Funny Girl is set in the 1960s in England, and follows the life of a young girl named Barbara (who later takes on the stage name of Sophie Straw) as she wins a local beauty pageant in Blackpool, but refuses to accept the title because she decides to move to London in the hopes of becoming a comic actress. Sophie's inspiration comes from the only female comedienne she's seen on TV - Lucille Ball. For a time, Sophie works in a department store and goes to a lot of auditions before finally catching the eye of two television writers who are in the process of creating a new situational comedy for BBC. In fact, during the audition, she impresses them so much that they offer her a starring role on the spot and proceed to write the series specifically for her.
This book is laugh-out-loud funny. It is filled with likable albeit flawed characters who find themselves in a multitude of comic situations and conversations. I listened to it on audio and the narrator does a superb job making the characters that much more real by employing distinctive accents, intonations and mannerisms. The novel offers us a way to look into the minds of these very human characters and the choices they make as they become inextricably connected through the TV series. This is a very enjoyable and entertaining read. 5 out of 5 stars.
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