The Grand Scheme of Things

Hardback Published on: 12/09/2024
Price: £16.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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The Grand Scheme of Things
Spectacular debut
The Grand Scheme of Things is a novel that delves into the real challenges that people face. Warona Jay looks at not only race but gender, class and LGBTQI... READ MORE
Neave McCaffrey
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When your name is Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo (Eddie for short), seemingly the theatre world just doesn't want to know, however convinced you are that your play is a winner. Enter Hugo Lawrence Smith: good looking, well-connected, charismatic and... very white. Warona Jay's debut is a thrilling web of lies, institutional racism in the arts, prejudice and privilege. It's also wildly entertaining, ingeniously plotted and thought-provoking.

Synopsis

'This blistering story puts you in mind of last year's blockbuster hit, Yellowface . . . Enjoyable, riotously mischievous and gleefully direct, without losing nuance or lapsing into caricature'Daily Mail

Meet Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo.Or, for short, Eddie: an aspiring playwright who dreams of making it big in London's theatre world. But after repeated rejections from white talent agents, Eddie suspects her non-white sounding name might be the problem.

Enter Hugo Lawrence Smith: good looking, well-connected, charismatic and . . . very white. Stifled by his law degree and looking for a way out of the corporate world, he finds a kindred spirit in Eddie after a chance encounter at a cafe.

Together they devise a plan which will see Eddie's play on stage and Hugo's name in lights and expose the theatre world for its racism and hollow clout-chasing. But as their plan spins wildly out of control, Eddie and Hugo find themselves wondering if their reputations, and their friendship, can survive.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Bonnier Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9781804441237
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Dimensions: 223 x 144 x 28 mm
  • Weight: 400g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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The Grand Scheme of Things
Smart and Refreshing
Relegobile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo is an aspiring playwright who graduates top of her class and writes a brilliant play that nobody wants to know about. She... READ MORE
Katy Wheatley
The Grand Scheme of Things
Potent clash between race and elitism
Told in a slightly overblown first and second person narrative, the novel details a Black writer's attempt to subvert the possibly elitist bastions of Brit... READ MORE
Huttson Lo
The Grand Scheme of Things
Enlightening!
I was sent an advance proof copy of The Grand Scheme of Things by Warona Jay to read and review by NetGalley. This novel highlights a lot of issues in the... READ MORE
lesleys
The Grand Scheme of Things
Enjoyable debut
Warona Jay's debut novel, The Grand Scheme of Things, is a novel about the literary world, and how race can change the perspective of the piece. There are... READ MORE
Ben Dutton
The Grand Scheme of Things
An intriguing premise
An interesting premise for a novel: what happens if a piece of work that becomes famous under one name turns out to be the work of someone else? This book ... READ MORE
Kateoshea
The Grand Scheme of Things
Exposes discrim8nation well
This was an engaging, well written novel with a nicely constructed plot. It had an important premise, that opportunities for minorities are limited compar... READ MORE
Richard Evans
The Grand Scheme of Things
Thought-provoking and character-driven
The Grand Scheme of Things is a thought-provoking and character-driven narrative that looks at the performative representation of the performing industry. ... READ MORE
Emily (ashortbooklover)
The Grand Scheme of Things
Look beyond the surface
This novel took me a while to get into; at one point I nearly gave up. I felt I needed to persevere as the author obviously had something important to say.... READ MORE
Romany
The Grand Scheme of Things
The Grand Scheme of Things
Well this was a bit of an illustration in deception, and how it can cascade and spiral. I kept going back to the old adage, what a tangled web we weave whe... READ MORE
Ashrae
The Grand Scheme of Things
Disappointing, slow, unlikeable characters
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. I found this to be very slow and dull until about half way through. It does pick... READ MORE
am/am/am
The Grand Scheme of Things
An interesting conceit bit it gets a bit lost...
This is a long and rambling story, which begins with an interesting conceit even if it is a little contrived. Hugo Smith, bored with his job in the city, m... READ MORE
Jim Sweetman
The Grand Scheme of Things
A gripping and thought-provoking read!
Drama graduate Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo (sometimes known as Eddie Morua before then settling on Naledi) meets Hugo Lawrence Smith at a cafe in Oct... READ MORE
Sarah Evans
The Grand Scheme of Things
Sassy treatment of art and belonging
Relebogile Naledi Mpho Moruakgomo writes a red-hot play that can’t make it out of the rejection pile. Naledi assumes her non-white sounding name might be t... READ MORE
L J Bowman
The Grand Scheme of Things
Better Than Yellowface
Eddie Morua first meets Hugo Lawrence Smith in a cafe. While Eddie is outside smoking Hugo looks at her laptop and sees that she's writing a play. After th... READ MORE
David Blendell
The Grand Scheme of Things
This is a truly engaging story
My thanks to Washington Square Press, via NetGalley, for the copy of this book for review purposes. I have a mission to support debut Authors In thei... READ MORE
WendiReviews
The Grand Scheme of Things
Five stars!
I loved the subject matter this book sheds light on. It is real, it exists and I have had conversations like this in real life. The premise is both clever ... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review
The Grand Scheme of Things
A thought-provoking read.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to have to do, to have your work judged on something you can’t change about yourself, as opposed to the merits of the work itself.... READ MORE
Marianne Vincent
The Grand Scheme of Things
Potent clash between race and elitism
Told in a slightly overblown first and second person narrative, the novel details a Black writer's attempt to subvert the possibly elitist bastions of Brit... READ MORE
Huttson Lo
The Grand Scheme of Things
A thought-provoking read.
“It’s a ridiculous thing to have to do, to have your work judged on something you can’t change about yourself, as opposed to the merits of the work itself.... READ MORE
Marianne Vincent