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rpych2's review against another edition
2.0
I would usually be all in on a historical fiction book about William Shakespeare, but this one definitely didn’t live up to expectations. There was surprisingly little about Shakespeare’s life or his work, and most was just conjecture and jokes. Or very odd voyeuristic sex scenes that were included for some reason. Can’t say I was a fan of this one.
emheld's review against another edition
3.0
Oh dear Lord. This book looked great, sounded like a ton of fun, but turned into a novel by a poet - and that's not a compliment. The scattershot narrative only caught fire a few times, notwithstanding the events of 1666. I think a better description of this book would avoid characterizing this as a novel, but rather a fictional player's memoir as he tries to write a biography of Shakespeare. Two and a half stars. Into the resale pile.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
3.0
Ehh. Same riff as Falstaff but not as compelling. Thoughts on All's Well and boys-as-girls are fascinating, though.
shoemaker's review against another edition
3.0
A fun book if you're into Shakespeare, history, wordplay, and bawdy stories; who isn't?
aldebar's review against another edition
2.0
So far, not so good. Rambling. I'm setting it down for now.
krismcd59's review against another edition
5.0
Robert Reynolds, alias Pickleherring, narrates this memoir of his life as a boy actor in Shakespeare's troupe, hoping to dispel the many rumors and lies about his older friend and mentor's life. Robert Nye has based this fictional biography on a variety of legitimate sources, but relies most on a healthy dose of sheer tall-tale-telling and bawdy reconstructions of Elizabethan London. His reconstruction of Shakespeare's childhood and the infamous "lost years" in particular abound with rich detail about life in suburban Stratford. Pickleherring also offers provocative theories about the sources for Shakespeare's greatest characters and speeches, and gossipy commentary on other luminaries of the Elizabethan stage, like Kit Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and the mysterious Dark Lady of the sonnets. Take this sometimes silly but immensely entertaining story for what it's worth -- and be prepared for some pretty raunchy scenes -- and you'll have a great time. You'll have an even better time if you know a little about Shakespeare and his world before you read the novel. Nye also subtly interweaves quotations from the plays into his narrative, so real Shakespeare devotees will enjoy this book most of all -- if, of course, they aren't offended by a portrait of their idol that sometimes exposes his all-too-human nature.
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