Goodreads didn’t have this one listed in the English language so I recorded it against this listing. This was a bit of a roller coaster ride, emotionally. Really enjoyed the ending. ( )

This is a collection of twelve (volumes one and two are put together here) monologues, which were performed on the BBC in the late 1980s (volume 1) and late 1990s (volume 2). Some were also performed with different actors in 2020.

All but two of the collection are narrated by female characters, and there is fairly common theme of loneliness or isolation. They are not cheerful, although they are also not without dark humour. However, they are all entirely believable – Bennett certainly knows how the human psyche works, and unlike a lot of male writers, he knows how to write women.

People’s favourites were inevitably vary but the ones I enjoyed the most were A Chip in the Sugar, A Lady of Letters and Waiting for the Telegram. However, and unusually for a collection, there are no duds here. Highly recommended. ( )

Riveting. My first Alan Bennett read, but not my last. Well played! ( )

Really excellent. Alan Bennett writes just the most amazing text. This is a collection of monologues, two sets of 6 and an individual that were written and them filmed by the BBC. The text tells you something about the backgrounds the person is to be filmed against, and a line or two about who they are. It also gives the person who gave the performance. Some of them I can remember having seen, but not all.
They are not cheery. They are mostly melancholy, they are usually dark and they deal with the grubby side of life. They have flashes of humour, and some hints of hope, but the tone is not upbeat. But there is so much going on in here. In several stories, the person has suspicions about their partner, but they're never confirmed. In other instances the person ends up being incarcerated, and you are left with a conflict between what they've done and the person conjured up in front of you. However it is the last one in the collection that is the jewel in the collection. It tugs right at the heart strings and ties them in knots.
If you ever get the chance to read the collection, or to see the filmed results, grasp it with both hands. This is a man at the top of his game and it manages to be both breathtakingly brilliant, and appears as easy as pie. I bet it isn't. ( )

saw some in the bennett dvd collection--none of which are here-- and the maggie smith one in her dvd collection. enjoyed all of them and would like to see/read more. not available!
they are little treats. ( )