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Edith Holler
The strange and entrancing story of a young woman trapped in a ramshackle English playhouse—and the mysterious figure who threatens the theater’s very survival
The year is 1901. England’s beloved queen has died, and her aging son has finally taken the throne. In the eastern city of Norwich, bright and inquisitive young Edith Holler spends her days among the boisterous denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave its confines. Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, she decides to write a play of her a stage adaptation of the legend of Mawther Meg, a vicious figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy known as Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar, imposing woman named Margaret Unthank, heir to the actual Beetle Spread fortune, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theater, and her play—the one thing that’s truly hers—from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by the author’s trademark fantastical illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control—and to reveal inconvenient truths about the way children are used.
12 hours
The year is 1901. England’s beloved queen has died, and her aging son has finally taken the throne. In the eastern city of Norwich, bright and inquisitive young Edith Holler spends her days among the boisterous denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave its confines. Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, she decides to write a play of her a stage adaptation of the legend of Mawther Meg, a vicious figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy known as Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar, imposing woman named Margaret Unthank, heir to the actual Beetle Spread fortune, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theater, and her play—the one thing that’s truly hers—from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by the author’s trademark fantastical illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control—and to reveal inconvenient truths about the way children are used.
12 hours
Audible Audio
First published October 31, 2023
110 people are currently reading
6364 people want to read
About the author
Edward Carey
28 books582 followersEdward Carey is a writer and illustrator who was born in North Walsham, Norfolk, England, during an April snowstorm. Like his father and his grandfather, both officers in the Royal Navy, he attended Pangbourne Nautical College, where the closest he came to following his family calling was playing Captain Andy in the school’s production of Showboat. Afterwards he joined the National Youth Theatre and studied drama at Hull University.
He has written plays for the National Theatre of Romania and the Vilnius Small State Theatre, Lithuania. In England his plays and adaptations have been performed at the Young Vic Studio, the Battersea Arts Centre, and the Royal Opera House Studio. He has collaborated on a shadow puppet production of Macbeth in Malaysia, and with the Faulty Optic Theatre of Puppets.
He is also the author of the novels Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva: the Twins Who Saved a City, which have been translated into thirteen different languages, and both of which he illustrated. He always draws the characters he writes about, but often the illustrations contradict the writing and vice versa and getting both to agree with each other takes him far too long. He has taught creative writing and fairy tales on numerous occasions at the Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, and at the Michener Center and the English Department at the University of Texas at Austin.
He has lived in England, France, Romania, Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, and the United States. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, which is not near the sea.
He has written plays for the National Theatre of Romania and the Vilnius Small State Theatre, Lithuania. In England his plays and adaptations have been performed at the Young Vic Studio, the Battersea Arts Centre, and the Royal Opera House Studio. He has collaborated on a shadow puppet production of Macbeth in Malaysia, and with the Faulty Optic Theatre of Puppets.
He is also the author of the novels Observatory Mansions and Alva and Irva: the Twins Who Saved a City, which have been translated into thirteen different languages, and both of which he illustrated. He always draws the characters he writes about, but often the illustrations contradict the writing and vice versa and getting both to agree with each other takes him far too long. He has taught creative writing and fairy tales on numerous occasions at the Writers Workshop at the University of Iowa, and at the Michener Center and the English Department at the University of Texas at Austin.
He has lived in England, France, Romania, Lithuania, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, and the United States. He currently lives in Austin, Texas, which is not near the sea.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
November 3, 2023
Ghosts and theatre and writing plays...! Ah! I knew very early on the book would have to do something crazy to lose me, and it never managed to get there. It's one of those books where I was sad when I saw how little time I had left in it.
October 5, 2023
What a weird book. And it’s only made quirkier with the author’s illustrations!
ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ. Norwich, 14th century: Norwich is plagued by an infestation of beetles. A woman named Meg discovers the best way to get rid of the beetles is to cook them. Meg created what is known as the town’s beloved Beetle Spread. Around the same time, children have begun to go missing.
ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ. 1901, present day: Enter Edith Holler (age 12). Edith was cursed by her aunt (who later exploded in a blood bath) to never leave Holler Theater, or else she will die & cause the theater to collapse. Hence, Edith has never stepped foot outside the theater & has been raised within its walls. One day, Edith has an epiphany: she is convinced that the lost children of Norwich were stolen by the legendary Mawther Meg & cooked into the Beetle Spread. Edith writes a play to reveal this sinister secret, but her plans to show the play is disrupted when her father announces he is marrying Margaret of the Beetle Spread family…
I said it above & I’ll say it again: This book is weird! As I was reading, I was trying to figure out if Edith was a young girl with an entirely too vivid imagination, if she was mentally unstable, or this involved the supernatural common in horror novels. This book felt like a play about a play. The book was unique & I can’t think of a book I’d liken it to.
