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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Those that enjoy retellings of classics will enjoy this book. Those that hate any liberties and prefer nothing ever changes from original works should probably skip it because this isn't for you.
I have never read Shakespeare but I know the general gist of most of these retellings. Even without being an expert, this was an enjoyable book.
I have never read Shakespeare but I know the general gist of most of these retellings. Even without being an expert, this was an enjoyable book.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Amazing setting for this exploration of Shakespeare’s tragic heroines, allowing them to interact and relate their narrative arcs from their point of view, then challenge each other to interrogate what happened and reimagine their stories. Loved how each narrator had her own voice and poetic style. Highly recommended, especially if you like Shakespeare retellings.
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I’m not sure if the author has just never read any of the plays she’s using, if she just actually doesn’t like Shakespeare, or if she’s just a bad writer (or all three), but there are so many issues from a character, textual referencing, stereotyping, and tone standpoint that it’s hard to even know where to start.
I’d written this already when it glitched and didn’t save and can’t stomach the thought of writing the whole thing again so pardon my brevity in defending such a low rating, but if it tells you anything, this book only took me an hour and was still such a waste of my time that I’m upset about it.
It’s most apparent that the author either hasn’t read or read some kind of abridged copy at best of cleopatra, but there are fundamental issues in the base understanding of all of the characters. This read as a highschool English class creative writing assignment after the author had been assigned King Lear, R&J and hamlet for summer reading.
The one thing I do want to fully bring in my initial thoughts on despite my summarizing of everything else I can’t be bothered to rewrite related to Lavinia.
For a story which claims to want to add a female empowerment lens to shakespeares tragic fmc, it’s actually disgusting that the author would use a character like Lavinia for nothing more than shock value. Lavinia has no story beyond that given by Shakespeare - even that isn’t explained, the main references to her are other characters disgust, and she is fully and totally defined by what had been done to her. I think it’s fundamentally irresponsible to bring in a character like Lavinia given what’s happened to her and sandwich her in the midst of immaturity, toxicity, and pettiness just to show a “well if you don’t like your food think of the starving children” perspective. It’s unnecessary and it’s lazy writing. And that more than even the referencing and research issues made the book feel like a waste of time. There are absolutely ways in which Lavinia could have still been included in the story without rendering her an exhibit in a zoo. Particularly given the context of her story which I won’t say for tw reasons, completely removing her autonomy and agency is gross and irresponsible on the part of the writer.
This book was actually upsetting it was so poorly handled.
I’d written this already when it glitched and didn’t save and can’t stomach the thought of writing the whole thing again so pardon my brevity in defending such a low rating, but if it tells you anything, this book only took me an hour and was still such a waste of my time that I’m upset about it.
It’s most apparent that the author either hasn’t read or read some kind of abridged copy at best of cleopatra, but there are fundamental issues in the base understanding of all of the characters. This read as a highschool English class creative writing assignment after the author had been assigned King Lear, R&J and hamlet for summer reading.
The one thing I do want to fully bring in my initial thoughts on despite my summarizing of everything else I can’t be bothered to rewrite related to Lavinia.
For a story which claims to want to add a female empowerment lens to shakespeares tragic fmc, it’s actually disgusting that the author would use a character like Lavinia for nothing more than shock value. Lavinia has no story beyond that given by Shakespeare - even that isn’t explained, the main references to her are other characters disgust, and she is fully and totally defined by what had been done to her. I think it’s fundamentally irresponsible to bring in a character like Lavinia given what’s happened to her and sandwich her in the midst of immaturity, toxicity, and pettiness just to show a “well if you don’t like your food think of the starving children” perspective. It’s unnecessary and it’s lazy writing. And that more than even the referencing and research issues made the book feel like a waste of time. There are absolutely ways in which Lavinia could have still been included in the story without rendering her an exhibit in a zoo. Particularly given the context of her story which I won’t say for tw reasons, completely removing her autonomy and agency is gross and irresponsible on the part of the writer.
