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Linda
I'm an award-winning business woman. I'm happily married with two beautiful daughters and I still fit in the same size-ten dress suit I did fifteen years ago. What could possibly threaten me?Linda Wilde has dedicated her life to changing the world. She's won awards for her efforts, at the same time as working hard to become an inspiring mother, and an independent, loving wife.Now, at 55, she seems to have it all. She's a woman in her prime. She's embarking on her most ambitious plan to date. Beneath the surface, though, the cracks are starting to show.Linda by Penelope Skinner premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in November 2015.
217 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 3, 2015
2 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Penelope Skinner
18 books8 followersPenelope Skinner is a British playwright who came to prominence after her play Fucked was first produced in 2008 at the Old Red Lion Theatre and the Edinburgh Festival to huge critical acclaim and has had successive plays staged in London including at the Bush Theatre, National Theatre and Royal Court Theatre, where she is a member of the Young Writers Programme.
Her play Eigengrau staged at the Bush Theatre in 2010 was a critical and box office hit and Skinner was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2010. Eigengrau was revived at the Fitzpatrick Hall theatre in Cambridge in March 2012.
Skinner's play The Village Bike was her first play to be staged at the Royal Court Theatre where it had a sell out, twice-extended run starring Romola Garai and directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, winning her the George Devine Award and the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2011.
In 2011 she wrote episodes for the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat. In 2011, her play The Sound of Heavy Rain was produced in Sheffield Theatres before going on tour sponsored by Paines Plough.
Her play Fred's Diner was staged at the Chichester Festival Theatre's pop-up stage, following which The Independent newspaper described Skinner as "Our leading young feminist writer."
In 2013 Skinner co-wrote the screenplay for the film How I Live Now.
- Wikipedia
See also: her sister, Ginny Skinner with whom she wrote the graphic novel Briony Hatch.
Her play Eigengrau staged at the Bush Theatre in 2010 was a critical and box office hit and Skinner was nominated for the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2010. Eigengrau was revived at the Fitzpatrick Hall theatre in Cambridge in March 2012.
Skinner's play The Village Bike was her first play to be staged at the Royal Court Theatre where it had a sell out, twice-extended run starring Romola Garai and directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins, winning her the George Devine Award and the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2011.
In 2011 she wrote episodes for the Channel 4 series Fresh Meat. In 2011, her play The Sound of Heavy Rain was produced in Sheffield Theatres before going on tour sponsored by Paines Plough.
Her play Fred's Diner was staged at the Chichester Festival Theatre's pop-up stage, following which The Independent newspaper described Skinner as "Our leading young feminist writer."
In 2013 Skinner co-wrote the screenplay for the film How I Live Now.
- Wikipedia
See also: her sister, Ginny Skinner with whom she wrote the graphic novel Briony Hatch.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 31, 2016
Linda's power as a play is founded upon the disturbing relevance regarding how Western culture regards women, particularly middle-aged women. Penelope Skinner masterfully examines the influence of the cultural male-gaze within our society, and its impact upon women of various ages. Linda questions the progress of gender politics, highlighting the disturbing trend of the expectations placed upon modern women - how the antiquated expectations of women as being mothers, as well as career-women, as well as adhering to 'feminine respectability' are still prevalent and highly destructive. Linda is a devastating reflection upon the various pressures modern women face, and how the fault-lines of these pressures influence future generations.
February 6, 2017
4.5 stars.
I went into Linda thinking that I wouldn't like it. I can't tell you exactly why that is. All I knew about it when I sat down to read it was that it is a play (I'm not much of a play reader, but is anyone?), it's expensive to buy a copy off (which I guess set me off on the wrong foot), and it has something to do with work, hence why I'm studying it on a work experience module at university. None of that really explains why I expected to dislike it, but that's how I felt up until this afternoon. I guess I thought that Linda would be preachy and over-dramatic, as well as being difficult to connect to in its play form. At times, it was all of those things, but it was also astonishingly good.
