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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
I fell in love with Joy McCullough's work five years ago when I read her novel in verse inspired by the life and work of Artemisia Gentileschi, Blood Water Paint, so when I discovered she'd written a new novel in verse focused on returning agency to a number of Shakespeare's heroines, I requested it from my library immediately.
Exit, pursued by the patriarchy...
Enter the Body is an incredibly meta novel. Taking place beneath the well-trodden boards of a stage, Shakespeare's women sit together and three in particular - Juliet of Romeo and Juliet, Ophelia of Hamlet and Cordelia of King Lear - share their stories—and then reclaim them, in whatever way they see fit.
They're all very aware that they're characters sprung from parchment and ink, that each night their tragedy is replayed again and again for a crowd who question their wants and desires more than they question their deaths, but McCullough still manages to imbue them all with genuine feeling. They're no longer pawns in a wider story, but real women and girls who are tired of the ways they've been remembered.
I particularly loved McCullough's version of Cordelia. King Lear isn't one of the plays I know all that well - in fact I'd say I don't know most of Shakespeare's plays all that well outside of the ones that tend to get studied most at school - but Cordelia is one of those classic heroines I've always been fascinated by but have never come across a version of her I completely believed. This Cordelia is a Cordelia I would gladly follow into battle.
Her version of Juliet is also nothing short of charming, and I appreciated that McCullough didn't feel the need to make Romeo a villain in order for Juliet to reclaim her voice. She's allowed to fall quickly, madly, deeply in love and still be worthy of respect.
If you're a Shakespeare fan, or if you're at least familiar with the stories these women are from, I highly recommend giving Enter the Body a try.
Exit, pursued by the patriarchy...
Enter the Body is an incredibly meta novel. Taking place beneath the well-trodden boards of a stage, Shakespeare's women sit together and three in particular - Juliet of Romeo and Juliet, Ophelia of Hamlet and Cordelia of King Lear - share their stories—and then reclaim them, in whatever way they see fit.
They're all very aware that they're characters sprung from parchment and ink, that each night their tragedy is replayed again and again for a crowd who question their wants and desires more than they question their deaths, but McCullough still manages to imbue them all with genuine feeling. They're no longer pawns in a wider story, but real women and girls who are tired of the ways they've been remembered.
I particularly loved McCullough's version of Cordelia. King Lear isn't one of the plays I know all that well - in fact I'd say I don't know most of Shakespeare's plays all that well outside of the ones that tend to get studied most at school - but Cordelia is one of those classic heroines I've always been fascinated by but have never come across a version of her I completely believed. This Cordelia is a Cordelia I would gladly follow into battle.
Her version of Juliet is also nothing short of charming, and I appreciated that McCullough didn't feel the need to make Romeo a villain in order for Juliet to reclaim her voice. She's allowed to fall quickly, madly, deeply in love and still be worthy of respect.
If you're a Shakespeare fan, or if you're at least familiar with the stories these women are from, I highly recommend giving Enter the Body a try.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Libby recommendation. Enjoyed the new twist on Shakespeare female characters.
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A cursory attempt to give voice to 3 famous Shakespearean women- Juliet, Ophelia and Cordelia. I wanted more depth, but the audience for this is definitely younger/Shakespeare beginner, so it probably works as an intro. It does get one thinking about Shakespeare's treatment of women.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had incredibly high expectations for this book considering how much I loved "Blood Water Paint." Unfortunately, it definitely didn't meet those. It was a decent read, but nothing compared to its predecessor.
If I could sum this book up in one word, it would be "safe." While there are occasional (completely explicit, literally spelled out verbatim) feminist takes in here, the rewrites of Shakespeare's women are incredibly mild, and still very man-centric. With this premise, I was expecting some serious power moves. But instead, everything felt a little bit like wish-fulfillment in the narrowest definition of the word.
I also agree with other critiques I've seen of this book, in that I'm not sure who the audience is supposed to be. I hold a degree in English and took an entire college level class on Shakespeare, and I had to look up a few of the women in this book to figure out who they were. Since this is marketed (and written) as YA, I think a lot of the nuance of the story is going to be lost on its audience.
I loved the writing itself. The fact that each main character had a different voice was very creative and interesting, and it kept me reading quickly. There were some incredibly well-done lines throughout that packed a serious punch.
That being said, I didn't really like our characters. Not usually an indictment--unlikeable main characters are 100% valid--but considering, again, the premise, the decision to make them this way was... weird.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Will I continue to read McCullough? Obviously. But this one is not nearly as strong as Blood Water Paint, and I was a little disappointed I didn't enjoy it more than I did.
If I could sum this book up in one word, it would be "safe." While there are occasional (completely explicit, literally spelled out verbatim) feminist takes in here, the rewrites of Shakespeare's women are incredibly mild, and still very man-centric. With this premise, I was expecting some serious power moves. But instead, everything felt a little bit like wish-fulfillment in the narrowest definition of the word.
I also agree with other critiques I've seen of this book, in that I'm not sure who the audience is supposed to be. I hold a degree in English and took an entire college level class on Shakespeare, and I had to look up a few of the women in this book to figure out who they were. Since this is marketed (and written) as YA, I think a lot of the nuance of the story is going to be lost on its audience.
I loved the writing itself. The fact that each main character had a different voice was very creative and interesting, and it kept me reading quickly. There were some incredibly well-done lines throughout that packed a serious punch.
That being said, I didn't really like our characters. Not usually an indictment--unlikeable main characters are 100% valid--but considering, again, the premise, the decision to make them this way was... weird.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely. Will I continue to read McCullough? Obviously. But this one is not nearly as strong as Blood Water Paint, and I was a little disappointed I didn't enjoy it more than I did.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
This book may irritate some people or come off as preachy, but I loved it! It’s perfect for International Women’s Day and is very much in the same vein as the musical “Six.” Four of Shakespeare’s tragic heroines grapple with their portrayals and deaths and ultimately seize the chance to retell their stories in a way that grants them agency and happiness, even in nontraditional ways. So creative and powerful!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
I really wish Lavinia had been given a way to tell her story. Of all the women Shakespeare has ever written, she has one of the most disgusting and traumatizing deaths, and it is really sad to me that she still didn’t get a voice in this book. I feel like she deserved to reclaim and rewrite her narrative more than anyone, so it was very sad to see her remain a spectator throughout. She was given community, and some words of comfort from Cordelia and the other girls, but she was mostly just a silent observer. Other than that, I really loved this book. It was phenomenal.