This book was actually upsetting it was so poorly handled.
Uh Oh! Author Who Wrote a Book You Really Liked Now Has a Book Out That You Kinda Hated
Listen, I was not at all against the idea of this story. Shakespeare plays hit that spot in my brain that likes filling in the blank spaces in mythology or fairy tales, even if we get much more human expression in Shakespeare. I’m especially prone to going “ok but what did she feel about all of that?” about fictional women, and I loved Blood Paint Water (a previous book by this author.)
But oh did I not like this one! I started out on board. The conceit is that Shakespeare’s tragic heroines (and a handful from plays of other genres) are stuck in a purgatory space before the next performance of their stories. They tell their stories from their POV then goad each other into saying how they would rewrite things for a better ending.
It starts out strong because Juliet goes first and we hear about the difficulties her mother faced as a child bride. Lady Capulet is definitely one of those Shakespeare enigmas where I wonder what’s going on in her head. So that was cool. This book really quickly peters out once we hit the first intermission and the characters start bickering in modern parlance. I am NOT against historical fiction having characters speak as modern day people. I do have an issue when they all talk like people being Oh So Witty and Correct on twitter, or a YouTube video that goes “plot hole ding! Why are all the mothers dead in Disney movies?”
I just genuinely don’t know what can be found in these sections other than thoughts readers/audiences have had for centuries. Case in point, the ending of Taming of the Shrew (a play that never comes up in this book at all when I MEAN) perturbed some contemporary audiences so much that another playwright wrote a play in response to it called The Tamer Tamed. Shakespeare having offensive and thorny bits has been up for discussion, as detailed in the wonderful book of essays This is Shakespeare. It’s hard to bring new things to this table but lots of productions manage it every weekend. This one just has jokes about how the term problem play doesn’t mean it’s problematic and Cordelia going “oh I’m sure Shakespeare knew he would be remembered forever because he was a white man” which like, yes, works by people of other identities have gotten lost along the way but I feel like this at least should have been the part where a few of those other voices could get name dropped, then. Just as an example of way to make this feel less like a trite tweet.
Also like … authors are allowed to write what they want. This author wanted to explore the tragedies and that’s fine. But there’s a bit where the comedies are dismissed (everyone just gets married at the end!) or the histories (because that’s just depicting what happened.)
Reader, this bit made me lose my mind a little. Some of the worst done by women in all of Shakespeare are in the comedies and that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle if people really like the lead couple. Poor Hero from Much Ado About Nothing for example… I want to know how she saw things and how she felt about having to marry a man willing to ruin her over a vague rumor.
And don’t get me started on the histories being irrelevant for this exercise. Shakespearean histories aren’t “just what happened.” There’s a lot of creative license and oftentimes these plays are all people know of certain historical figures. And history telling itself - in a nonfiction format - also can be told inaccurately or with an agenda. So the characters in the history plays can be wronged twice over! Like how does Margaret of Anjou feel about ……. Everything. She’s a great character but man what a weird legacy to have.
Also other readers have noticed the weirdness of Lavinia not getting to speak (even though everyone else has their wounds taken away in purgatory.) There was probably an attempt here to have her represent the people who aren’t ready to tell their story. Except oops even the text of the book points out she so wanted to tell her story she got a stick in her mouth to write the names of her rapists/torturers.
Just … what are we doing here. I realize that this is YA and I’m not the main audience for this book and for some readers this will probably be a pretty good intro to literary criticism. But also teens are pretty good at spotting “hello my fellow kids” energy, so I don’t know if this will click with them at all.
Listen, I was not at all against the idea of this story. Shakespeare plays hit that spot in my brain that likes filling in the blank spaces in mythology or fairy tales, even if we get much more human expression in Shakespeare. I’m especially prone to going “ok but what did she feel about all of that?” about fictional women, and I loved Blood Paint Water (a previous book by this author.)
