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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
Yet another re-telling of a famous story from the point of view of a secondary character. Interesting to compare this with Updike's Gertrude and Claudius. There seem to be a whole slew of YA novels that reimagine female characters from classic stories, typically with a more feminist tilt: Lady Macbeth and Juliet have received similar treatments. It doesn't work with Ophelia though; the feisty grrrrlll power heroine of this novel is just too different from Shakespeare's passive victim. It' not a bad story, it just has nothing to do with Hamlet.
Cool spin on a great Shakespeare play. A little long winded at times, and especially Part Three, but the last 3 pages made the slow read worthwhile.
Wow! I loved the way that Klein interwove quotes (albeit modernized) from the play into the narrative.
The beginning was so interesting and fast paced. The rest of it was so boring and slow. I liked the new imagining of Hamlet, but I didn't really like the rest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this adaptation of Ophelia. She had all the wit of Shakespeare's Ophelia and more substance. I love how Klein gave Hamlet's supporting characters, such as Horatio and Gertrude, more significant roles. I especially appreciate her emphasis on the importance of women and their capabilities, which are great even in a world ruled by men.
Klein successfully portrays the abusive/unhealthy nature of Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship. Ophelia's escape from this shows that their are limits to love, especially when a person is not receiving the respect s/he deserves. I think this is valuable for young audiences to observe and understand.
In all, Ophelia by Lisa Klein gives life to a beloved play's mysterious character. It redeems what was denied her and establishes feminine worth in a man's world. It does these effectively while maintaining the dignity of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Klein successfully portrays the abusive/unhealthy nature of Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship. Ophelia's escape from this shows that their are limits to love, especially when a person is not receiving the respect s/he deserves. I think this is valuable for young audiences to observe and understand.
In all, Ophelia by Lisa Klein gives life to a beloved play's mysterious character. It redeems what was denied her and establishes feminine worth in a man's world. It does these effectively while maintaining the dignity of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Ultimately I was disappointed in this book. My expectations weren’t very high, but I was still excited.
Ophelia wasn’t a very interesting or exciting character. I think so much more could have been done with her. Ophelia also suffers from the “special snowflake syndrome”. She’s the only woman who likes to educate herself, and Court life is just so boring and unfulfilling.
Part 3 of this book was so boring I had to skim through it. It was entirely about Ophelia worrying about her identity being revealed and worrying about Claudius. Not to sound too mean but she/the author really overestimates her importance. She could have been written in a way that she was important to the plot and was more involved in everything, but she just seemed like a bystander to me.
After reading this, I am excited for the movie because I think it’s going to be very different from the book. If the movie is just like the book, then that’s going to be one boring movie.
Ophelia wasn’t a very interesting or exciting character. I think so much more could have been done with her. Ophelia also suffers from the “special snowflake syndrome”. She’s the only woman who likes to educate herself, and Court life is just so boring and unfulfilling.
Part 3 of this book was so boring I had to skim through it. It was entirely about Ophelia worrying about her identity being revealed and worrying about Claudius. Not to sound too mean but she/the author really overestimates her importance. She could have been written in a way that she was important to the plot and was more involved in everything, but she just seemed like a bystander to me.
After reading this, I am excited for the movie because I think it’s going to be very different from the book. If the movie is just like the book, then that’s going to be one boring movie.
This is a great side read when trying to work through Hamlet. It does take some liberties and spin the story a little out there compared to Hamlet but it does help offer a new perspective in non-Shakespearean English!
I tried very hard to like this book. I really did! But I did not like it. :(
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes