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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took me forever to finish, which is weird because I loved Alan Cumming's performance and I really enjoyed the other two Shakespeare retellings by David Hewson. And there are bits in this books, scenes and snatches of dialogue, that I really enjoyed.
But I did not get on with the book as a whole. Can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's all the battles or the sense that this plot was being orchestrated by an outside force that we never get any information on. I don't know. But I'm probably never going to revisit this one.
But I did not get on with the book as a whole. Can't put my finger on why. Maybe it's all the battles or the sense that this plot was being orchestrated by an outside force that we never get any information on. I don't know. But I'm probably never going to revisit this one.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was amazing. It is not the play novelized exactly, but written in a novel form and enhanced in some ways. What I mean it, it's not meant to be the play, scene by scene, but a retelling of the same story using the play as a guide--or that's how it seemed to me. I loved it only slightly less than I loved Hamlet: A Novel by the same authors. The audiobook is narrated by Alan Cumming who has a lovely Scottish accent. He is a fantastic narrator, but his accent, his voice, and his style of narration was especially suited to this story and he really did a great job. I really loved it.
Shakespeare: here's to your perennial adaptability! I love how this novelization of the play further develops the characters, especially Lady MacBeth and the Weird Sisters. If you loved the play, I suggest checking out the novel.
“Men at their games again. Thanes and crofters, lords and peasants. Killing and being killed, with spear and knife, ax and sword, arrow and dagger, and cruel, cruel hands. Much of a muchness when they are a bag of slaughtered flesh and bone bleeding out their little lives for the grateful worms in the peat.”
It took me a long time to listen to this audio and almost as long to write my review. I found Hartley and Hewson’s interpretation of MacBeth well done and well read. They couldn’t have picked a better reader than Alan Cumming. He was the reason I picked this book to listen to – several years ago I saw Cumming do all of MacBeth in New York City. The performance was amazing.
Shakespeare’s plays are often mined for other’s stories. Of course, Shakespeare did the same thing. This version of MacBeth, for me, rounded out the tale that Shakespeare told. I like what Hartley and Hewson did with the three witches and other characters.
I recommend this novel to folks to like Shakespeare’s play, to those who need to know more about MacBeth because they find the play hard to read (i.e. teens who have to read the play) and to anyone who likes a good audiobook.
Now I want to go see MacBeth, the play, again so I can see what new things I see there because of this interpretation.
It took me a long time to listen to this audio and almost as long to write my review. I found Hartley and Hewson’s interpretation of MacBeth well done and well read. They couldn’t have picked a better reader than Alan Cumming. He was the reason I picked this book to listen to – several years ago I saw Cumming do all of MacBeth in New York City. The performance was amazing.
Shakespeare’s plays are often mined for other’s stories. Of course, Shakespeare did the same thing. This version of MacBeth, for me, rounded out the tale that Shakespeare told. I like what Hartley and Hewson did with the three witches and other characters.
I recommend this novel to folks to like Shakespeare’s play, to those who need to know more about MacBeth because they find the play hard to read (i.e. teens who have to read the play) and to anyone who likes a good audiobook.
Now I want to go see MacBeth, the play, again so I can see what new things I see there because of this interpretation.
I quite like this way of presenting the Macbeth story. It feels strange to re-visit the story years after having read the play by Shakespeare and the novel 'Macbest' by Pratchett, though it is well written and easy to read.
This was entertaining, but, by comparison, I wasn't as bowled over as I was by the authors' re-imagining of Hamlet. In all fairness, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if - had I not read their Hamlet first, I would have easily given this 4 stars (not that it matters, and I concede my rating system is probably somewhat arbitrary). Maybe I just find Hamlet a more engaging (and sympathetic) tale, so breathing new life into it felt not only more natural but more entertaining (and, frankly, amusing) - OK, OK, there's just not that much laughter in Macbeth - it's a bleak story/tragedy that can only end badly....
Taking a step back, the authors are creative in breathing life into - and taking liberties with the original text in - these novelizations of familiar, but admittedly cryptic, Shakespeare plays, which leave plenty of room for interpretation, expansion, and retelling. They put a lot of thought (and research and knowledge) into their work, and it shows.
For Shakespeare fans (and experts), this is fun stuff. I'm glad I found both, and I enjoyed the "experience."
Taking a step back, the authors are creative in breathing life into - and taking liberties with the original text in - these novelizations of familiar, but admittedly cryptic, Shakespeare plays, which leave plenty of room for interpretation, expansion, and retelling. They put a lot of thought (and research and knowledge) into their work, and it shows.
For Shakespeare fans (and experts), this is fun stuff. I'm glad I found both, and I enjoyed the "experience."
I got this because I've enjoyed Alan Cumming's reading of other books, and I did enjoy that aspect of this book. The book itself was an interesting take on the story, and I'm not a Shakespearean purist or anything, so I thought the new twist and format was interesting. However, I didn't enjoy how completely bleak and horrible so much of this book was. There's murder, of course, but that includes the murder of children and innocents and loyal friends. There's a horrible, despicable king who deserves death many times over by the time he finally dies, for things seen and described until that point, including forcing a 12-year-old girl to orally service him while his guards stand by the door laughing at her. There's just so much awfulness in this book that it was really aggravating and depressing to sit and listen to it. So, it's well-written, well-read, and if you really enjoy Macbeth and/or tragedies, you might like it, but I just found it a little too horrible to enjoy. But I'm giving it two stars instead of one because I do enjoy listening to Alan Cumming's reading (and hearing him read a Scottish story was especially nice).