This is a very limiting statement to make, but this, to me, is like a twenty-first century Top Girls. Granted, Top Girls is the only other feminist play that I've read, but they have similarities in their focus on career women and families and woman's endless quest to have it all. Linda is less political than Top Girls, however, and also a lot easier to follow. Those things actually made it better than Top Girls in my opinion. This is a play which is grounded in real life. It's engaging and dramatic, but it's also very personal.
Despite the lack of descriptiveness that comes with playscripts, you get to know Linda really, really well. You get deep into her psychology, but you also come to understood that how she views herself is different to how the rest of the world sees her. More than that, however, I can't remember the last time I read any book where the main character was a fifty-something woman. I can't remember the last time I watched a film or TV show matching that criteria either. As a nineteen year old girl, it's fair to say that I don't always gravitate towards media aimed at that particular demographic, but I still think that there's a general underrepresentation of older women in all areas. For Skinner to address that underrepresentation so eloquently and assertively in this play is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
This play also isn't shy when it comes to tackling sexism and ageism head-on. The male characters in this play come across horribly, and all of the female characters appear to be in some sort of crisis about who they are, who they should be, and, above all else, how they should look in order to achieve that. This play is majorly concerned with body image. It addresses the advantages and disadvantages of being beautiful, 'average', confident, meek, young, and old. At the end of the play, the conclusion seems to be that there's no way for women to win, and I think that's pretty much right. Neil - one of the few male characters in this play - begins it by proclaiming that everyone loves Hamlet because it's universal. Perhaps that's true, but it seems that for women there's a bigger question than 'To be or not to be': To be a career woman or a housewife or try to somehow be both? That is the question.
I wouldn't say that Linda is a perfect play, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I imagine that I'd be blown away if I watched it on a stage. It's so filled with tension and emotion and the role of Linda is an incredible one. I'm terribly sorry to Penelope Skinner for doubting her work for no reason before I'd even read the blurb. I don't know what I expected Linda to be, but I was stunned to find how relevant, honest, and thought-provoking it was. Long live this play and others like it.
I went into Linda thinking that I wouldn't like it. I can't tell you exactly why that is. All I knew about it when I sat down to read it was that it is a play (I'm not much of a play reader, but is anyone?), it's expensive to buy a copy off (which I guess set me off on the wrong foot), and it has something to do with work, hence why I'm studying it on a work experience module at university. None of that really explains why I expected to dislike it, but that's how I felt up until this afternoon. I guess I thought that Linda would be preachy and over-dramatic, as well as being difficult to connect to in its play form. At times, it was all of those things, but it was also astonishingly good.
This is a very limiting statement to make, but this, to me, is like a twenty-first century Top Girls. Granted, Top Girls is the only other feminist play that I've read, but they have similarities in their focus on career women and families and woman's endless quest to have it all. Linda is less political than Top Girls, however, and also a lot easier to follow. Those things actually made it better than Top Girls in my opinion. This is a play which is grounded in real life. It's engaging and dramatic, but it's also very personal.
Despite the lack of descriptiveness that comes with playscripts, you get to know Linda really, really well. You get deep into her psychology, but you also come to understood that how she views herself is different to how the rest of the world sees her. More than that, however, I can't remember the last time I read any book where the main character was a fifty-something woman. I can't remember the last time I watched a film or TV show matching that criteria either. As a nineteen year old girl, it's fair to say that I don't always gravitate towards media aimed at that particular demographic, but I still think that there's a general underrepresentation of older women in all areas. For Skinner to address that underrepresentation so eloquently and assertively in this play is a wonderful, wonderful thing.
This play also isn't shy when it comes to tackling sexism and ageism head-on. The male characters in this play come across horribly, and all of the female characters appear to be in some sort of crisis about who they are, who they should be, and, above all else, how they should look in order to achieve that. This play is majorly concerned with body image. It addresses the advantages and disadvantages of being beautiful, 'average', confident, meek, young, and old. At the end of the play, the conclusion seems to be that there's no way for women to win, and I think that's pretty much right. Neil - one of the few male characters in this play - begins it by proclaiming that everyone loves Hamlet because it's universal. Perhaps that's true, but it seems that for women there's a bigger question than 'To be or not to be': To be a career woman or a housewife or try to somehow be both? That is the question.
