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captainolyareads's review against another edition
challenging
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
England, 1585.
In his last year at Cambridge, Christopher "Kit" Marlowe is offered an opportunity few people would pass up. Queen Elizabeth's spymaster has come with a proposition befitting Kit's reckless nature. Rumblings of a Catholic plot to put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne has been growing louder, and no one on Her Majesty's side wants to be caught off-guard. They need an ear on the ground to keep them informed and Kit, with no money or prospects, has little reason to say no to the ask. Dispatched to Mary's chilly manor, he becomes an integral part of the household. Serving King and Country is harder than he thought, and when all is said and done, he's the only one surprised at the final outcome. Determined to put everything behind him, he uses the salary he earned through the spywork to set himself up in London and mount his first play. For five years, he lives the life he's always wanted; fame, a (slight) fortune, and a relationship with Tom, a former schoolmate. All good things have to come to an end, however, when he is inevitably sucked back into the world of espionage and treason. With the stakes getting higher and higher, it's more than just his life on the line now.
Sometimes a historical novel can read a little dry but aside from a few scenes, I thought this was a fun, intriguing novel that kept me hooked until its despondent end. There's so much to say about how good the writing is, how charming the characters, especially Kit, are. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Mary, Queen of Scots. Something that was a little frustrating about the novel, however, was how disjointed the two parts of the story felt. My interest waned as we progressed to a few years later. Second, I thought Marlowe was cavalier when it came to his relationship with Tom, given the time period and the punishment if caught.
After finishing this book, I immediately went and put the author's most recent novel on hold at the library. I'm looking forward to continuing with her work!
In his last year at Cambridge, Christopher "Kit" Marlowe is offered an opportunity few people would pass up. Queen Elizabeth's spymaster has come with a proposition befitting Kit's reckless nature. Rumblings of a Catholic plot to put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne has been growing louder, and no one on Her Majesty's side wants to be caught off-guard. They need an ear on the ground to keep them informed and Kit, with no money or prospects, has little reason to say no to the ask. Dispatched to Mary's chilly manor, he becomes an integral part of the household. Serving King and Country is harder than he thought, and when all is said and done, he's the only one surprised at the final outcome. Determined to put everything behind him, he uses the salary he earned through the spywork to set himself up in London and mount his first play. For five years, he lives the life he's always wanted; fame, a (slight) fortune, and a relationship with Tom, a former schoolmate. All good things have to come to an end, however, when he is inevitably sucked back into the world of espionage and treason. With the stakes getting higher and higher, it's more than just his life on the line now.
Sometimes a historical novel can read a little dry but aside from a few scenes, I thought this was a fun, intriguing novel that kept me hooked until its despondent end. There's so much to say about how good the writing is, how charming the characters, especially Kit, are. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Mary, Queen of Scots. Something that was a little frustrating about the novel, however, was how disjointed the two parts of the story felt. My interest waned as we progressed to a few years later. Second, I thought Marlowe was cavalier when it came to his relationship with Tom, given the time period and the punishment if caught.
After finishing this book, I immediately went and put the author's most recent novel on hold at the library. I'm looking forward to continuing with her work!
carlystroud42's review against another edition
3.0
I SO wanted to love this book. The description had me captivated instantly.... the actual book, however... nah. Normally I can breeze through a book of this length within a few days, but it was like pulling teeth to get me to pick it back up!
It does have it's parts where I couldn't put it down, but they are few and far between. I feel as though it glazed over some big deal events (that from the description should have been the whole plot?) and focused too much on details that didn't really add to the story. I also feel as though the book jumped around a lot without notice. I caught myself a few times, looking back to see if I had skipped a page or paragraph etc.
I'm very sad that this didn't live up to what I wanted it to be!!!
It does have it's parts where I couldn't put it down, but they are few and far between. I feel as though it glazed over some big deal events (that from the description should have been the whole plot?) and focused too much on details that didn't really add to the story. I also feel as though the book jumped around a lot without notice. I caught myself a few times, looking back to see if I had skipped a page or paragraph etc.
