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jklbookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
Mary Sharratt vividly brings 16th century London, Venice, and other areas vividly to life in her portrayal of Aemilia Bassano Lanier, the first woman to attempt to earn her living as a published poet in England. She makes you feel the wretchedness in that era not only of the threat of poverty, disease, and persecution, but also of the limitations posed on women as well as the ways that a woman might break free of them. This historical fiction is based on the possibility that Aemilia, who had the advantages of a classical education available to few women in those days, became for a short time the collaborator and muse of William Shakespeare, and how that reverberated through the rest of her life as well as his. Entwined though they might be in some ways, it is definitely her story, not his or even theirs.
bkish's review against another edition
3.0
Very well written historical fiction of a woman who was lovers w Shakespeare and how much of it is true is unknown as said by the author Mary Sharratt. She did excellent writing here kept me enthralled and struck by how difficult it is and was then for woman...
Judy
Judy
mygreekromance's review against another edition
3.0
i adore shakespearean novels. with all of my heart. THE EPILOGUE. the epilogue was too much. will merely writing 'for my eternal muse' and making it so powerful!!! aemelia looking back at the work will wrote when they were separated from one another, realizes that all the female heroines are based on her. BRO. and that entire pare with odilia???? THAT WAS SO SAD. no one deserves that. will may have gotten on my nerves in the middle of the novel but that epilogue was really something. thank you. and i can't help but point this out. "'hell is empty,' all the devils are here on earth..." bro aaron warner is such a shakespear fanatic. but now i am too so aha oops
lgiegerich's review against another edition
3.0
Maybe more like 2.5? A lot of the little Shakespearey in-jokes that I normally enjoy just sort of grated this time, & the latter half of the novel (once she parted ways with Shakespeare) was just boring.
katejeminhizer's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to fall in love with this book. It had been on my to be read list for quite some time for the fact that it sounded so appealing. I have also read other works by Sharratt that I enjoyed and had no doubt that I would also enjoy this one. Alas, I was not as enthralled as I expected to be. What I did like was the overall story itself. I knew nothing about the supposed muse behind Shakespeare's works so I had no preconceptions as to how the characters should be interpreted. Amelia's life proved to be somewhat entertaining, although not altogether believable. Her independent spirit and dedication to her art was endearing if nothing else. Sharratt does write beautifully and I thought the addition of Shakespearean quotes was used to perfection. My biggest problem with this novel is that it was just too long to tell the story. Right when the reader thought it was over, yet another part is introduced. I love a big book as much as the next person, but not when it seems unnecessary. With the plot laid out like it was, I do not know where I would edit as I realize that all of the characters were an intricate part of this specific telling. It took quite a bit of dedication to finish. With that being said, I am not disappointed that I read it.
tinyviolet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
unabridgedchick's review against another edition
5.0
Aemilia Lanier is credited as one of the first Englishwomen to publish their poetry with the intention of profit.
The daughter of one of Queen Elizabeth's Italian court musicians, Aemilia received a fabulously deep education at the hands of two noblewomen, becoming well-versed in Greek and Latin, as well as other contemporary languages. Through her wit and beauty, she becomes mistress to Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain before an accidental pregnancy sends her into a miserable arranged marriage.
Happiness, an escape from her life, and a moderate income are found, however, in her collaboration with a poet, William Shakespeare. From friends, to lovers, to seeming enemies, their words bind them together, and both find inspiration in their failed loved affair -- yet Shakespeare, as a man, has far more opportunities to profit from his bitterness, and Aemilia yearns to both set the record straight and earn her own income.
I delighted in this novel from the first page. I confess I had intended to read this book with an eye toward craft, hoping to learn, but instead got lost every single time I opened it up. The word that keeps coming to me is "effortless", from the articulation of setting and era, the small details that make a scene blaze brightly, to the captivating way time passes without being obvious or distracting. And of course, the characters.
Her characters have depth and nuance, and as soon as I decided I could safely hate someone, Sharratt managed to make me feel sympathy and fondness for them. Aemilia anchors the story, a smart and creative woman who wants what so many of us want -- satisfaction in life and vocation -- and she faces the challenges of her life with admirable determination (and not a tiny bit of shocking, but delicious, ambition!). (And speaking of shocking, I looooved Sharratt's articulation of Shakespeare in this book. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare-as-a-love-interest but she sold me on this arc one million percent.) When there are so many "strong" female heroines who are depicted in rather flat ways, I found Sharratt's Aemilia -- and her friends -- to be truly strong and admirable. (And at risk of going on way too long, how much do I love that Sharratt included, and lingered on, Aemilia's wonderful friendships with other women?! I j'adore.)
In addition to the fabulous writing, I was especially delighted by Sharratt's imaginative exploration of what-if: what if some of Shakespeare's most beloved plays were co-written by someone? What if his most scathing, bitter, and unfortunate plot twists, characters, and sonnets were the result of real life insult and injury? What if his constant use of Italian locale in his works wasn't just an attempt at fashion, but the influence of a real life sojourn there? Her answers to these questions feel so real and possible, I'm letting myself imagine a world in which they happened!