I wouldn't say that Linda is a perfect play, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and I imagine that I'd be blown away if I watched it on a stage. It's so filled with tension and emotion and the role of Linda is an incredible one. I'm terribly sorry to Penelope Skinner for doubting her work for no reason before I'd even read the blurb. I don't know what I expected Linda to be, but I was stunned to find how relevant, honest, and thought-provoking it was. Long live this play and others like it.
March 12, 2016
Men: we're fucking awful aren't we?
July 5, 2016
Skinner's latest play proves beyond a doubt she's the spiritual heir to Caryl Churchill. Although some may dismiss it as a feminist screed, Skinner expertly shows just how little women can do to succeed on their own terms in the modern world, when their very existence is still being defined by the male gaze.
June 22, 2017
A brutal, funny uncompromising look at the struggle women go through from teenagers to adults to middle-aged career women. Reading it was an intense experience. I can only imagine how intense an actual production must be.
January 1, 2024
Wow. This play left me stunned.
It was written in 2015 and yet it is so perfectly relevant of women's experiences in the 21st century. It talks about so many topics still relevant now like beauty standards, relationships, body image, slut shaming, harassment and most importantly: how awful men are.
There are 3 male characters in this play and they are the worst, they are written incredibly also. Niel is a husband who cheats on his wife, Dave is a boss who hired Linda because she was attractive and then doesn't side with her as she gets older, and Luke is the embodiment of a terrible teenage boy in 2023: taking advantage of women, lying, sexualising women and more.
What makes me so angry about this book is it makes it seem like (and it is fully aware that it does this it is on purpose) it's THE WOMENS FAULT. It is in fact mostly the men. Linda is cheated on by her husband, her boss doesn't side with her and Luke takes advantage of her in more ways that one and yet when she suffers basically a breakdown and her parenting and actions suffer she is seen as a bad mum and not supportive at work and Luke basically tries to convince her she never did anything worthwhile. Alice is seen by Linda as throwing away her life and yet it is her ex boyfriends fault for sending those pictures around and ruining her life. Honestly makes you so angry because the play reminds you of how women experience the world nowadays and how hard it is for them and how awful men can be.
My favourite part of this play was all the irony:
- Stevie doesn't want to ever make a woman feel how her mother did with her husband in their marriage, and then sleeps with Linda's husband and does that to her
- Amy says sorry to Alice for slut shaming her after her photos got sent around and then does the same to Linda with the message from Luke to spoil her career
- Amy also wants exactly what Linda wants, repeating a mantra that basically sums up Linda's life and is similar to what Linda says about herself, and yet hates Linda and does everything to bring her down
- Linda doesn't understand why Alice acts the way she does and how she is so affected by what she goes through and then experiences it herself
- Linda is so focused on giving woman her age a voice and yet conforms to the beauty standards and is very critical of her and her daughters beauty
- Bridgette doesn't understand why her mother is acting the way she is and then experiences not fitting in with stereotypical beauty standards at her audition
- Alice finally leaves to get away from her experiences with men and then Luke does the same thing to her
- Linda sleeps with someone else (younger) after being cheated on by her husband with someone (younger)
- Linda killing herself after her mother did it and Alice wanted to
- Linda ending the play by saying "for us women and for our daughters things are finally finally getting better." and they don't.
There is most likely more. I also really liked the similarities, similar to things that were ironic but just certain lines were very similar. I've seen Skinner do this in her other work and it think it's very clever.
The bit I wasn't a fan of was Linda committing suicide. Now she essentially gives in to all the trouble women go through in the world and she conforms to wanting to be beautiful whilst doing it, now I know the playwright knew what she was doing with that part it is a self aware play but her putting on the makeup makes me so angry I want to scream. It just reminds you of how horrible beauty standards are for women especially older women and how they can affect you and warp your self view and ideals. I believe that her killing herself didn't really fit for me. The end of the play (the last scene was very good and wrapped it up well) was a bit loose, as I've found with her other work at times. I just feel there should have been more to what she goes through, and her almost "giving up" was her giving in when she tries the whole play not to. I know, another ironic thing.
