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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
emotional
funny
sad
fast-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
Feminist, clever, witty, and funny. Imagine if Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia gathered and converse with each other about their stories. What directions would their lives take, if they wrote the endings? McCullough reminds us that too often in Shakespeare's works the women get the shaft and because of a man. These girls decide no more, even pushing one another to not let men play too large a role in their rewoven endings. Part novel in verse, part play with narrative pieces, too, and female characters from other Shakespearean works appear as side characters. Full knowledge of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and King Lear is not necessary to enjoy the book, because the girls recount most of the important bits. However, prior knowledge could make for a more enhanced experience to know heading in how awfully tragic the stars' end originally.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
I am not sure what to think of this play/novel. It is a delightful creative writing exercise and an interesting read for those familiar with these characters penned by the Bard. I don't know that readers unfamiliar with the plays will understand --or care-- about what's happening.
Overall, I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to my theater geeks.
Overall, I enjoyed the read and would recommend it to my theater geeks.
this book just doesn’t have the juice for me. the trap room scenes were exciting in the beginning, but i fear the poetry simply wasn’t enough to hold up to the interesting premise. it falls into the girlbossification of modern retellings that prioritize wish fulfillment and modern references over the stories themselves. like, why on earth was the word “sexytimes” in here? i didn’t feel much intention behind the stanzas or the line spacing beyond hitting the enter button, and the references to other works of shakespeare tended to feel empty, such as juliet having two references to hamlet in her first chunk of poems.
to be clear, the book has so much potential. i think the author’s love for the subject shines most in cordelia’s portion, which is evident given that she’s named her daughter cordelia as well. since lear is the least prevalent of the three major tragedies, the narrative nature of the poetry holds more weight and purpose. the same goes for lavinia in the trap room. these interactions, in addition to cameos from desdemona, emilia, and other tragic women, feel much more grounded than the attempt to give voice to popular characters like juliet and ophelia. however, the books strongest parts are the ones that likely alienate its intended audience. lavinia’s presence requires a deeper-cut knowledge of shakespeare than most adults possess, let alone teens, and also requires a dive into the subjects of mutilation and assault that feel a bit trivialized among the “sexytimes” discussions.
i admire the author for writing portions in verse. i admire the intent of the dialogue and wish fulfillment. i just wish it didn’t come from characters speaking like a dictionary or a pop culture feedback loop.
to be clear, the book has so much potential. i think the author’s love for the subject shines most in cordelia’s portion, which is evident given that she’s named her daughter cordelia as well. since lear is the least prevalent of the three major tragedies, the narrative nature of the poetry holds more weight and purpose. the same goes for lavinia in the trap room. these interactions, in addition to cameos from desdemona, emilia, and other tragic women, feel much more grounded than the attempt to give voice to popular characters like juliet and ophelia. however, the books strongest parts are the ones that likely alienate its intended audience. lavinia’s presence requires a deeper-cut knowledge of shakespeare than most adults possess, let alone teens, and also requires a dive into the subjects of mutilation and assault that feel a bit trivialized among the “sexytimes” discussions.
i admire the author for writing portions in verse. i admire the intent of the dialogue and wish fulfillment. i just wish it didn’t come from characters speaking like a dictionary or a pop culture feedback loop.
This felt... Very heavy-handed, BUT opens the door for some really interesting discussion. 3.5 rounded up for intended-audience appeal.
I hated the audiobook.
I hated the audiobook.
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-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
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved Blood. Water. Paint. and I love Shakespeare, but it didn't hit me how I thought it would. Still good, though.
I wish I could read McCullough's versions of every Shakespeare play; I devoured this book. I'm not sure how accessible this book would be for teens who are not interested in Shakespeare, but Shakespeare lovers will adore this book as much as I did.
Spoiler
contains mentions of murder, sex, rape, violence
dark
emotional
sad
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:
No