Reviews with content warning for Violence - A Tip for the Hangman

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein

7 reviews

schnaucl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

This was a very well written novel based on the premise that Christopher "Kit" Marlowe was a spy, something the author's note at the end says there's actually some evidence in the historical record to support.

Epstein does a good job showing the toll espionage takes on Kit. He can want the plots to fail but still feel sympathy for the people involved in the plots and still feel the weight of the consequences he helped bring about.

I've never read his plays but now i want to read Doctor Faustus.

It was well told tell with interesting characters.

Sadly, it does follow history at the end, but that's hardly Allison Epstein's fault.

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diadoodle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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jhbandcats's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative 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? Yes

4.5

I knew little to nothing about Christopher Marlowe before reading this; my schooling was more focused on Shakespeare than anyone else writing at the same time. I found the whole story fascinating, and I found the author’s interpretation believable. If Kit Marlowe *was* a spy (and it looks like he was), this book shows how his life might’ve played out.

Marlowe and his lover Tom are fleshed out and they’re both clever, likable characters. I wish we could have spent more time with them and their warm, if occasionally fraught, relationship. Others around them, from Walsingham to Mary Queen of Scots, are sketched in enough so we understand their priorities and compulsions.

I stayed up too late reading and as a result this isn’t a very articulate review, but I just want to reiterate how much I loved this book. I loved Kit and Tom and was fascinated by Walsingham, and I loved learning about them and the history of Elizabethan spycraft.

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