Overall, incredible play I loved it.
It was written in 2015 and yet it is so perfectly relevant of women's experiences in the 21st century. It talks about so many topics still relevant now like beauty standards, relationships, body image, slut shaming, harassment and most importantly: how awful men are.
There are 3 male characters in this play and they are the worst, they are written incredibly also. Niel is a husband who cheats on his wife, Dave is a boss who hired Linda because she was attractive and then doesn't side with her as she gets older, and Luke is the embodiment of a terrible teenage boy in 2023: taking advantage of women, lying, sexualising women and more.
What makes me so angry about this book is it makes it seem like (and it is fully aware that it does this it is on purpose) it's THE WOMENS FAULT. It is in fact mostly the men. Linda is cheated on by her husband, her boss doesn't side with her and Luke takes advantage of her in more ways that one and yet when she suffers basically a breakdown and her parenting and actions suffer she is seen as a bad mum and not supportive at work and Luke basically tries to convince her she never did anything worthwhile. Alice is seen by Linda as throwing away her life and yet it is her ex boyfriends fault for sending those pictures around and ruining her life. Honestly makes you so angry because the play reminds you of how women experience the world nowadays and how hard it is for them and how awful men can be.
My favourite part of this play was all the irony:
- Stevie doesn't want to ever make a woman feel how her mother did with her husband in their marriage, and then sleeps with Linda's husband and does that to her
- Amy says sorry to Alice for slut shaming her after her photos got sent around and then does the same to Linda with the message from Luke to spoil her career
- Amy also wants exactly what Linda wants, repeating a mantra that basically sums up Linda's life and is similar to what Linda says about herself, and yet hates Linda and does everything to bring her down
- Linda doesn't understand why Alice acts the way she does and how she is so affected by what she goes through and then experiences it herself
- Linda is so focused on giving woman her age a voice and yet conforms to the beauty standards and is very critical of her and her daughters beauty
- Bridgette doesn't understand why her mother is acting the way she is and then experiences not fitting in with stereotypical beauty standards at her audition
- Alice finally leaves to get away from her experiences with men and then Luke does the same thing to her
- Linda sleeps with someone else (younger) after being cheated on by her husband with someone (younger)
- Linda killing herself after her mother did it and Alice wanted to
- Linda ending the play by saying "for us women and for our daughters things are finally finally getting better." and they don't.
There is most likely more. I also really liked the similarities, similar to things that were ironic but just certain lines were very similar. I've seen Skinner do this in her other work and it think it's very clever.
The bit I wasn't a fan of was Linda committing suicide. Now she essentially gives in to all the trouble women go through in the world and she conforms to wanting to be beautiful whilst doing it, now I know the playwright knew what she was doing with that part it is a self aware play but her putting on the makeup makes me so angry I want to scream. It just reminds you of how horrible beauty standards are for women especially older women and how they can affect you and warp your self view and ideals. I believe that her killing herself didn't really fit for me. The end of the play (the last scene was very good and wrapped it up well) was a bit loose, as I've found with her other work at times. I just feel there should have been more to what she goes through, and her almost "giving up" was her giving in when she tries the whole play not to. I know, another ironic thing.
Overall, incredible play I loved it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2024
I want to tell my mom, I love her.
Part of this book is about beauty standards and how how do you get older you’re worth as a woman decreases. We are advertised self-care, make up clothes all in an attempt to make us look younger. At what this book is really about is embracing age and growing up and recognising how far you’ve come, the things you’ve achieved and what you still have to do.
I still don’t really understand how Linda began to deteriorate so fast, how quickly can someone can go from living the life they have always wanted to to how t this book ended.
Honestly, I don’t really know what to say other than the world is the meaning place for well-established, women, and girls who are still figuring their life out.. Alice didn’t deserve what happened to her… nobody deserves what happened to her and I hope she found what she wanted.
