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emilycm's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
i think the most interesting scenes were between ophelia and hamlet, seeing their relationship develop, as this was very obviously the core of the story to begin with. but that was about all that was favourable, or digestable, about this retelling.
i love the character of ophelia, and i will always appreciate and fawn over new interpretations of her character, and the things that get overlooked about her in the original telling. BUT, the whole "ophelia's not like other girls" annoyed me a little, in the way it was reinforced over and over, until it felt very dry and not substantive to the character. i do believe that's the beauty of hamlet and ophelia's relationship, they are thoughtful and intelligent people.
i have seen the movie adaptation of this, which honestly, is probably better in some ways, but i think that there is a lot to be said about the idea of changing the whole perception of how ophelia dies. like, i firmly am in the belief that some of the tragedy, and magnificence and resonance, of ophelia's story, and hamlet as a whole, is that she dies! it's fucking tragic and makes me upset, but is so central to her story and role in this larger telling. so, i kind of very much don't love the new interpretation; it's bold, but it doesn't cut it for me.
i love the character of ophelia, and i will always appreciate and fawn over new interpretations of her character, and the things that get overlooked about her in the original telling. BUT, the whole "ophelia's not like other girls" annoyed me a little, in the way it was reinforced over and over, until it felt very dry and not substantive to the character. i do believe that's the beauty of hamlet and ophelia's relationship, they are thoughtful and intelligent people.
i have seen the movie adaptation of this, which honestly, is probably better in some ways, but i think that there is a lot to be said about the idea of changing the whole perception of how ophelia dies. like, i firmly am in the belief that some of the tragedy, and magnificence and resonance, of ophelia's story, and hamlet as a whole, is that she dies! it's fucking tragic and makes me upset, but is so central to her story and role in this larger telling. so, i kind of very much don't love the new interpretation; it's bold, but it doesn't cut it for me.
slimy's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.0
This was one of my favorite books in middle school, and I read it mainly for nostalgia’s sake, but did enjoy it again as an adult. This was the book that sparked an obsession with Hamlet, and is the reason why Horatio is forever my favorite.
Entirely age-appropriate of the YA genre, this is a sweet, strong coming-of-age story that centers a well-know female character who typically goes overlooked.
Entirely age-appropriate of the YA genre, this is a sweet, strong coming-of-age story that centers a well-know female character who typically goes overlooked.
ykyasamin's review
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
hensoava's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
claires's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
orla__492's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
actualophelia's review
5.0
This book drags you into the world Shakespeare created all those years ago. From the view point of Ophelia you see what happened in Denmark. How must it have felt for her to have a lover gone mad? Why did she go mad herself?
I think this is a wonderful book.
I think this is a wonderful book.
gemmawelton's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I’ve only read one of Shakespeare’s plays (Romeo and Juliet), and yet I think this story of Ophelia has enough woe and angst to rival anything Shakespeare had written, including the original play.
I found the pace to be a bit slow toward the end, and I will admit for a while it lost me. However, I feel that the ending made up for that.
I’m not sure how I feel about Ophelia and Horatio’s interaction at the end, I did think early on in the book that I wouldn’t mind if there’s was some romance between them, but after her years of healing and everything she talked about at the convent it felt a bit at odds with who she would have been.
However, I am also sort of happy that her and Horatio ‘found each other’ at the end. I’m a little conflicted.
Overall though a brilliant retelling if the original story (which I must confess I have never actually read/seen), and I do believe that this book will take a spot as one of my favourites.
I found the pace to be a bit slow toward the end, and I will admit for a while it lost me. However, I feel that the ending made up for that.
I’m not sure how I feel about Ophelia and Horatio’s interaction at the end, I did think early on in the book that I wouldn’t mind if there’s was some romance between them, but after her years of healing and everything she talked about at the convent it felt a bit at odds with who she would have been.
However, I am also sort of happy that her and Horatio ‘found each other’ at the end. I’m a little conflicted.
Overall though a brilliant retelling if the original story (which I must confess I have never actually read/seen), and I do believe that this book will take a spot as one of my favourites.
arudolph's review
3.0
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.
akalexander24's review
3.0
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.)