Review: Breaking the Ice by Mandy Baggot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2012
Samantha Smith is a shy, self-conscious, single girl who likes the settled routine that her job selling programmes and ice-cream in an old fashioned theatre provides. It made Samantha feel safe and secure. Samantha lives with her sister Cleo who is the exact opposite of Samantha, she is confident and outgoing. Samantha does not go anywhere or do anything but work, mainly preferring her own company or that of a stray cat called Gobbolino.When the theatre puts on a production of a show called Skating on Broadway. Jimmy Lloyd a former gold winning ice dancer and now a celebrity is the principle skater in the show, he is very friendly towards Samantha, and when Samantha's boss wants his employees to get really involved with the spirit of the show, and provides them all with ice skates, so that they can do their usual job of selling programmes and ice-cream in the interval, gliding around the edge of the ice to some well chosen intermission music Samantha is horrified and Jimmy steps in and offers to help Samantha practice.When the local council announces its plans that they are thinking about shutting down the theatre, Samantha feels like her world is falling apart. How will she find another job that she feels comfortable in and make her feel like she fitted?Jimmy again steps in to help, he tells Samantha that they could work together and come up with an action plan about why the theatre should be kept open and present it to the council.Can Samantha step out from her comfort zone, and confront her fears and take on the ice and the council and save the theatre from closure?Will she make things even more complicated in her life when she develops a crush on handsome Jimmy?Written with great humour that makes you laugh out loud. You can't help but like the character of the much timid Samantha and want to give her a gentle push forward, hoping that she will fall into the arms of Jimmy. Breaking the Ice is a fantastic light read.