Part of this book is about beauty standards and how how do you get older you’re worth as a woman decreases. We are advertised self-care, make up clothes all in an attempt to make us look younger. At what this book is really about is embracing age and growing up and recognising how far you’ve come, the things you’ve achieved and what you still have to do.
I still don’t really understand how Linda began to deteriorate so fast, how quickly can someone can go from living the life they have always wanted to to how t this book ended.
Honestly, I don’t really know what to say other than the world is the meaning place for well-established, women, and girls who are still figuring their life out.. Alice didn’t deserve what happened to her… nobody deserves what happened to her and I hope she found what she wanted.
December 9, 2023
Another play I read because of a monologue I'm doing, it's quite fun to do ngl.
This was a very touching play about the reality of being a woman and it's something that I feel is very needed in our society today. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but the ending left me a bit confused.
This was a very touching play about the reality of being a woman and it's something that I feel is very needed in our society today. I enjoyed it quite a lot, but the ending left me a bit confused.
February 28, 2021
Saw this as a play, it was really searing. Even harder seeing the words on paper, somehow.
July 7, 2024
Penelope Skinner is just amazing. I love everything she writes. The way she writes women is like nothing else I’ve ever read. Her women are so so real, I can’t even put into words. Just, please read.
March 18, 2025
absolutely incredible writing. this play is gut-wrenching and ever so relevant. which is sad.
July 31, 2018
This is one of Skinner’s recent works. The play premiered at the Royal Court in 2015 with a cast including Noma Dumezweni (who famously stepped into the title role in Previews), Imogen Bryon and Karla Crome.
It questions the societal view of the ageing woman in the 21st Century. The generous, all-giving stay at home mother with a vanishing identity; or the ferocious businesswoman willing to sacrifice her parenthood for a career that ends when she’s deemed impossible to sexually objectify.
Have we really found equality in the metropolis lifestyle?
Skinner’s strong use of indent is powerful and suggests the characters burning desire to find the perfect words to articulate their point and even express emotion. The character’s in this piece insist on evoking a deeper understanding in the character’s who play an obstacle in the way of their journey to achieving their wants and needs.
‘I’m meant to fade out. Quietly. Without making a fuss. Cut off all my hair and make other people the centre of my universe. Well, I’m not going to do that. Do you hear me? I made it this far. I’m not going to give up. I’ve got to go back in there and show them that I’m strong.’ - Scene Twelve, Act One, Linda by Penelope Skinner.
It questions the societal view of the ageing woman in the 21st Century. The generous, all-giving stay at home mother with a vanishing identity; or the ferocious businesswoman willing to sacrifice her parenthood for a career that ends when she’s deemed impossible to sexually objectify.
Have we really found equality in the metropolis lifestyle?
Skinner’s strong use of indent is powerful and suggests the characters burning desire to find the perfect words to articulate their point and even express emotion. The character’s in this piece insist on evoking a deeper understanding in the character’s who play an obstacle in the way of their journey to achieving their wants and needs.
‘I’m meant to fade out. Quietly. Without making a fuss. Cut off all my hair and make other people the centre of my universe. Well, I’m not going to do that. Do you hear me? I made it this far. I’m not going to give up. I’ve got to go back in there and show them that I’m strong.’ - Scene Twelve, Act One, Linda by Penelope Skinner.
July 13, 2020
I read this play in my senior year of high school and I really enjoyed it. The story revolves around a middle-aged woman working in the beauty industry and it deals with topics such as body image, bullying and mental health (trigger warning: eating disorders and self-harm). There are about eight charcters and each sort of represents one specific topic; this makes the story easy to follow and it enables the reader to contrast the varying views on women depending on their age. It is also filled with enough drama to keep the reader interested in what is happening next. I read the play in one sitting simply because I could not stop reading. I loved the writing and there are some great quotes, my favourite being:
"So you push through, don't you? Because you imagine the day will come where everyone will appreciate you"
I will definitely check out more of Skinner's works.
"So you push through, don't you? Because you imagine the day will come where everyone will appreciate you"
I will definitely check out more of Skinner's works.
May 4, 2023
one of the first contemporary plays i’ve ever read, and it was the perfect introduction
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews