Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I've always been a Shakespeare fan and I think that Bill Bryson is a genius, so I was sure this would be a good read... It turns out that It was, mostly. However, you fill a book with "people say Shakespeare did this, but no one really knows" and it gets a bit old. Still, Bryson is witty and paints a nice picture if England at this time and his underhanded ridicule of some theories were well-worth the read!
Audiobook: 05hr 30m
An enjoyable, somewhat cheeky dive into The Bard's personal history!
An enjoyable, somewhat cheeky dive into The Bard's personal history!
2.5 stars. I'm sad to say this was, for the most part, very boring. I'm a fan of Bryson's other work but here he often gets bogged down in unnecessary detail that just becomes a tedious, academic slog by the end. I definitely know more about Shakespeare and the period than I did before, but if anything I've learnt basically we don't know much about the man, and probably never will for sure. There were probably more interesting ways to find that out though...sorry Bill.
I am giving this three stars purely because of the format. For me, audio books take too much concentration - I kept finding myself going on social media while listening to book, so much so that I missed large chunks.
What did I listen to seemed interesting (Bryson is a master of "faction"), particularly that we actually know very little of Shakespeare (not even if "Shakespeare" is the right spelling or prounucation). A fact acknowledged by Bryson when he remarks how "slim" this volume is.
I would recommend this book; I just wish I'd bought the actual book rather than downloaded the audio
What did I listen to seemed interesting (Bryson is a master of "faction"), particularly that we actually know very little of Shakespeare (not even if "Shakespeare" is the right spelling or prounucation). A fact acknowledged by Bryson when he remarks how "slim" this volume is.
I would recommend this book; I just wish I'd bought the actual book rather than downloaded the audio
Fun and accessible read, learned some new things about Shakespeare (even though the point was how little we really know) and his context; especially useful review after having visited Stratford-upon-Avon.
I'm teaching a Shakespeare course next year, and so I've had a little bit of fun buying a lot of Shakespeare-related texts as well as trying to see what bits and pieces I can pass along to my students (it's only a one-semester class and we'll spend most of our time digging into the plays themselves). In that regard I looked into this short biography by the always-entertaining Bryson as a possible prose piece or as an extra credit/summer reading possibility. I might still offer it as the latter, but I probably won't include it on the syllabus. Not because it's not worthwhile--Bryson continues to be supremely readable, affable, and interesting--but simply because reviewing what little we know about the Bard's life reminded me how completely unessential knowing about the Bard's life is to appreciating the plays.
Still, if you're looking for a beginner's intro to Shakespeare's life, this is a great place to begin. Less "academic" than Greenblatt's also-fine Will in the World and anchored by Bryson's pleasant voice, this slim volume provides a just-the-facts approach to what we know (and don't know) about the most influential author to ever live. Bryson enjoys the "details"--how many signatures we have of Shakespeare's, where they can be found, what an appearance at court might or might not tell us--but he doesn't get bogged down in speculation, and he has a very low tolerance for those who want to spin out great biographies from making assumptions based on the content of the plays themselves. Bryson is instead content to point out where the plays seem to line up with what we know, and where perhaps they raise surprising questions. As with all his texts, he does not rely on histrionics or emotional appeals, but rather walks you through the author's life with a calm and slightly sardonic tone.
Incidentally, I was pleased that the last chapter is basically a pointed rejection of the "Shakespeare-wasn't-Shakespeare" theories that seem to be so prominent these days. I have little interest in the snobbish arguments that the Oxfordians and others seem to make, and I appreciated Bryson's wry rejection of those pointless theories. There's enough in the historical record to make a man, and there's enough in the plays and poems themselves to make a living and thinking and feeling human. Getting caught up in the silliness of "yes, but which human" seems to miss the point of what makes the plays so powerful.
Still, if you're looking for a beginner's intro to Shakespeare's life, this is a great place to begin. Less "academic" than Greenblatt's also-fine Will in the World and anchored by Bryson's pleasant voice, this slim volume provides a just-the-facts approach to what we know (and don't know) about the most influential author to ever live. Bryson enjoys the "details"--how many signatures we have of Shakespeare's, where they can be found, what an appearance at court might or might not tell us--but he doesn't get bogged down in speculation, and he has a very low tolerance for those who want to spin out great biographies from making assumptions based on the content of the plays themselves. Bryson is instead content to point out where the plays seem to line up with what we know, and where perhaps they raise surprising questions. As with all his texts, he does not rely on histrionics or emotional appeals, but rather walks you through the author's life with a calm and slightly sardonic tone.
Incidentally, I was pleased that the last chapter is basically a pointed rejection of the "Shakespeare-wasn't-Shakespeare" theories that seem to be so prominent these days. I have little interest in the snobbish arguments that the Oxfordians and others seem to make, and I appreciated Bryson's wry rejection of those pointless theories. There's enough in the historical record to make a man, and there's enough in the plays and poems themselves to make a living and thinking and feeling human. Getting caught up in the silliness of "yes, but which human" seems to miss the point of what makes the plays so powerful.
informative
medium-paced
An interesting and mostly excellent biography. As Bryson says anything on Shakespeare's life is always 5% biography and 95% conjecture. The last chapter on whether Shakespeare was a pseudonym is a high point to finish. Worth reading if you like biographies or are interested in Shakespeare.
Bill Bryson's take on the literary genius. He tries to stick to the facts (the primary documents that show where he was throughout his life) while presenting, but not going to in-depth, theories on the Man. An interesting read broken up with photographs and art pieces from history.
This is not my favorite Bill Bryson book, but it was fine for a weekend read. I was an English major, but my Shakespeare class was many, many years ago. I was glad to be reintroduced to Shakespeare the man. Since we really know very little about Shakespeare, I was especially glad to be reminded about the controversies associated with this great playwright. Why is it that many people can't believe [b:William Shakespeare|18135|Romeo and Juliet|William Shakespeare|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XTDJ3P4XL._SL75_.jpg|3349450] was the author of all those wonderful plays? Worth looking at, don't expect miracles.