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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Jodi Picoult's By Any Other Name weaves a narrative that juxtaposes two distinct characters, modern student playwright Melina Green and possible Shakespeare identity Emilia Bassano, bringing their worlds into sharp relief. The book navigates themes of identity, love, and personal growth, characteristic of Picoult's storytelling style.
While Melina's character left much to be desired, with her decisions and motivations sometimes feeling inconsistent and difficult to empathize with, the chapters focused on Emilia were a different story. Emilia's journey is compelling, and Picoult’s ability to create intricate plots shines through. Despite the uneven character development, By Any Other Name remains a thought-provoking read that offers insight into the struggle women artists have always faced.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
While Melina's character left much to be desired, with her decisions and motivations sometimes feeling inconsistent and difficult to empathize with, the chapters focused on Emilia were a different story. Emilia's journey is compelling, and Picoult’s ability to create intricate plots shines through. Despite the uneven character development, By Any Other Name remains a thought-provoking read that offers insight into the struggle women artists have always faced.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Interesting idea but too long.
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There were parts of the book that I could not put down, that I wished would never end. And there were parts that were so dry and dull it felt like two different authors wrote the same book. The captivating parts were solely from the Emilia timeline, set in the time of Shakespeare, and the dry parts were the Melina timeline, set in modernity. Emilia was the most lovable and interesting character, you never knew how she was Going to adapt to her every changing environment and you kept wanting to turn the page to find out how she would get to the point of authoring Shakespeare's plays. I found myself putting the book down everytime I got the a Melina chapter. It was like Emilias pages were 3d and Melinas were 2d.
The writing is impressive. The way she poetically weaves Shakespeare's plot lines throughout Emilia's (and Melina's) lives was literally breathtaking at some points. But at other times it felt like the author was beating me over the head with the wooden bat of feminism. And that chapened the rest of her writing. In a book wigh dual timelines about two women in different pages of history struggling with being seen as the lesser sex in their professional fields and in their loves, the author really had to hold out hands with this idea on page 156 when she told us, "It was so strange for Melina tod ind herself now in the exact same situation her protagonist was." That was unnecessary.
And then I was really disappointed in the author when she coudlnt even come up with her own example of linguistic misogyny when she had a character display her feminism on page 404 by asking why there wasn't a male word for slut. She lazily used the same catchphrase of everyone who thought they were being so provocative in the 90s when we took intro to lit as freshmen.
Overall, I would read endless books about Emilia or other historical fiction pieces from this author. I would just avoid a dual timeline, with the modern women's story sucking all of the life out of the rich historical character.
The writing is impressive. The way she poetically weaves Shakespeare's plot lines throughout Emilia's (and Melina's) lives was literally breathtaking at some points. But at other times it felt like the author was beating me over the head with the wooden bat of feminism. And that chapened the rest of her writing. In a book wigh dual timelines about two women in different pages of history struggling with being seen as the lesser sex in their professional fields and in their loves, the author really had to hold out hands with this idea on page 156 when she told us, "It was so strange for Melina tod ind herself now in the exact same situation her protagonist was." That was unnecessary.
And then I was really disappointed in the author when she coudlnt even come up with her own example of linguistic misogyny when she had a character display her feminism on page 404 by asking why there wasn't a male word for slut. She lazily used the same catchphrase of everyone who thought they were being so provocative in the 90s when we took intro to lit as freshmen.
Overall, I would read endless books about Emilia or other historical fiction pieces from this author. I would just avoid a dual timeline, with the modern women's story sucking all of the life out of the rich historical character.