‘Freud’s page-turner follows the triumphs and failures of a group of self-obsessed actors in their quest for stardom’ Sunday Times Summer Reads
‘Lucky Break's truth are quietly and elegantly told … Freud mixes in abundance of subtle comedy' Lisa Gee, Independent
‘Wonderfully entertaining, with a vivid cast of characters, all of whom are utterly believable, darling ... Lucky Break succeeds as both comedy and romantic drama. Freud’s prose is as fresh and light as ever but here, as never before, she shows herself to be a wickedly funny writer’ Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler
‘Lucky Break is steadfast in its good humour, and very kind. Satire is spurned and the novel instead becomes the gentlest kind of cautionary tale … a warm, sharp read’ Guardian
‘A compelling pleasure’ Woman and Home
‘A tale of limelight, dreams and heartbreak that glints with theatrical passion’ Marie Claire
‘Freud is terrific on the young actors’ existential conundrum of trying to discover who one is at the very moment when one is trying get a job pretending to be anyone else’ Spectator
‘Intelligence, compassion and readability’ Daily Telegraph
‘Hugely Enjoyable' The Lady
‘[Freud’s] most breezily charming and typically shrewd [novel], and comes with a new satirical edge … beautifully observed’ New York Times Book Review
‘Freud handles her characters tenderly and with humour … a fun read with memorable flashes of glamour, inspiration and melancholy’ Viv Groskop, The Times
‘Completely authentic and enthralling’ Michael Holroyd
‘Regardless if we have nothing in common with these actors, Freud immerses us so fully in their exclusive world that we, too, feel emotionally undone after a bombed audition. Lucky Break pierces the superficial surface of acting to reveal the enthralling, authentic drama at the heart of the business’ Newsweek Daily Beast
‘Freud, a former actor herself, sheds sympathetic light on humiliating casting calls, horny American film directors, and the transient romance offered by cast mates. Still, the tone overall is bubbly, buoyant – her characters’ zingy dialogue zips along like something out of a Preston Sturges film – and just great fun’ Boston Globe
‘Esther Freud's light touch and eye for telling details — as well as her prior acting experience — make Lucky Break an enlightening peek behind the curtain’ Baltimore Sun
‘Freud captures both the hilarious self-seriousness and the pie-eyed romanticism of young actors preparing to be fed into the meat grinder of the entertainment industry. In doing so, she has written a sharp, emotionally astute novel about what it feels like to let one’s idealism die a slow, quiet death in the pursuit of worldly success, which is just another way of saying she has written a very good novel about what it feels like to grow up’ The Millions