The first half felt a little slow as it involved a bit of setup with Norwich’s history & introduction of the characters. However, the second half picked up quite a bit & the illustrations got more & more elaborate! (Note: There are illustrations on almost every page. It’s amazing!)
Anyways, if you’re into the weird macabre/black humor of Wednesday (The Addams Family), the elementary reactions & yet sophisticated imaginings of a pre-teen, as well as the weird quirks & superstitions of playwrights/actors/theater buffs, then this book is for you! It’s totally appropriate for the spooky Halloween season!
Tbh I’d give this book a 3.5 instead of a 4, but ad we can only give whole stars, I’ll round up. Lol
ʙᴀᴄᴋɢʀᴏᴜɴᴅ. Norwich, 14th century: Norwich is plagued by an infestation of beetles. A woman named Meg discovers the best way to get rid of the beetles is to cook them. Meg created what is known as the town’s beloved Beetle Spread. Around the same time, children have begun to go missing.
ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ. 1901, present day: Enter Edith Holler (age 12). Edith was cursed by her aunt (who later exploded in a blood bath) to never leave Holler Theater, or else she will die & cause the theater to collapse. Hence, Edith has never stepped foot outside the theater & has been raised within its walls. One day, Edith has an epiphany: she is convinced that the lost children of Norwich were stolen by the legendary Mawther Meg & cooked into the Beetle Spread. Edith writes a play to reveal this sinister secret, but her plans to show the play is disrupted when her father announces he is marrying Margaret of the Beetle Spread family…
I said it above & I’ll say it again: This book is weird! As I was reading, I was trying to figure out if Edith was a young girl with an entirely too vivid imagination, if she was mentally unstable, or this involved the supernatural common in horror novels. This book felt like a play about a play. The book was unique & I can’t think of a book I’d liken it to.
The first half felt a little slow as it involved a bit of setup with Norwich’s history & introduction of the characters. However, the second half picked up quite a bit & the illustrations got more & more elaborate! (Note: There are illustrations on almost every page. It’s amazing!)
Anyways, if you’re into the weird macabre/black humor of Wednesday (The Addams Family), the elementary reactions & yet sophisticated imaginings of a pre-teen, as well as the weird quirks & superstitions of playwrights/actors/theater buffs, then this book is for you! It’s totally appropriate for the spooky Halloween season!
Tbh I’d give this book a 3.5 instead of a 4, but ad we can only give whole stars, I’ll round up. Lol
February 28, 2024
HOW LOVELY, HOW BEAUTIFUL, HOW STRANGE. This is the only book that I read and truly thought I was going insane, but boy did I have a lovely time reading it!!
December 16, 2024
Quite bizarre! Edith Holler is 12 years old. Her family has run a theatre in Norwich for generations and her father is currently managing it. She has been brought up to believe that if she ever leaves the theatre, it will crumble and fall down. She lives amongst the theatre people and is an object of curiosity amongst the public who believe she cannot speak. They can view her from the street through a plate glass window although she seems mostly to be replaced with a doll, unless she is performing a sketch for them.
I was really enjoying this extraordinary, witty, but quite bizarre tale until the last third or so. I thought Edith was having some sort of psychotic breakdown but no, we were to believe that what she was experiencing was actually happening. That was a step too far for me. I don’t enjoy magical realism or fantasy and this was way beyond both. Right up to the end, I was waiting for reality to interject itself again but I was disappointed.
3.5 stars. I read this because I knew I would enjoy the Norwich setting and because Gumble’s Yard’s review intrigued me. Having reread his review, it seems he struggled with the direction it took as well. Recommended if you would enjoy a really bizarre journey!
I was really enjoying this extraordinary, witty, but quite bizarre tale until the last third or so. I thought Edith was having some sort of psychotic breakdown but no, we were to believe that what she was experiencing was actually happening. That was a step too far for me. I don’t enjoy magical realism or fantasy and this was way beyond both. Right up to the end, I was waiting for reality to interject itself again but I was disappointed.
3.5 stars. I read this because I knew I would enjoy the Norwich setting and because Gumble’s Yard’s review intrigued me. Having reread his review, it seems he struggled with the direction it took as well. Recommended if you would enjoy a really bizarre journey!
