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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
This is a wonderful twist on the classic tale of Hamlet. It is a great read!
This book is so good. I bought it because I needed to buy something that was about $3 in the amazon bargain bin. This one kind of piqued my interest seeing as I liked the story of Hamlet in high school. I am so glad that I decided to buy it. You see a little bit of Ophelia in William Shakespeare's Hamlet but you never know her whole story. This book shows before the play starts, when the play takes place and after. It has such a good twist and new take on her character. I cannot believe that this is the author's first book because it was beautifully written. I really liked how easy it was to understand. I kept picturing Ophelia sitting by a fire and telling her story. It made it a personal experience. I suggest this book to anyone who likes William Shakespeare's plays. This book has the romance, the revenge and tragedy making it a fully well rounded story. It allows you to take a deeper look into the classic story that we all know and love from the woman's perspective. This book made me respect the character of Ophelia a whole lot more.
This book is Hamlet from Ophelia's prospective. I was super excited when I was roaming the library and stumbled across this book because Hamlet is one of my favorite plays by Shakespeare.
However, I was sort of disappointed in it for several reasons:
1) The author took a lot of liberty when constructing the plot. That's totally fine, but there came a point where I felt like she overstepped that liberty.
2) While it's expected that the author has her own opinions on questions that have been argued for ages (such as, "Is Hamlet actually crazy, or is he truly faking it?" "Do Hamlet and Ophelia actually love each other?" etc.), some of the details and plot twists hinge on those opinions on issues we don't know the answer to. Of course she's entitled to her own opinions; but I just worry a little bit for those readers who haven't read Hamlet that if they read this book first and then read the play, they'll have preconceived ideas about issues, or even about Ophelia's story instead of using their own judgment and deciding for themselves the truth is in the play.
3) I don't know if it's because it's based on Hamlet or what, but the plot just didn't work for me. It was well written and interesting, but it just didn't cut it. I feel that if all the characters had different names, the story would work better for me.
4) The book ended almost too neatly. In my opinion, the epilogue should have been left off and the book would've been just fine.
Overall, it was fairly good, I was just expecting more.
However, I was sort of disappointed in it for several reasons:
1) The author took a lot of liberty when constructing the plot. That's totally fine, but there came a point where I felt like she overstepped that liberty.
2) While it's expected that the author has her own opinions on questions that have been argued for ages (such as, "Is Hamlet actually crazy, or is he truly faking it?" "Do Hamlet and Ophelia actually love each other?" etc.), some of the details and plot twists hinge on those opinions on issues we don't know the answer to. Of course she's entitled to her own opinions; but I just worry a little bit for those readers who haven't read Hamlet that if they read this book first and then read the play, they'll have preconceived ideas about issues, or even about Ophelia's story instead of using their own judgment and deciding for themselves the truth is in the play.
3) I don't know if it's because it's based on Hamlet or what, but the plot just didn't work for me. It was well written and interesting, but it just didn't cut it. I feel that if all the characters had different names, the story would work better for me.
4) The book ended almost too neatly. In my opinion, the epilogue should have been left off and the book would've been just fine.
Overall, it was fairly good, I was just expecting more.
I absolutely loved this book. I enjoyed its simplicity and flow of words. I always found it hard to read and understand Shakespeare. This made me understand Hamlet so much more and Ophelia's perspective. I finished this book on a Thursday morning on my way to school and the last two pages completely lifted my mood.
A hope that I know will most likely never come true is a sequel about Ophelia, Hamlet's, and Horatio's life and maybe they tried to history little Hamlet to the throne of Denmark. My imagination will be thinking about this for the days to come. The nun's stories is a book I would very much love to read. I am no Christian but it was insightful to read about the nuns and their rituals at St. Emillion.
"In that case dear Ophelia, may I kiss you again. (Klein 328)."
A hope that I know will most likely never come true is a sequel about Ophelia, Hamlet's, and Horatio's life and maybe they tried to history little Hamlet to the throne of Denmark. My imagination will be thinking about this for the days to come. The nun's stories is a book I would very much love to read. I am no Christian but it was insightful to read about the nuns and their rituals at St. Emillion.
"In that case dear Ophelia, may I kiss you again. (Klein 328)."
In which I review a book awfully quickly because I have two books to review and owe Ellen at Figment a review for this week.
Everybody knows Hamlet. Even if one doesn't think they know Hamlet, one probably does. To be or not to be? Ringing a bell? Yes, that is Hamlet, that is Shakespeare.
With all of these people quoting her sort-of boyfriend, one'd think that Ophelia would get her share of the limelight. And with Ophelia: a novel, she indeed does--all three hundred pages of her share of the limelight. Let me be clear, this is in no way your average retelling of Hamlet--the tall dark and handsome prince spends much of his story somewhere, anywhere else. In fact, I was a little surprised by how little of Hamlet's story overlaps with Ophelia's.
This is not Hamlet's story, after all, but still.
