The Breath of Life [Paperback]

David Hare (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0571215939 | ISBN-13: 978-0571215935 | Edition: 1st

Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.” Gauguin’s epigram serves as the motto for this moral tale of two women, both in their sixties, whose lives are interwoven in ways neither of them yet understands. Madeline Palmer is a retired curator, living alone on the Isle of Wight. One day Frances Beale comes to her door, a woman she has met only once, who is now enjoying sudden success, late in life, as a popular novelist. The result is a surprising and profound meditation on what can emerge when a man’s wife and mistress finally confront each other.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"David Hare has been described by The Times as 'Britain's leading contemporary playwright' and by the New York Post as 'one of the few major playwrights in our language'.

About the Author

David Hare is the author of more than a dozen plays, including Via Dolorosa, The Judas Kiss, and Skylight.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st edition (August 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571215939
• ISBN-13: 978-0571215935
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.", July 26, 2004

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Breath of Life (Paperback)

Opening in October, 2002, and originally starring stage legends Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, this two-person play by David Hare is totally dependent on superior acting. Set on the Isle of Wight in a Victorian seaside house, now fallen on hard times, the action takes place in Madeleine Palmer's flat in the course of one day and night. The tension is established in the opening lines with Frances Beale's arrival. Madeleine is resentful and inhospitable, and Frances hopeful and a bit romantic. Frances, we soon discover, is an author who has decided to write a memoir, not her usual fiction, about the long affair Madeleine had with Frances's ex-husband, radical lawyer Martin Beale. She wants to talk with Madeleine about "literary ethics" regarding the proposed memoir.

A broad social satire in which the two women reveal themselves to be quite different in outlook but united in their desire for "the word the Americans use...closure," they explore their separate relationships with Martin, their views of English and American society, and their views of writing, and fiction, in particular. They poke fun, superficially, at the legal profession ("Lawyers are like priests [in America]."), the American pre-occupation with diets ("Does this chicken have skin on it?"), retirement destinations for the elderly, gentrification, and the belief that because Americans are richer, they consider their "dramas" more significant.

It is in the women's attitudes toward fiction, well developed, that we also see the primary differences in their relationships with Martin. Madeleine, a realist, does not read fiction, believing that the most important story is who the author is underneath the story. Fiercely independent, Madeleine had met Martin in Alabama during the civil rights struggle but did not need him to "affirm her life." Though Frances married him, had children, and was the perfect wife and mother, Madeleine believes Frances's life has not had meaning and that she has become a writer in order to "give things significance which do not have significance." A novelist like Frances, Madeleine believes, "reorders...Things acquire weight, they acquire meaning," that does not exist in everyday life.

Wry and full of hilariously ironic comments, the play is also a poignant story of two women who loved the same man. As they compare notes and come to new understanding of Martin, each other, and who they have become, the reader is entertained on many levels, not least of which is the sophisticated analysis of writing, fiction, and its place in our lives. The dialogue sparkles, and the tension-filled relationship between the women is plausible and convincing. Mary Whipple

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely stunning play!, August 9, 2004

By 

Debbie Lee Wesselmann (the Lehigh Valley, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Breath of Life (Paperback)

David Hare's play unfolds in a single set with only two characters, but "The Breath of Life" is anything but simple. Frances arrives at the seaside Victorian flat where Madeleine lives in the relative bliss of being single and accountable to no one. Francis is a mother of grown children and a novelist who has all the responsibility that Madeleine eschews. These women, while sharing little in common on the surface, have the enormous bond of having loved the same man, one as mistress and the other as wife, and of having lost him to a mysterious American woman. With Francis planning on writing a memoir, Madeleine is at once on guard. As the two circle each other warily, much about their lives and their philosophies simmer under the surface, occasionally bursting forth in small, meaningful gasps.

Hare imbues his play with intricate yet subtle emotions that make this play riveting to read. His biting exploration of the difference between fiction and nonfiction, as it applies both to his characters and the audience, is never forced and always significant. The real life of this play comes from the superb dialogue and the in-depth characterizations, making it an excellent showcase for actresses skilled enough to bring the nuances of character to the stage.

Originally staged in London starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, "The Breath of Life" must have wowed audiences, as I cannot imagine better casting. If you can't see a production of this wonderful play, read it and imagine since even in text form it has tremendous life.