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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
fast-paced
✨audiobooked✨ 3.5 ⭐️
This was an interesting listen and I definitely learned a lot about Shakespeare but it’s definitely not as good as some of Bryson’s other books. I also felt like Bryson definitely had a decent amount of bias because many times he’d talk about how he was the greatest writer/author and stuff like that. I’m not disagreeing with him as I’m not in a place to make any arguments for or against his claims (I mean look at my recent reads) but the bias is definitely there.
It did give me a desire to read more Shakespeare but we’ll see how long those feelings last. Maybe I’ll do Shakespeare September as a follow up to Rick Riordan summer to get my brain working again. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
This was an interesting listen and I definitely learned a lot about Shakespeare but it’s definitely not as good as some of Bryson’s other books. I also felt like Bryson definitely had a decent amount of bias because many times he’d talk about how he was the greatest writer/author and stuff like that. I’m not disagreeing with him as I’m not in a place to make any arguments for or against his claims (I mean look at my recent reads) but the bias is definitely there.
It did give me a desire to read more Shakespeare but we’ll see how long those feelings last. Maybe I’ll do Shakespeare September as a follow up to Rick Riordan summer to get my brain working again. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
informative
Interesting, its an interesting read. I suppose it depends on how into Shakespeare you are, plus how interested in historical context (i.e. period drama type historical context) you are, whether you'd enjoy this book or not. I was interested to read about the famous author but it seems to boil down to the fact that we know, for 100% certain, very, very little. I got a bit frustrated that there was so much detail not about 'the bard' but about the royals and the quite grim torture punishments given at the time, plus many references to the plague etc. this isn't a book I thought you have to be in a good mood to read but if your feeling low, it may be a bit depressing at times certainly!.
I liked the discussion about the various theories, or conspiracy theories even, that some people have, questioning most things about Shakespeare. Its a short read and its somewhat thoughtful but I did find myself trying to rush through the end of it as I felt a little tired of the subject before then. Given its under 200 pages long, that's not a great sign. Given its written by Bill Bryson and is categorized (if in part) as a humorous book, it was a slight let down in that regard - its more academic, a fact based read.
I liked the discussion about the various theories, or conspiracy theories even, that some people have, questioning most things about Shakespeare. Its a short read and its somewhat thoughtful but I did find myself trying to rush through the end of it as I felt a little tired of the subject before then. Given its under 200 pages long, that's not a great sign. Given its written by Bill Bryson and is categorized (if in part) as a humorous book, it was a slight let down in that regard - its more academic, a fact based read.
funny
informative
lighthearted
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Did really capture my attention. Some nice facts though.
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
informative
There are 120 notes and highlights in my ebook version of this work, and quite a number of them are words I especially like or wasn’t sure about. Very apt indeed that a book written about the creator of several hundred English words is written using such a wide range of vocabulary.
We learn that we know almost nothing about the person (in case you are a fan of conspiracy theories, hold them tightly to your chest, proceed to the last chapter of this book, and be schooled, along with Looney, Silliman and Battey. You’re welcome.) but we have this amazing body of work, a good portion of it preserved in the First Folio. Imagine if they didn’t put together that collection. No, don’t, the world would be a very different place, with many academics left without a proper addiction (©Shakespeare).
To give you an idea about the extent to which he gave us everyday words, think about how we would describe a simple scene like this without Shakespeare’s words: I felt lonely©, lying in my bedroom© motionless©, only a moonbeam© lighting the downstairs© room… Moreover, what would we do without phrases like ‘vanish into thin air’ or ‘flesh and blood’, just to name a couple? Or without the Shakespeare insult generators, thou vain beef-witted mammet? See?
As always, I enjoyed Bryson’s wit and style immensely. Every piece of information he provided appeared to be exceptionally exciting (for instance, the origin of the phrase ‘box office’), and his level-headed appreciation of the subject of others’ obsession made it pure joy to read this book.
We learn that we know almost nothing about the person (in case you are a fan of conspiracy theories, hold them tightly to your chest, proceed to the last chapter of this book, and be schooled, along with Looney, Silliman and Battey. You’re welcome.) but we have this amazing body of work, a good portion of it preserved in the First Folio. Imagine if they didn’t put together that collection. No, don’t, the world would be a very different place, with many academics left without a proper addiction (©Shakespeare).
To give you an idea about the extent to which he gave us everyday words, think about how we would describe a simple scene like this without Shakespeare’s words: I felt lonely©, lying in my bedroom© motionless©, only a moonbeam© lighting the downstairs© room… Moreover, what would we do without phrases like ‘vanish into thin air’ or ‘flesh and blood’, just to name a couple? Or without the Shakespeare insult generators, thou vain beef-witted mammet? See?
As always, I enjoyed Bryson’s wit and style immensely. Every piece of information he provided appeared to be exceptionally exciting (for instance, the origin of the phrase ‘box office’), and his level-headed appreciation of the subject of others’ obsession made it pure joy to read this book.
informative