In prose alternately tart, cranky, nostalgic and poignant, Janette Jenkins brings the last days of Sir Noël Coward to life in Firefly. The playwright, composer, director, actor and singer was known for his wit, flamboyant homosexuality and poise in any circumstance; he defined Englishness.
The novel takes its name from Firefly, Coward's retreat high on a hill in Jamaica, so small that it could not accommodate an overnight guest--unless he slept with Noël. Farther down the hill was Blue Harbour, Coward's "real" Jamaican home.
Jenkins fills out Coward's last years, focusing on a few weeks in the early 1970s. He was ill much of the time. He had a "weak chest" all his life; smoking incessantly didn't help. He drank too much, ate nothing or all the wrong things, refused to walk even a little and was, sadly, losing his mental acuity.
His manservant, Patrice, a cheery, 22-year-old Jamaican, longs to go to London and become a waiter at the Ritz. In two funny vignettes, Coward invites his former lover, Graham Payn, and Coley, another friend, to dinner so that Patrice can "practice silver service." Alas, a great deal of practice is needed.
As preparations are underway for the annual trip to Switzerland, it is all Coward can do to get out of bed, making the rigors of a long trip seem quite beyond him. He reminisces in a waking dream about past glories, events, play openings, his knighthood, lovers and friends.
Firefly is a brilliant portrait of a man who lived a full life, in every sense of the word. --Valerie Ryan, Cannon Beach Book Company, Ore.