Woman in the Spotlight by J.R. Lonie

When everyone is watching, survival will be her greatest performance … A gripping, utterly absorbing novel about survival and art as defiance on the 1930s Berlin stage, from the bestselling author of The Woman from Saint Germain

Berlin 1932: With the country in chaos, Monika Varady, a young Bavarian actress, arrives in Germany’s capital with high hopes – to one day, just maybe, be a great star of the stage and screen.

But with the rise to power of Hitler and his brutal Nazi regime, the theatre scene falls under the control of Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, becoming a minefield of political machinations that Monika, in love with a Bolshevik Jewish actor, must now navigate. As her star rises from the smoky bars of the demi-monde to the city’s prestigious stages, most dangerous of all is Goebbels himself who takes a more-than-artistic interest in her.

While staying true to her beliefs and to those she loves, Monika must employ all the skills of her craft to outwit Goebbels and with her close friends, to resist the regime’s attempts to brutalise theatre and culture by hiding in plain sight and in the glare of the spotlight.

About the Author: J.R. Lonie is a screenwriter, author and playwright. His novel The Woman from Saint Germain was published in 2019, and his three novellas, Acts of Love, was published in 1996. Other short stories have been published in various anthologies. His screenwriting credits include co-writing the feature Kokoda, (directed by Alister Grierson) and A Place to Call Home, and work as a script editor includes Japanese Story, Beneath Clouds, Dogwatch and No Man’s Land. John has had plays produced by State Theatre Company of SA, NIDA and St. Martin’s Theatre among others. John was Co-Head of Scriptwriting at AFTRS from 2000 to 2008. He lives in Sydney.

28 Jan 2026
 

The Woman in the Spotlight: A gripping and dazzling historical novel set in 1930s Berlin from the bestselling author of The Woman from Saint Germain by J.R. Lonie ISBN 9781460767535