A story of love and ambition among the folk of the Palace Theatre, a place of glamour and excitement to the people of Swansea, Wales at the turn of the twentieth century. The Palace will be the first story in a thrilling new series about the Palace Theatre.
Iris Gower (b. 1935) was a Swansea-based novelist. Her historical romances are all set within Swansea and Gower in South Wales.
Iris (real name Iris Davies) was born in Mumbles and lived in Derwen Fawr, a part of Sketty, Swansea. She had four adult children, though her husband of 48 years, Tudor Davies, died on 15 April 2002 after suffering a major stroke. She later lived with a partner, Peter.
She was one of the top-selling authors in the country, and was awarded an MA in Creative Writing by Cardiff University, as well as an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Wales, Swansea. She wrote and published around 40 books including 26 novels.
Gower died at Singleton Hospital, Swansea on 20 July, 2010. She was 75 years old.
When Ella Burton takes a job as a cleaner at The Palace Theatre in Swansea she falls in love with the place and it doesn’t take her long to fall in love with the Manager Anthony. She is in her element when he promotes her to wardrobe dresser.
But tragedy strikes and Ella and her mother are left with no money, and Ella does not hear from Anthony who has left take a position in Yorkshire, so she marries the man her father had chosen for her even though she does not love him.
Jolly is a good husband to Ella. He leaves his job and buys The Palace and Anthony comes back to work for him. They fall on hard times though and it is a struggle, then Ella loses Jolly and finds she is again left with no money and 6 children. She does some brain storming and comes with an idea to save The Palace.
This was an okay story, there were parts of it I thought not so good but overall an okay read.