But oh did I not like this one! I started out on board. The conceit is that Shakespeare’s tragic heroines (and a handful from plays of other genres) are stuck in a purgatory space before the next performance of their stories. They tell their stories from their POV then goad each other into saying how they would rewrite things for a better ending.
It starts out strong because Juliet goes first and we hear about the difficulties her mother faced as a child bride. Lady Capulet is definitely one of those Shakespeare enigmas where I wonder what’s going on in her head. So that was cool. This book really quickly peters out once we hit the first intermission and the characters start bickering in modern parlance. I am NOT against historical fiction having characters speak as modern day people. I do have an issue when they all talk like people being Oh So Witty and Correct on twitter, or a YouTube video that goes “plot hole ding! Why are all the mothers dead in Disney movies?”
I just genuinely don’t know what can be found in these sections other than thoughts readers/audiences have had for centuries. Case in point, the ending of Taming of the Shrew (a play that never comes up in this book at all when I MEAN) perturbed some contemporary audiences so much that another playwright wrote a play in response to it called The Tamer Tamed. Shakespeare having offensive and thorny bits has been up for discussion, as detailed in the wonderful book of essays This is Shakespeare. It’s hard to bring new things to this table but lots of productions manage it every weekend. This one just has jokes about how the term problem play doesn’t mean it’s problematic and Cordelia going “oh I’m sure Shakespeare knew he would be remembered forever because he was a white man” which like, yes, works by people of other identities have gotten lost along the way but I feel like this at least should have been the part where a few of those other voices could get name dropped, then. Just as an example of way to make this feel less like a trite tweet.
Also like … authors are allowed to write what they want. This author wanted to explore the tragedies and that’s fine. But there’s a bit where the comedies are dismissed (everyone just gets married at the end!) or the histories (because that’s just depicting what happened.)
Reader, this bit made me lose my mind a little. Some of the worst done by women in all of Shakespeare are in the comedies and that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle if people really like the lead couple. Poor Hero from Much Ado About Nothing for example… I want to know how she saw things and how she felt about having to marry a man willing to ruin her over a vague rumor.
And don’t get me started on the histories being irrelevant for this exercise. Shakespearean histories aren’t “just what happened.” There’s a lot of creative license and oftentimes these plays are all people know of certain historical figures. And history telling itself - in a nonfiction format - also can be told inaccurately or with an agenda. So the characters in the history plays can be wronged twice over! Like how does Margaret of Anjou feel about ……. Everything. She’s a great character but man what a weird legacy to have.
Also other readers have noticed the weirdness of Lavinia not getting to speak (even though everyone else has their wounds taken away in purgatory.) There was probably an attempt here to have her represent the people who aren’t ready to tell their story. Except oops even the text of the book points out she so wanted to tell her story she got a stick in her mouth to write the names of her rapists/torturers.
Just … what are we doing here. I realize that this is YA and I’m not the main audience for this book and for some readers this will probably be a pretty good intro to literary criticism. But also teens are pretty good at spotting “hello my fellow kids” energy, so I don’t know if this will click with them at all.
joy mccullough could write romeo & juliet but shakespeare could not write enter the body
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really loved the innovative approach to the women of Shakespeare. If I had a more thorough knowledge of each of the characters, I would have LOVED the book. That is most certainly on me and not the author.
**Shakespeare spoilers**
As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to go back to the beginning and start again. I loved it so much.
As a Shakespeare lover myself, I love any take on his stories. In Enter the Body, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and King Lear get some edits from the young ladies who perish in the Bard's version of the same tales.
"...Hamlet dies too, but no one paints his corpse. They analyze his thoughts and words -- so many words. So many more words than I get. They clamor to play Hamlet, and then Lear. Who also dies. Dying isn't the problem. Being remembered only for our deaths and the moments they gave to the men onstage with it -- that's what I'm over." (Opehlia)
Enter the Body gives Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Cordelia (King Lear) the space to reclaim their lives and rewrite their stories with their interests and successes taking center stage. Lavinia (Titus Andronicus) is also there, but with no tongue and no hands she's not able to verbally tell her story. It doesn't mean her presence and pain aren't felt.
