How to Write a Novel (or Not)
★★★☆☆ A Privilege
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53): Fri 7- Sat 15 Aug 2026
Review by Ed Boulter-Comer
The poet Jenny Joseph warns that she will wear purple with a red hat which doesn’t go. Marie-Louise Mills is far too chic for that in her solo show of reminiscences, How to Write a Novel (or Not).
Mills’ purple beret compliments her ensemble perfectly as she sits with poise and sets the tone for a (slightly overrunning) 50 minutes in theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall.
Marie-Louise Mills publicity image.
How to Write a Novel (or Not) is a carefully curated and illustrated reading of Mills’ life story. And what a life she has led. Names are liberally dropped and the locations ooze the glamour of early Bond films, as she recounts her personal history.
There are husbands, horses, hounds and genuine peril. Without spoiling the narrative, there are moments where she has encountered history, and the emotion of having lived through some of those events is still obvious in her performance.
detailed and rich
Her prose, as one might expect from an award-winning fashion editor for Harper’s Bazaar, is detailed and rich. Although her words are accompanied by projected images, they are more than enough on their own to conjure the places, tastes and memories of her international journey through life.
A soundtrack of almost thirty music fragments complements the piece well. Her delivery is quiet, insistent, personal and she has the ability to make the audience feel like they are the only person in the room.
Marie-Louise Mills has undoubtedly lived a life of remarkable privilege. It is also a privilege to hear that life recounted with detail, emotion and resonance.
Running time: 40 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Haldane Theatre), Surgeons Quarter, Nicolson Street EH8 9DW (Venue 53).
Friday 7 – Saturday 15 August 2026.
Daily: 1.10pm.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Marie Louise Mills’ website website: marielouisemills.com
Instagram: @marielouise_writer
Marie-Louise Mills. Publicity image.
ENDS
