Book info

• Title One Million Tiny Plays About Britain
• Author Craig Taylor
• Year 2009
• Genre Drama

In these snippets of overheard conversations from across the length and breadth of the country, Craig Taylor captures the state we're in with humour and pathos and perfect timing. Laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes heartbreakingly moving, these tiny plays in which every one of us could have a starring role are little windows into other people's lives that reveal the triumphs, disasters, prejudices, horrors and joys of twenty-first-century life. Hugely entertaining and utterly addictive, this is book that can be dipped into or feasted upon in one sitting. It will change the way you listen to the world around you, and train journeys will never be the same again.

Thoughts

Really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t aware of the fact they came from a newspaper originally, which is only annoying because I think I’ve been missing out! This is a collection of 94 - not quite a million - exceedingly short plays, some much shorter than the others.

They provide snapshots of conversations around the country, from all walks of life. I think they are fiction, but they could quite easily be real life overhead snippets. Each one is convincing and captivating in a way that leaves you wanting more, but not frustrated. It inspires thoughts of all kinds of interesting characters and could easily be a jumping off point for even more creativity.

I really enjoyed reading the plays, I devoured them over the course of 24 hours. My only complaint is that there aren’t more in the book! (That and the fact 94 is a really odd number to finish on!)

Rating: 5 / 5