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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
an excellent, readable primer on Shakespeare and his Elizabethan world.
Pretty interesting. Very accessible to the english major and non-academic alike, I thought. Bryson somewhat belabors the point that there is really not a whole lot that we do know about Shakespeare's life, but there are enough myths and kooky theories out there that need dispelling, so some forgiveness is in order. I do not read biographies as a rule but this one held my attention.
Bryson + Shakespeare
MADE MY DAY!!!
Excellent overview of the life and times; facts without too much conjecture.
MADE MY DAY!!!
Excellent overview of the life and times; facts without too much conjecture.
This is a brief and concise, yet very detailed, account of the life and times of William Shakespeare, and my first biography of the Bard! I have had as little exposure to Shakespeare as was required of me during my high school and college English courses. On the surface, I couldn’t tell you what he was saying in any of his works, and any in-depth studies done on them apparently went over my head back then. But, the time has come for me to show some respect for the Bard and to undertake to read some of his plays this year, and thankfully I’ve found just the way to accomplish it—through a year-long readalong hosted by thebookishcookier on IG. The first book up was this little biography by Bill Bryson, and it was such an enjoyable read! I didn’t realize that so little was known about Shakespeare. To quote the book: “The paradoxical consequence is that we all recognize a likeness of Shakespeare the instant we see one, and yet we don’t really know what he looked like. It is like this with nearly every aspect of his life and character: He is at once the best known and the least known of figures.” Alongside learning what little there is to know about Shakespeare, this volume also delves into the life and times surrounding him and as a history lover, I found all these extra bits very fascinating! If you are looking to learn something about William Shakespeare, this is a great place to start.
Fabuloso. Ameno y con muchos datos. Da un repaso a multitud de teorías y datos ciertos sobre Shakespeare.
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
A pretty dry read it must be said but it was worth it to see Bryson dismantle the anti-Stratfordians in the closing chapter.
Excellent, concise, and informative. A brilliant read for English teachers wanting to improve their contextual understanding of the Bard without reading thousands of pages. Bryson is easy to read and includes only necessary details. He really hammers the point that we really don't know that much about Shakespeare!
This is really more like a 3.5. Goodreads should make it so you can give things half stars.