November 23, 2023
Such a strange book…from the imaginative mind of Edward Carey! Part fable part horror story…go figure! A transportive book, needed at this time, and a lovable EDITH HOLLER, doing her best to make people see what the reality is that they are living in! Good does succeed, but it was a long theatrical production, to make them believers!
March 4, 2024
Sometimes books just feel like they were written for you. This book is a perfect blend of Sweeney Todd, Coraline, Charles Dickens, and Phantom Of The Opera, while maintaining a plot and characters that are wholly original. The illustrations throughout brought me so much joy and contributed so much to the already vivid imagery painted throughout. I’ll be talking about this book for a while.
January 21, 2024
The most original thing I’ve ever read! Astounding.
September 29, 2025
Edith Holler is one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. It’s bizarre, beautiful, and quirky. It should feel dark and unsettling, but the tone is somehow humorous and sharp. Set in Norwich in 1901, it reads like a gothic fairytale.
Edith Holler was born in a theatre, and she’s never left it. Everyone knows that if she tries to leave, the theatre will literally fall apart. This has made Edith peculiar and strange, with a wild imagination she channels into writing plays. Her latest play brings to life the local story of Mawther Meg, the creator of the beetlespread. The spread, originally brown, is now very red. And children are going missing in town. Edith begins to connect the dots. Unfortunately, her father is about to remarry the beetlespread lady… and she has very sharp, red teeth.
This story was wonderfully bizarre. It had so many twists and quirky turns; it was just strange in the best way. The writing was sharp and ingenious. I adored Edith, she was bright, weird, and weirdly likable. The theatre itself felt like a character, creaking and collapsing, blurring the line between performance/prophecy and reality. Honestly, I don’t even know how to review this. It was the perfect mix of weirdness, darkness, and humor, with a healthy dash of ghosts, plays, and peculiar characters.
Edith Holler was born in a theatre, and she’s never left it. Everyone knows that if she tries to leave, the theatre will literally fall apart. This has made Edith peculiar and strange, with a wild imagination she channels into writing plays. Her latest play brings to life the local story of Mawther Meg, the creator of the beetlespread. The spread, originally brown, is now very red. And children are going missing in town. Edith begins to connect the dots. Unfortunately, her father is about to remarry the beetlespread lady… and she has very sharp, red teeth.
This story was wonderfully bizarre. It had so many twists and quirky turns; it was just strange in the best way. The writing was sharp and ingenious. I adored Edith, she was bright, weird, and weirdly likable. The theatre itself felt like a character, creaking and collapsing, blurring the line between performance/prophecy and reality. Honestly, I don’t even know how to review this. It was the perfect mix of weirdness, darkness, and humor, with a healthy dash of ghosts, plays, and peculiar characters.
November 26, 2023
It's not terrible, the world's a stage stuff is pretty clever... But I just have better things to read, y'know?
February 1, 2025
I will always disappear into any world that Edward creates
Read
July 17, 2025DNFFFFFF idk WHAT it was about this book but i could not get myself through it. i officially admit defeat. my only theory is that it was a male author………..
January 13, 2024
Wow! Lots of very cool things happening here. A strange, fablelike novel that breeds into the quirkiness of a Yorgos Lanthimos film, complete with breathtaking illustrations from Carey of parts I’ve never seen visualized before.
It’s crudely funny from time to time—calling someone a “stain” in passing or a nonchalant “dull Edith”. The plot is a very well imagined horror fairytale. Edith’s anatomical tie to the construction of the theater made for very good (and original!) suspense as they both crack and bruise under pressure.
Then as the story moves underground for a while, I thought the discovery of Unnorwich to not be as major as it set out to be. It seems a place as such would be life changing for Edith, but it’s not all that grand. I also thought the transition into Margaret’s overtaking of the playhouse to be sort of awkward, it just sort of happens and you’re never really told how she finally got her hands on the business seemingly so easily because it would surely take more than just a manipulation.
Forget all of that though—this has a punchy over-the-top ending I’m obsessing over. It just kept getting weirder and more grotesque, probably my two favorite literary words. Unspeakable things happen off the rails, in new ways. Blood explosions, smoke ghosts, thousands of beetles. It has the dramatics of being at the real theater and I’m having the same reeling feeling you get after walking out of a great movie.
It’s crudely funny from time to time—calling someone a “stain” in passing or a nonchalant “dull Edith”. The plot is a very well imagined horror fairytale. Edith’s anatomical tie to the construction of the theater made for very good (and original!) suspense as they both crack and bruise under pressure.