"Lavinia cannot tell them her story -- as it originally happened or as she'd have it happen, if there were a way to untangle that mess of guts."
In between story retellings, the girls discuss why the stories were written the way they were originally, the problems with the characters, the relationships with their fathers, the absence of their mothers and all the other things that Shakespeare lovers and critics alike have been questioning. Some parts of this I LOVED and other parts seemed a bit juvenile. The dialogue between the girls is written to match their ages...it was authentic for sure, but it bothered me at times.
This is a story of strength, resilience, friendship, support and even love. It flips some of the world's favourite stories on their heads... in the best way.
4.5 stars rounded up.
As soon as I finished this book, I wanted to go back to the beginning and start again. I loved it so much.
As a Shakespeare lover myself, I love any take on his stories. In Enter the Body, Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet and King Lear get some edits from the young ladies who perish in the Bard's version of the same tales.
"...Hamlet dies too, but no one paints his corpse. They analyze his thoughts and words -- so many words. So many more words than I get. They clamor to play Hamlet, and then Lear. Who also dies. Dying isn't the problem. Being remembered only for our deaths and the moments they gave to the men onstage with it -- that's what I'm over." (Opehlia)
Enter the Body gives Juliet (Romeo & Juliet), Ophelia (Hamlet) and Cordelia (King Lear) the space to reclaim their lives and rewrite their stories with their interests and successes taking center stage. Lavinia (Titus Andronicus) is also there, but with no tongue and no hands she's not able to verbally tell her story. It doesn't mean her presence and pain aren't felt.
"Lavinia cannot tell them her story -- as it originally happened or as she'd have it happen, if there were a way to untangle that mess of guts."
In between story retellings, the girls discuss why the stories were written the way they were originally, the problems with the characters, the relationships with their fathers, the absence of their mothers and all the other things that Shakespeare lovers and critics alike have been questioning. Some parts of this I LOVED and other parts seemed a bit juvenile. The dialogue between the girls is written to match their ages...it was authentic for sure, but it bothered me at times.
This is a story of strength, resilience, friendship, support and even love. It flips some of the world's favourite stories on their heads... in the best way.
4.5 stars rounded up.
Y\ALL HAVE BEEN SLEEPING ON THIS...
Okay... allow me to just calm down and try not to scream tooo loud about this book LOL! There are four things I love without fail: Shakespeare, retellings, poetry and feminism. This book has ALL FOUR! How could I not love it?! How can I even describe this... it's about the women of Shakespeare reclaiming their stories, it's full of friendship and love and sadness, it's hopeful and critical and makes you rethink all the Shakespeare classics... and it has ace rep?! I don't know how this book isn't getting more hype for real! The writing is stunning, with each girl's poetry being unique to their style/personality, and the full-cast audiobook narration was just beyond beautiful, helping bring the story to life even more! Besties, I beg you, if you like any of those four things I mentioned, please read this lol! My only qualm is that I wanted to hear MORE from the other side characters who were merely mentioned... ah well, I was just happy to hear from Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia and Lavinia! Okay, enough ranting about this book lol, just please go read it!
Okay... allow me to just calm down and try not to scream tooo loud about this book LOL! There are four things I love without fail: Shakespeare, retellings, poetry and feminism. This book has ALL FOUR! How could I not love it?! How can I even describe this... it's about the women of Shakespeare reclaiming their stories, it's full of friendship and love and sadness, it's hopeful and critical and makes you rethink all the Shakespeare classics... and it has ace rep?! I don't know how this book isn't getting more hype for real! The writing is stunning, with each girl's poetry being unique to their style/personality, and the full-cast audiobook narration was just beyond beautiful, helping bring the story to life even more! Besties, I beg you, if you like any of those four things I mentioned, please read this lol! My only qualm is that I wanted to hear MORE from the other side characters who were merely mentioned... ah well, I was just happy to hear from Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia and Lavinia! Okay, enough ranting about this book lol, just please go read it!