I could go on and on, clearly. (And I did: have you seen the chapter dropcaps? So much detail in this book!) Bottom line: this is a marvelous read -- intense and fun in equal part -- and one of my top reads for 2016. So grateful for and appreciative of Sharratt bringing this intriguing figure to life in such a compelling, gripping way.
Initial Thoughts
An entirely different take on Aemilia Lanier than [b:Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady|18465503|Dark Aemilia A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady|Sally O'Reilly|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1386380677s/18465503.jpg|26123476] but just as delightful. As with Sharratt's other novels, Aemilia and the other characters are portrayed with tender humanity, even when behaving boorishly, and I hung on every word. I'm not a fan of shipping Shakespeare with anyone, and so I appreciated this take which portrayed the fevered love affair as both inspiring and destructive.
Longer review to come.
The daughter of one of Queen Elizabeth's Italian court musicians, Aemilia received a fabulously deep education at the hands of two noblewomen, becoming well-versed in Greek and Latin, as well as other contemporary languages. Through her wit and beauty, she becomes mistress to Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain before an accidental pregnancy sends her into a miserable arranged marriage.
Happiness, an escape from her life, and a moderate income are found, however, in her collaboration with a poet, William Shakespeare. From friends, to lovers, to seeming enemies, their words bind them together, and both find inspiration in their failed loved affair -- yet Shakespeare, as a man, has far more opportunities to profit from his bitterness, and Aemilia yearns to both set the record straight and earn her own income.
I delighted in this novel from the first page. I confess I had intended to read this book with an eye toward craft, hoping to learn, but instead got lost every single time I opened it up. The word that keeps coming to me is "effortless", from the articulation of setting and era, the small details that make a scene blaze brightly, to the captivating way time passes without being obvious or distracting. And of course, the characters.
Her characters have depth and nuance, and as soon as I decided I could safely hate someone, Sharratt managed to make me feel sympathy and fondness for them. Aemilia anchors the story, a smart and creative woman who wants what so many of us want -- satisfaction in life and vocation -- and she faces the challenges of her life with admirable determination (and not a tiny bit of shocking, but delicious, ambition!). (And speaking of shocking, I looooved Sharratt's articulation of Shakespeare in this book. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare-as-a-love-interest but she sold me on this arc one million percent.) When there are so many "strong" female heroines who are depicted in rather flat ways, I found Sharratt's Aemilia -- and her friends -- to be truly strong and admirable. (And at risk of going on way too long, how much do I love that Sharratt included, and lingered on, Aemilia's wonderful friendships with other women?! I j'adore.)
In addition to the fabulous writing, I was especially delighted by Sharratt's imaginative exploration of what-if: what if some of Shakespeare's most beloved plays were co-written by someone? What if his most scathing, bitter, and unfortunate plot twists, characters, and sonnets were the result of real life insult and injury? What if his constant use of Italian locale in his works wasn't just an attempt at fashion, but the influence of a real life sojourn there? Her answers to these questions feel so real and possible, I'm letting myself imagine a world in which they happened!
I could go on and on, clearly. (And I did: have you seen the chapter dropcaps? So much detail in this book!) Bottom line: this is a marvelous read -- intense and fun in equal part -- and one of my top reads for 2016. So grateful for and appreciative of Sharratt bringing this intriguing figure to life in such a compelling, gripping way.
Initial Thoughts
An entirely different take on Aemilia Lanier than [b:Dark Aemilia: A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady|18465503|Dark Aemilia A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady|Sally O'Reilly|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1386380677s/18465503.jpg|26123476] but just as delightful. As with Sharratt's other novels, Aemilia and the other characters are portrayed with tender humanity, even when behaving boorishly, and I hung on every word. I'm not a fan of shipping Shakespeare with anyone, and so I appreciated this take which portrayed the fevered love affair as both inspiring and destructive.
Longer review to come.
jenslate's review
4.0
Loved this! I’m an English major/Shakespeare geek/women’s lit lover and this book hit all my buttons. Reminded me of Phillipa Gregory’s novels - fun, historical fiction. Really glad I finally read it.
firstimpressionsreviews's review
4.0
It is a brave author to tackle Shakespeare, let alone execute it well, and I believe Mary Sharratt succeeded in spades.
If I am to be honest, I was never a fan of Shakespeare, I’ve always been on the “not to be” spectrum, although I can never resist a novel that revolves around a woman behind a famous man and therefore decided to give The Dark Lady’s Mask a go.
I am so glad I did. Sharrett’s writing struck me at once, it is elegant, fluid and makes the reader feel as if they are in the room observing the most intimate detail.
Because of this, we received a vivid portrait of Aemilia and despite the well-known figure in front of her Aemilia took center stage and her intelligence shone. I also liked that her story started at childhood and as a reader grew an even greater investment to the character.
The Dark Lady’s Mask didn’t spark a new interest in Shakespeare but nonetheless the novel is an art of poetry and a wonderful ode to Aemilia Bassano Lanier.