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libraryofalexandra's review
2.0
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.
loveisgolden's review
3.0
3.5*
Read this (alongside Hamlet) for an English class and I wasn’t going to add both of them on here but I enjoyed it very much that I had to!
Read this (alongside Hamlet) for an English class and I wasn’t going to add both of them on here but I enjoyed it very much that I had to!
tbrack's review
I stopped reading at 32% which was the point I realized that I didn't care- at all- about any of the characters. Everyone was flat- not relatable, likable, or even interesting.
The writing was very tedious. At times it was weighed down by overly effusive descriptions (I didn't test this, but I suspect this writer might have used more similes and metaphors than even Shakespeare did and not always to good effect) and then it was punctuated by the bare delivery of those plot points that we expect. It read almost like a story outline at places.
The places where the writer diverged from the well-known story were not particularly interesting or useful.
I imagine that trying to write a redemptive, female-centered story into a world that Shakespeare originated would be particularly challenging. It might have been better to write a tragic romance in a historical setting all on its own and left Ophelia and Hamlet alone.
The writing was very tedious. At times it was weighed down by overly effusive descriptions (I didn't test this, but I suspect this writer might have used more similes and metaphors than even Shakespeare did and not always to good effect) and then it was punctuated by the bare delivery of those plot points that we expect. It read almost like a story outline at places.
The places where the writer diverged from the well-known story were not particularly interesting or useful.
I imagine that trying to write a redemptive, female-centered story into a world that Shakespeare originated would be particularly challenging. It might have been better to write a tragic romance in a historical setting all on its own and left Ophelia and Hamlet alone.
yooliahzwei's review
5.0
While this book started off slow, I ended up loving it. It's a great, feminist-style take on the classic "Hamlet" story, and it gives a spin on the original that I actually like much better. It's great historical fiction writing and I'd reccomend it to anyone interested in that genre, especially if you're fond of strong female lead characters. I would read this book over again in a heartbeat.
wyvernfriend's review
3.0
Founded around a series of what-ifs. What if Ophelia's death was in fact a Romeo-and-Juliet type attempt to get away from the troubles that beset her relationship with Hamlet and in fact she survived to tell her tale? In fact this story mostly reads like Hamlet meets Romeo and Juliet and finishes with a happy ending.
Overall it was interesting to have some of the dialogue from the original interspersed with the story and a greater development of the character of Ophelia but overall it was a bit ho-hum.
Overall it was interesting to have some of the dialogue from the original interspersed with the story and a greater development of the character of Ophelia but overall it was a bit ho-hum.
karamello's review
4.0
The best parts of Lisa Klein's Ophelia are when she sticks close to Shakespeare, weaving in bits of the play's original dialog and reading between the lines to find much more there. The scene between Hamlet and Ophelia while Claudius and Polonius spy on them is inspired! I've never been a big fan of Shakespeare's Hamlet as a character, but Klein's representation gives me new insights into Shakespeare's play, helping me imagine Hamlet as a lively, charming prince, heightening the tragedy still further. I must admit that the story does lose a bit of luster in the last section as it continues the story where Shakespeare left off. Still, this may be the best literary retelling I've ever read and I'm becoming something of a connoisseur.
mdmiller1993's review
Absolutely Loved it. I'd never read anything by Shakespeare and now that I've read this wonderful book I understand Hamlet much better now. I hope she writes more of the female point of view of Shakespeare characters like this.
annebronte's review
2.0
2.5 stars. thought it was due for a reread, and.... yeah this book was not nearly as good as I remembered.