Then as the story moves underground for a while, I thought the discovery of Unnorwich to not be as major as it set out to be. It seems a place as such would be life changing for Edith, but it’s not all that grand. I also thought the transition into Margaret’s overtaking of the playhouse to be sort of awkward, it just sort of happens and you’re never really told how she finally got her hands on the business seemingly so easily because it would surely take more than just a manipulation.
Forget all of that though—this has a punchy over-the-top ending I’m obsessing over. It just kept getting weirder and more grotesque, probably my two favorite literary words. Unspeakable things happen off the rails, in new ways. Blood explosions, smoke ghosts, thousands of beetles. It has the dramatics of being at the real theater and I’m having the same reeling feeling you get after walking out of a great movie.
November 30, 2023
I kind of, mostly, liked this strange tale. However, it took a lot to get past the first person narration by our title character Edith Holler. For a good 2/3rds it felt like she was endlessly going on and on about the theater with asides every other sentence about the people in the theater…you’d better REALLY enjoy the theater before diving in here. But, it was good quirky and has an extremely satisfying ending. Definitely a book for when you want a meandering read that you want to sink your teeth into rather than the other way around.
December 9, 2023
Sort of like Coraline meets Edward Gorey, for adults. I loved the premise, but the execution didn't quite live up to it.
Content notes: Detailed descriptions of violent deaths (of children and adults). Implied child sexual abuse of a major character. Emotionally abusive family. Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization.
Content notes: Detailed descriptions of violent deaths (of children and adults). Implied child sexual abuse of a major character. Emotionally abusive family. Involuntary psychiatric hospitalization.
November 19, 2023
4 for creativity. This one read to me like a stage actors fever dream. Peculiar.
May 18, 2024
Weird. Disturbing. Amazing !!!!!!!!!
November 3, 2023
(This took a little longer to read only because I had to put it down while I worked on a project)
I read Edward Carey’s previous book LITTLE, so I knew what to expect. A very animated, quirky, and some what fairytale-ish of a book. Edith Holler is a 13 yr old girl in 1901 who is born and raised in a theatre and has never once left the theatre due to a curse that a former actor put on both her and the theatre. If she were to leave she would not survive and the theatre would crumble. The book pulled me in at first because the setting was intriguing and Edith was so lovable. Edith was determined to tell the town of Norwich why so many children disappeared and she was going to do it via a play she wrote. Towards the end the book turned into a rather bizarre tale that I didn’t particularly care for. It became dark and very weird but saved itself by the way Carey ended it. If you like strange and peculiar, offbeat books then this book will not disappoint. You will meet and fall in love with Edith and enjoy all the pictures that Carey provides you throughout
I read Edward Carey’s previous book LITTLE, so I knew what to expect. A very animated, quirky, and some what fairytale-ish of a book. Edith Holler is a 13 yr old girl in 1901 who is born and raised in a theatre and has never once left the theatre due to a curse that a former actor put on both her and the theatre. If she were to leave she would not survive and the theatre would crumble. The book pulled me in at first because the setting was intriguing and Edith was so lovable. Edith was determined to tell the town of Norwich why so many children disappeared and she was going to do it via a play she wrote. Towards the end the book turned into a rather bizarre tale that I didn’t particularly care for. It became dark and very weird but saved itself by the way Carey ended it. If you like strange and peculiar, offbeat books then this book will not disappoint. You will meet and fall in love with Edith and enjoy all the pictures that Carey provides you throughout
December 9, 2024
You weird weird book how I loved you
November 17, 2024
Loved this one. A bit out there but so enjoyable!
December 3, 2023
I loved this book, full of dark humor and horror. Very strange, with many unexpected twists. If you love the theatre and horror, you'll love Edith Holler and her adventures in the Holler Theatre.
January 28, 2025
"Sono Edith Theatre, mi dicevo. Conosco i vari mostri. Conosco la verità dei lemuri, mangio spettri a cena, sono fuoco e peste, sono colei che fa incantesimi, che imbastisce storie. Sono il ragno, sono la mosca. Sono profonda e tenebrosa e scateno l’inferno. Passano i giorni e i miei capelli restano arruffati. Dove vado lascio una scia di sangue. Mi mangio le unghie. Sono la drammaturga."
Sei stata tutto in questa storia, Edith. Non la bambina malaticcia e maledetta, ma la sola che ha scoperto un segreto aberrante, che ha provato a smascherarlo, a combatterlo.