I'm very sad that this didn't live up to what I wanted it to be!!!
autumngore's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
the one word i have for this book is: Satisfying.
callierowland's review against another edition
3.0
I have no concrete reason for giving this book three stars in place of five. Plot-wise and metaphor-wise, it was extremely well crafted. My rating is a matter of personal taste (when it comes to pacing).
That said, I went into this knowing little to nothing about Marlowe other than that he died young, so when I tell you I GASPED at this ending…
If you’ve read it, you SEE what I mean.
The whole last fifteen pages are a triumph, really. I could talk about the parallels in the scenes for at least an hour.
Needless to say, I’m going to go devour some more Elizabethan England content, thank you very much. Who needs Victorian England when you can have this?
That said, I went into this knowing little to nothing about Marlowe other than that he died young, so when I tell you I GASPED at this ending…
If you’ve read it, you SEE what I mean.
The whole last fifteen pages are a triumph, really. I could talk about the parallels in the scenes for at least an hour.
Needless to say, I’m going to go devour some more Elizabethan England content, thank you very much. Who needs Victorian England when you can have this?
khaleesimod93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Ok this book isn't bad, but I didn't enjoy it like I thought I would. While Epstien's prose is funny, witty, and thrilling, there was an extreme disconnect with the characters. Kit and others interacted with each other, but they didn't seem to actually connect or make me feel anything for any of them. With a story that's based loosely on history, there is some forgiveness on historical accuracy. But there is a such thing as being too fantastical. That's what I felt with Kit and his espionage missions. His mission with Queen Mary just felt too out of the realm of possibility. The best part of the novel was the romance between Tom and Kit. Though again, I struggled connecting with them both. So frustrating because there are things I liked but it dragged for me so much!
katreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
A beautifully written and fantastic historical fiction novel featuring Kit Marlowe. I loved the depiction of historical London.
zed_dog's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
2.5
I found this book over-written: lots of paragraphs that could have been sentences; big pauses for thought that interrupt dramatic moments, and could have been illustrated through dialogue or action. The pacing also suffers from all the shifts in point of view: the reader gets too much information beyond what the protagonist knows, killing any mystery—and the plotting against him doesn’t go anywhere anyway. The juxtaposition with Faustus at the end was a nice touch, but the web could have been woven much tighter around Kit, to give him a proper tragic fall (like Faustus’), inevitably precipitated by his actions, rather than an ambush.
Kit also doesn’t mature over the course of the book: he seems exactly as hotheaded and stupid at 28 as at 21, and I always find this lack of growth frustrating. He’s described as a clever, persuasive person—a good liar. But in action, he almost always makes rookie mistakes, and takes too long to figure out (or even remember) what’s going on. Basically, I wanted to like this book more than I did. I think I wanted either a KJ Charles book based on a true story, or a gay Wolf Hall—and this fell short of either.
Kit also doesn’t mature over the course of the book: he seems exactly as hotheaded and stupid at 28 as at 21, and I always find this lack of growth frustrating. He’s described as a clever, persuasive person—a good liar. But in action, he almost always makes rookie mistakes, and takes too long to figure out (or even remember) what’s going on. Basically, I wanted to like this book more than I did. I think I wanted either a KJ Charles book based on a true story, or a gay Wolf Hall—and this fell short of either.
kimmag92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.5
I discovered A Tip for the Hangman from a Substack I subscribe to about under-rated books and I am so happy they recommended this! I absolutely loved this book and it's the fictionalized version of Christopher Marlowe's life he deserved. So many books that I've read that have Marlowe as a character have tended to treat him as a villain as well as being a one dimensional character. Epstein's Marlowe has depth and complexities that make him a very interesting and compelling character. Their depiction of Marlowe's and Tom's relationship was beautiful and I cared so much for them.
I also really enjoyed that they acknowledged Shakespeare as a character. Recently I've found books where Shakespeare is a side or minor character the author weirdly dances around him like He Who Must Not Be Named. If we acknowledge Shakespeare in a book the Trace will not be placed on us.
I also really enjoyed that they acknowledged Shakespeare as a character. Recently I've found books where Shakespeare is a side or minor character the author weirdly dances around him like He Who Must Not Be Named. If we acknowledge Shakespeare in a book the Trace will not be placed on us.