Author Interview: A Tender Thing by Emily Neuberger
Today on Read It or List It we have another author interview with special guest, Emily Neuberger! Emily’s debut novel A Tender Thing hit shelves last month and it was a joy to speak with her on the show. How have you been liking our author interviews? Let me know what you’d like to see more of on Read It Or List It!
Synopsis: “An exhilarating debut novel set under the dazzling lights of late 1950s Broadway, where a controversial new musical pushes the boundaries of love, legacy, and art.
Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Eleanor O'Hanlon always felt different. In love with musical theater from a young age, she memorized every show album she could get her hands on. So when she discovers an open call for one of her favorite productions, she leaves behind everything she knows to run off to New York City and audition. Raw and untrained, she catches the eye of famed composer Don Mannheim, who catapults her into the leading role of his new work, "A Tender Thing," a provocative love story between a white woman and black man, one never before seen on a Broadway stage.
As word of the production gets out, an outpouring of protest whips into a fury. Between the intensity of rehearsals, her growing friendship with her co-star Charles, and her increasingly muddled creative--and personal--relationship with Don, Eleanor begins to question her own naïve beliefs about the world. When explosive secrets threaten to shatter the delicate balance of the company, and the possibility of the show itself, Eleanor must face a new reality and ultimately decide what it is she truly wants.
Pulsing with the vitality and drive of 1950s New York, Emily Neuberger's enthralling debut immerses readers right into the heart of Broadway's Golden Age, a time in which the music soared and the world was on the brink of change.”
My Thoughts: As an actor, I was immediately drawn to this book’s synopsis. It ended up being so much more than I could have imagined and I loved it. There were some slow moments but i think that’s natural in historical fiction. I was really impressed with the research that went into this novel and how relatable so many of the feelings Eleanor had during the Golden Age of Broadway that I can relate to as an actor in 2020. I note in the interview how impressed I was with the Eleanor’s growth and her symbolism for white people. Though we are not all racist at our core, we will never understand fully what it means to walk around without our white privilege. It is not the duty of black people to educate us, either. It is our duty to listen, be respectful, and not jump to being defensive.
I think this is the perfect book for historical fiction lovers as well as theatre lovers, but mainly for anyone who needs to see race depicted through a unique lense. I’m so grateful this book exists and I hope that anyone who needs to go on a journey similar to Eleanor picks up this book and is able to identify with it.
CW/TW: racism, gun violence, sexual assault
If you liked the TV show Smash, City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert, and Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, I think you’ll really enjoy this book!
Thank you so much to Emily for taking the time to speak with us and for Penguin Random House for my copy of A Tender Thing and connecting us!