"Qui, nella mia città, ho scoperto qualcos’altro, qualcosa di inspiegabile, qualcosa di terribile che è andata avanti per secoli, qualcosa che sento l’urgenza di mettere nero su bianco: sono scomparsi così tanti bambini, ci sono bambini smarriti ovunque. A ogni angolo di Norwich, da Conesford a Wymer, da Mancroft a Over the Water. E non sono mai stati ritrovati, nemmeno uno."
Una bambina che non viene creduta, che viene relegata, messa da parte, e che decide di scrivere una storia per riuscire a farsi sentire.
"Come farei senza le storie quando sono a letto malata. Sono loro a salvarmi, questo è certo. Perché noi siamo fatti di storie, questo è chiaro, e alcune sono vere e altre no, e alcune sono in parte verità e in parte menzogna: be', questo forse si può dire di ogni storia."
È un romanzo, questo, che affonda le radici nel tradizionale teatro inglese e nei suoi protagonisti, così come nelle storie ataviche, maledette, che raccontano delle origini del Male ma che si sono tramandate solo come leggende e nulla più, perché gli adulti spesso fingono di non vedere, altrimenti la paura li atterrirebbe.
"È risaputo che i corvi debbano rimanere alla Torre di Londra, altrimenti la Corona crollerà e la Gran Bretagna anche. Questa è una credenza di Londra. Qui, nella parte orientale dell’Inghilterra, abbiamo le nostre credenze: è buona cosa avere una moneta piegata da sei penny in tasca; se hai i brividi, qualcuno sta camminando sulla tua futura tomba; se rompi due cose, ne romperai di certo una terza; se metti la scopa in un angolo, riceverai la visita di sconosciuti; se inciampi al piano di sopra, ti sposi entro la fine dell’anno; se mangi il midollo di maiale, impazzisci; non devi mai guardare la luna nuova da un vetro; i cavalli hanno il potere di vedere i fantasmi; devi sempre bruciare il dente che ti hanno estratto, altrimenti, se un cane se lo mangia, ti crescerà un dente di cane; il bambino maledetto in casa fuori morirà, e la bambina pure. Bene allora, io sono una di quelle bambine."
Che bambina. E che storia ha tirato fuori Carey.
5 ⭐
Sei stata tutto in questa storia, Edith. Non la bambina malaticcia e maledetta, ma la sola che ha scoperto un segreto aberrante, che ha provato a smascherarlo, a combatterlo.
"Qui, nella mia città, ho scoperto qualcos’altro, qualcosa di inspiegabile, qualcosa di terribile che è andata avanti per secoli, qualcosa che sento l’urgenza di mettere nero su bianco: sono scomparsi così tanti bambini, ci sono bambini smarriti ovunque. A ogni angolo di Norwich, da Conesford a Wymer, da Mancroft a Over the Water. E non sono mai stati ritrovati, nemmeno uno."
Una bambina che non viene creduta, che viene relegata, messa da parte, e che decide di scrivere una storia per riuscire a farsi sentire.
"Come farei senza le storie quando sono a letto malata. Sono loro a salvarmi, questo è certo. Perché noi siamo fatti di storie, questo è chiaro, e alcune sono vere e altre no, e alcune sono in parte verità e in parte menzogna: be', questo forse si può dire di ogni storia."
È un romanzo, questo, che affonda le radici nel tradizionale teatro inglese e nei suoi protagonisti, così come nelle storie ataviche, maledette, che raccontano delle origini del Male ma che si sono tramandate solo come leggende e nulla più, perché gli adulti spesso fingono di non vedere, altrimenti la paura li atterrirebbe.
"È risaputo che i corvi debbano rimanere alla Torre di Londra, altrimenti la Corona crollerà e la Gran Bretagna anche. Questa è una credenza di Londra. Qui, nella parte orientale dell’Inghilterra, abbiamo le nostre credenze: è buona cosa avere una moneta piegata da sei penny in tasca; se hai i brividi, qualcuno sta camminando sulla tua futura tomba; se rompi due cose, ne romperai di certo una terza; se metti la scopa in un angolo, riceverai la visita di sconosciuti; se inciampi al piano di sopra, ti sposi entro la fine dell’anno; se mangi il midollo di maiale, impazzisci; non devi mai guardare la luna nuova da un vetro; i cavalli hanno il potere di vedere i fantasmi; devi sempre bruciare il dente che ti hanno estratto, altrimenti, se un cane se lo mangia, ti crescerà un dente di cane; il bambino maledetto in casa fuori morirà, e la bambina pure. Bene allora, io sono una di quelle bambine."
