Blood Brothers: Willy Russell (Modern Classics)

Willy Russell describes a dramatic, yet tragic tale, of two women that share a dark secret. Set in Liverpool during the 60s/70s, Willy Russell's musical provides a window into the lives of two families, that are socially poles apart. Mrs Johnstone, a single mother struggling to make ends meet has no option but to give away one of her baby twins to Mrs Lyons, a wealthy woman that has yearns for a child of her own. The secret transaction must never be revealed, however, the twins become friends, unaware that they are actually birth twins. The play explores the hardship between the class divide and demonstrates the impact of family secrets, guilt and conscience. There are occasions of humour and innocence, which later becomes sinister and tragic, as neither family can escape the ultimate betrayal. This heart warming book transforms into a gripping, dramatic play, which touches on the heartstrings of all audiences. After reading the book, watching the play is a must. The emotion transmitted through the music, singing and actors performance does not detract form the dialogue within the book, but definitely enhances the harsh realities within this story. I read this book and watched the play as part of my GCSE course, and would strongly recommend reading this, even just for pleasure. It certainly makes you reflect on your own day to day lives and gives relationships another perspective.

Son is a stage artist and he was asked by drama teacher. He is very happy

normal

Great service

This is one of my favourite plays of all time and far surpasses some "classic" plays I have read. This play is raw and intricate because it touches upon issues that are relevant in today's society, and may always be relevant in today's society, contrary to Marxist belief. This play explores whether there is inherently much difference between the classes, or if we have just been conditioned to think there is. Like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas this book has an endearing concept, the idea that friendship can arise between two children despite what there social standings in life may be. However, this play goes further than that, and explore whether or not this childhood friendship can last on until adult life, when prejudices within people start to become more apparent.Overall, a tragic read, and a good pick for school work or just for a bit of fun, seeing as this is a musical.

Brought for GCSE

Fantastic classic literature.

Interesting story but I was left unimpressed. The quality of the book itself and the speed of delivery was excellent. Good for Drama and Musical Theatre fans, or people studying the book as part of English.

I saw the London stage version of "Blood Brothers" last summer and left the Adelphi Theater completely and satisfyingly exhausted from the emotions that the story wrung out of me. What I loved most was the uncalulated, "sorry but this is life" attitude, and the total believability of all of the characters. Willy Russell lovingly crafted every aspect of the story. The premise of the plot has been done time and again, but Russell magically shows us how everything old is new again--and brilliantly so. These are people we know, these are our friends, our neighbors, perhaps even ourselves. Oddly, the show didn't endear itself to Broadway, but it has been running since the 80's in London. Another point of interest: if you look hard enough, you can find three Original Cast versions. The first, starring Kiki Dee, another (I believe from the Broadway version), and an "international version" starring Petula Clark, David Cassidy and Shaun Cassidy. Willy Russell plays the role of the Narrator, and he has a magnificent voice. This last version is my favorite. With real life brothers taking on such an emotionally charged project, Petula Clark as the tragic Mrs. Johnstone, and Willy Russell haunting the stage, the electricity flies. Backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the experience is nothing short of magic. "Blood Brothers", like "Phantom of the Opera", "Les Miserables" and "Chicago" is definitely a more than one time show. The young man sitting next to me had seen "Blood Brothers" for the sixteenth time! And still, he had tears in his eyes, as did I. Read the book; it won't ruin the play for you. If you're lucky enough to get to London, by all means make "Blood Brothers" top priority for the show to see.

Book studied in college

Loved it

Reasonable price, great condition.

Enjoyed this book to do with my sons school work and went to see the play at Embassy Theatre in Skegness.