I went back and forth for much of the book trying to decide whether I loved it or hated it, honestly. I couldn't decide whether it was so close to [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298411661s/1420.jpg|1885548] that I had to adore it, or so far that I was amazed it passed as a retelling. Much goes on behind the curtain, evidentially; even more than I'd already assumed just from reading and watching the play.
On its own, without thinking about Hamlet, it's a decent enough book. It's written in a distinctly Ye Olde Writing style, though not completely incomprehensible like some true Ye Olde Writing (Shakespeare, I am looking at you). Some things come out sounding truly sharp, witty and/or poetic... but at other times, it seems the painfully obvious keeps being expounded because Ophelia cannot grasp the concept of show, don't tell. The plot moves along sluggishly at times, but the book really does just cover a lot of ground; years and years of Ophelia's life before and after what is contained within Hamlet.
Indeed, I think it was after it moved out of Hamlet and into just Ophelia that it really got good. I'm not a big fan of this Ophelia with Hamlet, really. Ophelia on her own, though, tells a pretty interesting story, showing a huge amount of creativity on the part of the writer. Really, it's part three that's the best--if you can hold out that far.
Overall, I've got mixed feelings. I'm not sure if it's because I'm first and foremost a fan of the original (a pox on spinoffs and covers! Torchwood and Kris Allen will never be as good as Doctor Who and OneRepublic!), but I feel the author could have dwelled much longer on exploring and deciphering Hamlet's psyche, the strange behaviours and madness that Ophelia never seems to quite understand. It has its great moments, and I think I may be biased, but that's not stopping me from giving it 3 1/2 stars--a valiant attempt, but a little weak. (Just as I feel this review may be.)
Everybody knows Hamlet. Even if one doesn't think they know Hamlet, one probably does. To be or not to be? Ringing a bell? Yes, that is Hamlet, that is Shakespeare.
With all of these people quoting her sort-of boyfriend, one'd think that Ophelia would get her share of the limelight. And with Ophelia: a novel, she indeed does--all three hundred pages of her share of the limelight. Let me be clear, this is in no way your average retelling of Hamlet--the tall dark and handsome prince spends much of his story somewhere, anywhere else. In fact, I was a little surprised by how little of Hamlet's story overlaps with Ophelia's.
This is not Hamlet's story, after all, but still.
I went back and forth for much of the book trying to decide whether I loved it or hated it, honestly. I couldn't decide whether it was so close to [b:Hamlet|1420|Hamlet|William Shakespeare|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298411661s/1420.jpg|1885548] that I had to adore it, or so far that I was amazed it passed as a retelling. Much goes on behind the curtain, evidentially; even more than I'd already assumed just from reading and watching the play.
On its own, without thinking about Hamlet, it's a decent enough book. It's written in a distinctly Ye Olde Writing style, though not completely incomprehensible like some true Ye Olde Writing (Shakespeare, I am looking at you). Some things come out sounding truly sharp, witty and/or poetic... but at other times, it seems the painfully obvious keeps being expounded because Ophelia cannot grasp the concept of show, don't tell. The plot moves along sluggishly at times, but the book really does just cover a lot of ground; years and years of Ophelia's life before and after what is contained within Hamlet.
Indeed, I think it was after it moved out of Hamlet and into just Ophelia that it really got good. I'm not a big fan of this Ophelia with Hamlet, really. Ophelia on her own, though, tells a pretty interesting story, showing a huge amount of creativity on the part of the writer. Really, it's part three that's the best--if you can hold out that far.
Overall, I've got mixed feelings. I'm not sure if it's because I'm first and foremost a fan of the original (a pox on spinoffs and covers! Torchwood and Kris Allen will never be as good as Doctor Who and OneRepublic!), but I feel the author could have dwelled much longer on exploring and deciphering Hamlet's psyche, the strange behaviours and madness that Ophelia never seems to quite understand. It has its great moments, and I think I may be biased, but that's not stopping me from giving it 3 1/2 stars--a valiant attempt, but a little weak. (Just as I feel this review may be.)
I don't quite know what to make of this book... The first part is focused on the adolescent preoccupation with love, romance, and sex; the second is pious, austere, and, bordering on sanctimonious; there's a real disconnect between the two of halves. Although representing the modern American teenager, I did not entirely believe Ophelia's preoccupation with love, that didn't ring true to me. I was also disappointed in the cliched happy ending.
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An interesting take on the stroy of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. This novel records the life of Ophelia, from a rambunctious chlid to a woman who has known a lot of suffering and wants to live her life in safety and peace. It imagines a scenario where Ophelia faked her death to escape from the dangers of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. The novel goes over the tragic love story of Ophelia and Hamlet. I enjoyed the parts that referred to lines from the original play. I feel like people would only really enjoy this book if they are familiar with Hamlet. The issue of being really crazy verus acting crazy was explored a little. Overall, it was a decent story. A little predictable (as in, the part that came after she faked her death. Obviously I knew what was coming from the first part of the story) but the author did a decent job of adding different layers of intrigue and possiblity into Ophelia's court life and courtship with Hamlet, and she managed to give Ophelia a story that gives her some more agency over her life. The Ophelia seen in Shakespeare's Hamlet is mostly controlled by other characters, or is insane. The Ophelia in this story has a rebellious streak and is an intelligent girl. I liked seeing her as a more dynamic character.