Che bambina. E che storia ha tirato fuori Carey.
5 ⭐
December 5, 2023
What a strange novel. I can’t even compare it to anything, because there isn’t anything else out there like this. It’s basically a novel about a young lady who writes a play, but then it becomes so much more. Needless to say, I enjoyed it.
The first half of this novel felt a little slow as it involved the setup with Norwich’s history, & the introduction of all the characters. However, the second half picked up quite a bit & things began to happen. I spent most of the novel trying to figure out if Edith was a young girl with a very vivid imagination, if she was mentally unstable, or this involved the supernatural. It all becomes clear soon enough, as you are taken on a trip through a section of Edith Holler’s life.
I adored the parts about the little quirks & superstitions of playwrights/actors that live on the stage. It made me miss being on the stage quite a bit, and brought back a lot of memories as well. Well done, Mr. Carey!
Jayne Entwistle Is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel. I’d grown to love Entwistle’s work in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, and other novels by Sophie Kinsella and Fiona Barton. I was very happy to see her name attached to this novel, and that my library now has 3 whole pages full of her audiobooks. Huzzah! I loved how well Ms. Entwistle was again able to handle the huge cast in this novel so well, and how everyone sounded like a separate person.
Thank you Ms. Entwistle for another wonderful performance, and to Books on Tape for another great audiobook work. Kudos to you all.
3.5 stars, rounded up. Recommended.
The first half of this novel felt a little slow as it involved the setup with Norwich’s history, & the introduction of all the characters. However, the second half picked up quite a bit & things began to happen. I spent most of the novel trying to figure out if Edith was a young girl with a very vivid imagination, if she was mentally unstable, or this involved the supernatural. It all becomes clear soon enough, as you are taken on a trip through a section of Edith Holler’s life.
I adored the parts about the little quirks & superstitions of playwrights/actors that live on the stage. It made me miss being on the stage quite a bit, and brought back a lot of memories as well. Well done, Mr. Carey!
Jayne Entwistle Is the narrator for the audiobook version of this novel. I’d grown to love Entwistle’s work in the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, and other novels by Sophie Kinsella and Fiona Barton. I was very happy to see her name attached to this novel, and that my library now has 3 whole pages full of her audiobooks. Huzzah! I loved how well Ms. Entwistle was again able to handle the huge cast in this novel so well, and how everyone sounded like a separate person.
Thank you Ms. Entwistle for another wonderful performance, and to Books on Tape for another great audiobook work. Kudos to you all.
3.5 stars, rounded up. Recommended.
November 9, 2023
This book is unlike anything I have ever read before and that is a good thing! I got this one from my library because the premise sounded so unique...a young girl trapped in a ramshackle theater 🎭?...SIGN ME UP! This novel had so much imagination (assisted by Edward Carey's incredible illustrations) and the language employing such descriptive turns of phrase...I may just have to go out a buy a copy so I can reread it any time I want!
Perfect for fans of: 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', 'Goosebumps', and 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'!
Goodreads Score: 5 stars
CAWPILE Score: 64/70
CAWPILE, is a reading rating system created by G at Book Roast, whose acronym is a handy tool in scoring each book along seven key indicators. My scores in each indicator below are out of 10 possible points.
Characters: 10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10
Writing Style: 8
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 9
Logic/Relationships: 8
Enjoyment: 10
Perfect for fans of: 'Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark', 'Goosebumps', and 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'!
Goodreads Score: 5 stars
CAWPILE Score: 64/70
CAWPILE, is a reading rating system created by G at Book Roast, whose acronym is a handy tool in scoring each book along seven key indicators. My scores in each indicator below are out of 10 possible points.
Characters: 10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10
Writing Style: 8
Plot: 9
Intrigue: 9
Logic/Relationships: 8
Enjoyment: 10
November 30, 2023
This book is fucking phenomenal. It would undoubtedly be the best novel I read this year if I hadn't started out the year with _Demon Copperhead_. Knowing nothing about it, I chose it from the library's New Books display. Before two days passed I'd bought my own copy and finished it. Dazzling.
March 24, 2024
Strange, creepy, imaginative, sometimes funny. History-laden without feeling blatantly historical. Sprinkled throughout with delightful illustrations. A satisfying study of structure and expectation and storytelling. Also lots and lots of beetles.
did-not-finish
January 8, 2024DNF @ 12% on audio. I couldn't get into this one.
