasn't able to keep both her children because she simply couldn't afford too. I don't think that I would ever find myself strong enough to give one of my children up even if it was to go into a life of luxury.
I found this to be quite fast paced which I loved. I'm really glad that I chose to reread this book. It is such a heartbreaking and tragic story.
This is a brilliant piece of literature!
November 29, 2019
Geçen sene izleme şansı bulduğum çok etkileyici bir müzikal-oyundu. Oyunculardan ve yeniden yorumlanıştan bağımsız olarak ham bir metin olarak nasıl bir eser olduğunu merak ettim. Ve etkileyiciliğinden hiçbir şey kaybetmediğini gördüm, hatta belki önce metni okusam oyunu geride dahi bulabilirdim.
Neşeli, çocuksu başlayan hikaye karakterlerin yaşı büyüdükçe trajediye dönüşüyor. Tıpkı hayatın kendisi gibi..
Neşeli, çocuksu başlayan hikaye karakterlerin yaşı büyüdükçe trajediye dönüşüyor. Tıpkı hayatın kendisi gibi..
January 9, 2024
I am doing this story at school now for GCSES. In all honesty i havent read too many plays so i didnt really know what to expect. I finished this in about 1h 30mins and i actually quite enjoyed it! Probably wouldnt choose to read it because its not my thing- but as its a book from school, it wasnt too bad really! :)
January 1, 2021
good old GCSE English Lit
May 14, 2023
one of the best plays i've studied in school
December 10, 2023
for school 🫠
October 23, 2025
I, surprisingly, wasn’t too shocked by how great this play was, and it’s clearly evident why it’s withstood the test of time to climb the tower of literature’s greatest. Blood Brothers was a book I read fifteen years ago, as part of my English Literature GCSE qualification; but I never thought I’d return to it as a fully-grown (physically, not emotionally) adult. It’s one of the many texts that I read in school which really resonated with me, though I’m not sure why.
It’s a spectacular coming-of-age story that highlights the social divide between the rich and the poor, and it asks many questions about children growing up in these environments, and how it affects them as adults. Each of the characters are compelling and crafted with depth, personality and nuance.
No, I really enjoyed it. Surprisingly, there were many parts of the play that I immediately remembered to the days of being young and free in college. Gorgeous✅
It’s a spectacular coming-of-age story that highlights the social divide between the rich and the poor, and it asks many questions about children growing up in these environments, and how it affects them as adults. Each of the characters are compelling and crafted with depth, personality and nuance.
No, I really enjoyed it. Surprisingly, there were many parts of the play that I immediately remembered to the days of being young and free in college. Gorgeous✅
July 6, 2020
I know I have seen a production of this in my teens - a short, but powerful read. I think with the right group and in the right school this could be a great text for AQA English Literature Paper 2. There is some great method in the foreshadowing and superstition that runs through the action. Clearly, there is an opportunity to look at class and the idea of nature vs nurture.
Certainly seems more engaging for a teenage audience than An Inspector Calls - albeit I enjoy teaching that text. I think it is somewhat more vital and relevant than Delaney’s ‘A Taste if Honey’ although I really enjoyed the national theatre revival of that play I saw in September last year.
Another GCSE set text knocked off the list.
Certainly seems more engaging for a teenage audience than An Inspector Calls - albeit I enjoy teaching that text. I think it is somewhat more vital and relevant than Delaney’s ‘A Taste if Honey’ although I really enjoyed the national theatre revival of that play I saw in September last year.
Another GCSE set text knocked off the list.
November 10, 2021
From reading many different various books and dramas, I have to say Blood Brothers is definitely one of my absolute favourites! Despite the heartbreak reading it, I truly loved the story and music!! The music brought so much life and motion into the play, and it made it so alive!! It was incredible and really enjoyable! The music represented the emotions and feelings of the characters. It showed us the readers an insight into what mood they were in such as tension, happiness and despair. I could never put this book down, there was always something happening and it makes you want to read on! That is why it’s so brilliant, and it does show us the different aspects that can actually happen in life! I highly recommend this musical to everyone, an amazing story which blew me away, but also a heartbreaking one! One of my favourite musicals!!!
January 2, 2021
This play was amazing! It was beautiful, heartbreaking and reflective. A comedy that ends in a tragedy. The play discuss class issues and shows the harsh differences between a working-class woman and a 'rich' woman. A set of twins, one given away so he can have a better life, one trapped in the same vicious life as his mother. Their story is powerful and discusses a range of social issues that needed addressing. I absolutely love Willy Russell's plays and this one was no different. Highly recommed- cannot wait to teach it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2022
A beautiful, tragic story written wonderfully by Russell. He created characters that become real and capture your interest from the beginning of the play. While watching the play live is a necessity - by reading it you don’t lose the magic that comes from live performance. The test of a truly great writer.
March 20, 2024
read this for gcse and absolutely LOVED it! the contrasts between Mickey and Eddie's lives were really well shown and all in all it was an amazing text to study. the songs were great and i hope to see it in the theatre soon!
July 6, 2019
Best book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 442 reviews