3.5
Okay, first of all, I love this cover. Granted, getting a snapshot of a girl and putting a title on it isn't that unique, but it's something about the model, and her hair, and the look of alarm and seriousness on her face. I kept on pausing to look at it while I read.
I recently had a bad experience with A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont, which distressed me on two levels: A) Its copy-and-paste of scenes from Jane Eyre and B) Horrific reading of this beloved classic.
Mont ought to take a look at this book, because where Mont failed, Klein excelled.
-A few scenes we see in Hamlet this book takes as well, such as the "Get thee to a nunnery" scene, as well as Ophelia's madness with the flowers. Much of the dialogue is the same. However, Klein will summarize long speeches, and while I read scenes I've seen/read in Hamlet, the layer of Ophelia's thoughts and her motivation behind them add a different dimension to these scenes, especially considering all of the new action and plot given in Ophelia's story.
-This gives a new reading to Hamlet. In this version, Ophelia is not purely mad. As Shakespeare penned, there is method to the madness. She's a strong young woman, albeit confused at times, but nevertheless, a much stronger character than she's presented as in the original play. And yet, this reading is overall true to Shakespeare's work. The backstory, the liberties taken with the work, all of these work within the play.
I did not give this book four stars, however, because the ending gets really slow. I'm still not sure what the climax was, unless Klein's going with the old story structure in which the climax is placed in the middle of the work and the last half of the book is the fallout. However, it bored me. It's just so peaceful. I guess I just don't find much danger in nuns.
Okay, first of all, I love this cover. Granted, getting a snapshot of a girl and putting a title on it isn't that unique, but it's something about the model, and her hair, and the look of alarm and seriousness on her face. I kept on pausing to look at it while I read.
I recently had a bad experience with A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont, which distressed me on two levels: A) Its copy-and-paste of scenes from Jane Eyre and B) Horrific reading of this beloved classic.
Mont ought to take a look at this book, because where Mont failed, Klein excelled.
-A few scenes we see in Hamlet this book takes as well, such as the "Get thee to a nunnery" scene, as well as Ophelia's madness with the flowers. Much of the dialogue is the same. However, Klein will summarize long speeches, and while I read scenes I've seen/read in Hamlet, the layer of Ophelia's thoughts and her motivation behind them add a different dimension to these scenes, especially considering all of the new action and plot given in Ophelia's story.
-This gives a new reading to Hamlet. In this version, Ophelia is not purely mad. As Shakespeare penned, there is method to the madness. She's a strong young woman, albeit confused at times, but nevertheless, a much stronger character than she's presented as in the original play. And yet, this reading is overall true to Shakespeare's work. The backstory, the liberties taken with the work, all of these work within the play.
I did not give this book four stars, however, because the ending gets really slow. I'm still not sure what the climax was, unless Klein's going with the old story structure in which the climax is placed in the middle of the work and the last half of the book is the fallout. However, it bored me. It's just so peaceful. I guess I just don't find much danger in nuns.
OH MY GOODNESS THIS BOOK WAS A TASK TO FINISH.
Out of the three Hamlet retellings I've read so far, this was definitely the best written, but not the most interesting for me. I liked the beginning of the book (Part 1). Reading about Ophelia's childhood and her relationship with her father was very interesting. The middle (part 2) was fairly interesting, but I didn't really feel compelled to read on at the end of a chapter. The last part was too long and definitely unneeded. I just wanted the book to be OVER after part 2 was done.
There were definitely some good things about the book. I really liked how the author didn't try to insert Ophelia into every scene of the play she wasn't originally in like the other retellings I've read. There's a few scenes Ophelia observes that she wasn't a part of in the original play, but there was only two, so it didn't feel super contrived. The addition of other female characters was nice too.
Just, overall I really didn't enjoy reading it as much as I thought? Not my kind of book, unfortunately.
Detailed video review HERE: https://youtu.be/ZvHvSoyQ69o
Out of the three Hamlet retellings I've read so far, this was definitely the best written, but not the most interesting for me. I liked the beginning of the book (Part 1). Reading about Ophelia's childhood and her relationship with her father was very interesting. The middle (part 2) was fairly interesting, but I didn't really feel compelled to read on at the end of a chapter. The last part was too long and definitely unneeded. I just wanted the book to be OVER after part 2 was done.
There were definitely some good things about the book. I really liked how the author didn't try to insert Ophelia into every scene of the play she wasn't originally in like the other retellings I've read. There's a few scenes Ophelia observes that she wasn't a part of in the original play, but there was only two, so it didn't feel super contrived. The addition of other female characters was nice too.
Just, overall I really didn't enjoy reading it as much as I thought? Not my kind of book, unfortunately.
Detailed video review HERE: https://youtu.be/ZvHvSoyQ69o