January 12, 2024
File this under weird books for weird girls
October 5, 2024
Norwich,1901. Twelve year old Edith Holler spends her days among the eccentric denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave, thanks to a Curse made at her birth by a mad aunt.
Fascinated by tales of Norwich that she knows only from the windows and rooftop of the theatre, Edith decides to write a play of her own about Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy, Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar woman named Margaret Unthank, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play – the one thing that’s truly hers – from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
I read Edward Carey's Little - the story of an orphan in Revolutionary Paris who ultimately transforms herself into Madame Tussaud - a few years ago, and found it a really compelling, so I was interested and curious to see where this latest novel would take me.
Like Little, Edith Holler is dark and grotesque, and is peppered with Carey's unique and quirky illustrations. They perfectly match the quirky, witty and wryly humorous writing, which is threaded through with a constant vein of humour, an element which proves to be really important for the novel to work, given how, by turns, the story is surreal, horrific, macabre, dark and sad. (Perfect October reading in many ways!)
The author is a playwright as well as a novelist and this informs and shapes the world of the novel, providing its setting, and also its structure, which is written in five acts.
It has a huge cast of characters who are all larger than life, and who mostly range between freakish, sinister, weak, cruel and unlikeable, though there are some who gain the sympathies of the reader.
Set as it is in the world of the theatre, the novel revolves around stories, storytelling, and great drama such as Shakespeare as well as local legend and folklore.
This is a novel built around the concept of belief - of believing, or not believing - as themes of truth and illusion, image and perception, performance and reality, are explored. As it does so, it requires a big suspension of disbelief on behalf of the reader.
Some prior knowledge of Norwich's history and folklore - or a propensity for Google research - is another requirement which would enable the reader to better appreciate the nuances, allusions and references which abound in this novel.
Power and agency are central to the story of Edith Holler. Margaret Utting has claimed for herself enormous agency and power, whilst initially Edith has none. She is trapped by superstition, bound by tradition and legacy, and lives in a world of drama and stories.
Controlled by her family, she has no freedom beyond the theatre, her view and perception of the real world is shaped and determined by her hidebound existence, and the things she views from her window and the theatre roof. Her story is one of realisation and the journey towards gaining control of her own life and destiny.
If your tastes lean towards cleverly constructed, well observed literary fiction that is dark, disturbing and eccentric, Edith Holler could well be the read you're looking for.
Thank you so much to Claire Handscombe at Gallic Books for my AD-GIFTED copy.
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
Fascinated by tales of Norwich that she knows only from the windows and rooftop of the theatre, Edith decides to write a play of her own about Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy, Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar woman named Margaret Unthank, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play – the one thing that’s truly hers – from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
I read Edward Carey's Little - the story of an orphan in Revolutionary Paris who ultimately transforms herself into Madame Tussaud - a few years ago, and found it a really compelling, so I was interested and curious to see where this latest novel would take me.
Like Little, Edith Holler is dark and grotesque, and is peppered with Carey's unique and quirky illustrations. They perfectly match the quirky, witty and wryly humorous writing, which is threaded through with a constant vein of humour, an element which proves to be really important for the novel to work, given how, by turns, the story is surreal, horrific, macabre, dark and sad. (Perfect October reading in many ways!)
The author is a playwright as well as a novelist and this informs and shapes the world of the novel, providing its setting, and also its structure, which is written in five acts.
It has a huge cast of characters who are all larger than life, and who mostly range between freakish, sinister, weak, cruel and unlikeable, though there are some who gain the sympathies of the reader.
Set as it is in the world of the theatre, the novel revolves around stories, storytelling, and great drama such as Shakespeare as well as local legend and folklore.
This is a novel built around the concept of belief - of believing, or not believing - as themes of truth and illusion, image and perception, performance and reality, are explored. As it does so, it requires a big suspension of disbelief on behalf of the reader.
Some prior knowledge of Norwich's history and folklore - or a propensity for Google research - is another requirement which would enable the reader to better appreciate the nuances, allusions and references which abound in this novel.
Power and agency are central to the story of Edith Holler. Margaret Utting has claimed for herself enormous agency and power, whilst initially Edith has none. She is trapped by superstition, bound by tradition and legacy, and lives in a world of drama and stories.
Controlled by her family, she has no freedom beyond the theatre, her view and perception of the real world is shaped and determined by her hidebound existence, and the things she views from her window and the theatre roof. Her story is one of realisation and the journey towards gaining control of her own life and destiny.
