Folger Book Club:
Edith Holler by Edward Carey
A macabre tale set in turn-of-the-century Norwich, our October selection ruminates on childhood in a theatrical setting.
Booking and details
Dates Thu, Oct 10, 2024, 6:30pm
Tickets Free, Registration required
Duration 6:30pm - 8:00pm (ET)
Our October 2024 Pick
Edith Holler
by Edward Carey
NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
The witty and entrancing story of a young woman trapped in a ramshackle English playhouse–and the mysterious figure who threatens the theater’s very survival
The year is 1901. England’s beloved queen has died, and her aging son has finally taken the throne. In the eastern city of Norwich, bright and inquisitive young Edith Holler spends her days among the boisterous denizens of the Holler Theatre, warned by her domineering father that the playhouse will literally tumble down if she should ever leave its confines. Fascinated by tales of the city she knows only from afar, she decides to write a play of her own: a stage adaptation of the legend of Mawther Meg, a monstrous figure said to have used the blood of countless children to make the local delicacy known as Beetle Spread. But when her father suddenly announces his engagement to a peculiar, imposing woman named Margaret Unthank, heir to the actual Beetle Spread fortune, Edith scrambles to protect her father, the theatre, and her play–the one thing that’s truly hers–from the newcomer’s sinister designs.
Teeming with unforgettable characters and illuminated by the author’s trademark fantastical illustrations, Edith Holler is a surprisingly modern fable of one young woman’s struggle to escape her family’s control–and to reveal inconvenient truths about the way children are used.
This book contains illustrations, which some people may prefer to enjoy through a physical copy of the novel rather than ebook or audiobook. The toy theatre can also be downloaded via the author’s webpage. [Click here to visit the site]
Why did we choose this?
The Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection explores not only Shakespeare’s life and works, but also the plays’ historical context, source material, critical and performance histories, and the ways in which they inspire and are adapted by contemporary novelists.
In keeping with our seasonal “spooky reads,” Edith Holler explores theatrical ghosts and urban folklore in a setting rife with Shakespearean references.
About the Book Club
Our informal Book Club is free and open to all. Our picks range from historical fiction to adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays, encompassing a wide variety of genres—all sourced from a different local, independent bookstore partner each month. Folger Book Club explores connections between contemporary fiction and the Folger’s mission, collection, and programming.
Each session begins with a guest speaker exploring that month’s pick and highlighting items from the Folger collection related to the plot and themes of the novel. After the presentation, participants will be broken into smaller groups for breakout discussions, moderated by a team of staff and volunteers.
Content transparency
Edith Holler includes potentially sensitive subjects. Expand below for a full list of content (may include spoilers).
- Suicide
- Comic gore
- Cannibalism
- Blackface (referenced)
- Animal death
Guest Speaker
Rachel B. Dankert
Rachel B. Dankert is an Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Information. Over a decade of special collections librarianship allows her to share her passion for this work with early career practitioners.
For this session, we are excited to once again partner with Old Town Books, a general interest local bookshop in the heart of historic Old Town Alexandria. They are passionate about building bookish community through book clubs and author events. Learn more at oldtownbooks.com.
Orders can be placed in store or online. Their location on S. Royal Street in Alexandria is open seven days a week from 10AM-7PM. Don’t miss their NEW children’s bookstore opening next door in September 2024.
You can also download the audiobook version of this title from Libro.fm.
We would like to thank the following organization for their generous support of this program
