Fun, big book for those interested in the film industry. The story follows the path of a tiny play as it struggles to get noticed during the annual Edinburgh festival until it explodes into a mega-budget Hollywood spectacle several years later. The plot of the play/movie is not important, what the book is really about is the process and the upheaval it causes in a multitude of lives. The book is a little slow to get moving as it opens with a bunch of dead Hollywood big-shots getting pulled from a car in Eastern Europe (which, devoid of context, doesn't make any sense until almost the very end). The scene then jumps to Scotland, several years earlier, where we meet our hero, the playwright, and his girlfriend and fellow artists. I have no idea how realistic Connolly's portrayal of the genesis of this tiny play into huge Hollywood debacle is, but it reads well and certainly seems plausible, given past Hollywood disasters and ill-conceived projects. The petty intrigues, machinations, power plays, massive egos, and greed, are all well displayed in this swiftly moving book. Connolly ratchets up the suspense as the film's budget soars and personalities clash, only to neatly resolve everything in a slick ending worthy of, well, Hollywood...

Yes, this book is about a succesful play that is made into a movie. While it does give you a glimpse of how movie making works, the really captivating part is how the different characters are affected by making this movie. The author explores the motivations and reasoning of almost all of the book's characters, and this is the true source of entertainment from the book. I highly recommend it.

I truly enjoyed this book after borrowing it from the library. After that I searched, and searched for my own copy. I've shared it with friends and family and they've all enjoyed this rollercoaster ride inside the movie-making industry. For everyone who wanted to know about how the industry works, or what does a producer do exactly, or how important is the screenwriter, or a true behind-the-scenes glimpse, this is a must read. Plus, the story itself is a mystery, a love story, and a triumph of the little man. It's a must read! I'm waiting for the movie adaptation, myself!