If your tastes lean towards cleverly constructed, well observed literary fiction that is dark, disturbing and eccentric, Edith Holler could well be the read you're looking for.
Thank you so much to Claire Handscombe at Gallic Books for my AD-GIFTED copy.
3.75 stars rounded up to 4.
November 8, 2025
Weird… but worth it!
This book is told through the voice of 12 year old Edith Holler. A young girl who lives within the Holler theatre in Norwich (also knows as the theatre royal). Edith is forbidden to leave the theatre because her father has told her that the theatre will literally fall down if she ever steps foot on to the streets of Norwich.
However, Edith is fascinated by the stories of Norwich and the denizens that she spends her days with gain her books and papers to tell her these stories. However, Edith notices that the children are going missing but no one is listening to her concerns.
Edith is not allowed to speak on stage. So, to tell her story of the missing children and Mawther Meg, Edith writes a play! To tell this story to all. To find her voice and to be heard. However, when her play is in preproduction, her father announces his engagement to a Margaret Unthank. But Edith has this woman all figured out. Edith scrambles to save her father, the theatre and her play from the new mother. But… she cannot do it alone and she must find those who believe her story and her suspicions before it’s too late.
A wonderfully written story with colourful characters woven throughout. Told through a twelve year olds voice gives the book an air of a play. As if you’re following a child through a game they play with others. Littered with illustrations draw by the author this is a good book for those who need something for spooky season but want a different voice to follow.
This book is told through the voice of 12 year old Edith Holler. A young girl who lives within the Holler theatre in Norwich (also knows as the theatre royal). Edith is forbidden to leave the theatre because her father has told her that the theatre will literally fall down if she ever steps foot on to the streets of Norwich.
However, Edith is fascinated by the stories of Norwich and the denizens that she spends her days with gain her books and papers to tell her these stories. However, Edith notices that the children are going missing but no one is listening to her concerns.
Edith is not allowed to speak on stage. So, to tell her story of the missing children and Mawther Meg, Edith writes a play! To tell this story to all. To find her voice and to be heard. However, when her play is in preproduction, her father announces his engagement to a Margaret Unthank. But Edith has this woman all figured out. Edith scrambles to save her father, the theatre and her play from the new mother. But… she cannot do it alone and she must find those who believe her story and her suspicions before it’s too late.
A wonderfully written story with colourful characters woven throughout. Told through a twelve year olds voice gives the book an air of a play. As if you’re following a child through a game they play with others. Littered with illustrations draw by the author this is a good book for those who need something for spooky season but want a different voice to follow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2025
A strange, dark and wonderful fairytale for adults. The Holler family own Norwich's only theatre. All her life, 12 year old Edith Holler has been trapped there by a curse: if she steps foot outside the theatre, it will be the end of both her and the theatre. She sees the outside world through books and spots that local children are disappearing. No-one will listen to her theory that they are being mixed into Norwich's famous, much loved Beetle Spread, owned by the Utting family. Instead she makes herself heard by writing a play about it. But her father falls for Margaret Utting - lovely but with a smell of death about her, Margaret changes everything.
The characters are marvellously eccentric. Like Aunt Bleachy, nicknamed due to her vigorous theatre cleaning, who often communicates in advertising speak for cleaning products. Or eternal understudy to Edith's father, Mr Collins, who even understudies the father role, stepping in when Edith's own father is too busy. But there's a sadness about them that's heartfelt and I was so rooting for them.
Drawing on Norwich mythology and folklore, this is a love letter to theatre, the tale of a girl finding her voice, death, beetles and revenge, that adults don't always know what's best and that everyone has a part to play. Read the physical book because the many illustrations are an increasingly disturbing treat. When so many books are predictably formulaic, it's a delight to spend time with something so original, curious and beautiful.
The characters are marvellously eccentric. Like Aunt Bleachy, nicknamed due to her vigorous theatre cleaning, who often communicates in advertising speak for cleaning products. Or eternal understudy to Edith's father, Mr Collins, who even understudies the father role, stepping in when Edith's own father is too busy. But there's a sadness about them that's heartfelt and I was so rooting for them.
Drawing on Norwich mythology and folklore, this is a love letter to theatre, the tale of a girl finding her voice, death, beetles and revenge, that adults don't always know what's best and that everyone has a part to play. Read the physical book because the many illustrations are an increasingly disturbing treat. When so many books are predictably formulaic, it's a delight to spend time with something so original, curious and beautiful.
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