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lizzillia's review against another edition
3.25
Published 13 August 2024. Sadly this re-imagining of Lady Macbeth did not work for me. Having read Ava Reid before, I was anticipating this but I think that having spent 15 years discussing the Shakespeare play with students, of picking apart the character of Lady Macbeth, all of that spoilt the book for me. I went into this expecting to see facets of the Lady Macbeth I knew and I didn't find them. This Lady M, Roscilla, is 17 and sent by her French father to be Macbeth's bride. Touched by a witch's curse, the rumour is that if a man gazes into her eyes, he is doomed and so Roscilla is always veiled. The court/castle that she enters is full of men, brutal men. Her handmaid is immediately sent away. Who does all the work - who knows? but Roscilla seems to be the only woman in the castle. She is terrified of the marriage bed and spins a yarn to avoid it as long as possible. So our Lady M, rather than being the strong, manipulative woman of the play is a 17 year old virgin plunged into a castle full of dangerous men who see her as a threat, a danger. It is a violent time and she suffers violence, she loses power and at one point is blindfolded so she loses her sight as well. But ultimately, I suppose, this is a story about her taking back ownership of her life. If I could have read the book as that - of a woman overcoming dangers to take back control of her life - I would have enjoyed it more than I did, but I kept looking for the Shakespeare references and finding them either missing or changed. Several times, I shook my head in puzzlement when something happened in the plot in a totally different way to the way that the event had occurred in the play. Ava Reid is a super writer and I will pick her up again as I thoroughly enjoyed A Study in Drowning. But sorry, this was one that was not for me.
scarletranger's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Ava Reid has crafted a beautiful voice for Lady Macbeth. Every word is cleanly chosen, every sentence amazingly crafted. This is, through writing style alone, a beautiful alternate universe of Lady Macbeth.
However, where the text struggles is in the title character. Lady Macbeth is one of, if not the most well-known of Shakespeare's villains. She is cold, ruthless, and calculating. And while this Lady Macbeth does have some cleverness about her - at least in political intrigue - she is unable to match the original's, despite the narrative trying to push that way. She's fails at nearly every turn to out smart Macbeth (she has been turned into a victim in this retelling), and is cowardly until the very end, when she pairs up with this story's true love interest. For a feminist retelling, it falls a bit flat on the feminist angle.
The writing really does save this work. It is gorgeously written, and I enjoyed reading this tale for the writing alone. While Lady Macbeth and the original story have gone through massive changes, this is worth a read for the writing alone.
However, where the text struggles is in the title character. Lady Macbeth is one of, if not the most well-known of Shakespeare's villains. She is cold, ruthless, and calculating. And while this Lady Macbeth does have some cleverness about her - at least in political intrigue - she is unable to match the original's, despite the narrative trying to push that way. She's fails at nearly every turn to out smart Macbeth (she has been turned into a victim in this retelling), and is cowardly until the very end, when she pairs up with this story's true love interest. For a feminist retelling, it falls a bit flat on the feminist angle.
The writing really does save this work. It is gorgeously written, and I enjoyed reading this tale for the writing alone. While Lady Macbeth and the original story have gone through massive changes, this is worth a read for the writing alone.
ewarnerburton's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
serenology's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I truly contemplated on how I should rate this novel. Upon serious consideration, I'm giving this a 3.5. This is not a long story, but swallowing its contents felt like chewing on a very fatty steak. This book was very ambitious for what it was trying to achieve.
Obviously, Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a refocus on the titular character. In the play, her identity is solely Lady Macbeth and Reid gives her more substance in her version. Yet, this attempt at a female-centric take on one of the greatest plays in history, struggled under its own weight. Some aspects held well, but others crumbled.
The writing. This is truly Reid's shining moment here. Reid goes to great lengths to transform the nature of Shakespeare's verse and translate it into prose that resonates with the past while still comprehensible for the reader. And Reid excels at this truly. Her skill in writing well is prominent through this novel.
As for the plot and characterization, this is where it started to get rough. It tries to divert and honor the source material, but ends up ripping the script in half. Reid's Lady Macbeth has far less autonomy than Shakespeare's even though the narrative pushes for her freedom. The love interest can barely be called that as they share all of 5 scenes together. It didn't feel real, more like a tryst if anything.
The magic was fascinating in concept but it felt too clean--to convenient for the alternate plot. Lady Macbeth was not a character I was necessarily rooting for, but to be fair, all of the characters were villains in their own right--which was satisfying when vengeance was obtained.
Macbeth served as a tragedy and this was startling not so. I still question what this version offers in comparison. Nonetheless, I felt like this was a solid concept that just fell a little flat to my expectations.
I truly contemplated on how I should rate this novel. Upon serious consideration, I'm giving this a 3.5. This is not a long story, but swallowing its contents felt like chewing on a very fatty steak. This book was very ambitious for what it was trying to achieve.
Obviously, Lady Macbeth is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth with a refocus on the titular character. In the play, her identity is solely Lady Macbeth and Reid gives her more substance in her version. Yet, this attempt at a female-centric take on one of the greatest plays in history, struggled under its own weight. Some aspects held well, but others crumbled.
The writing. This is truly Reid's shining moment here. Reid goes to great lengths to transform the nature of Shakespeare's verse and translate it into prose that resonates with the past while still comprehensible for the reader. And Reid excels at this truly. Her skill in writing well is prominent through this novel.
As for the plot and characterization, this is where it started to get rough. It tries to divert and honor the source material, but ends up ripping the script in half. Reid's Lady Macbeth has far less autonomy than Shakespeare's even though the narrative pushes for her freedom. The love interest can barely be called that as they share all of 5 scenes together. It didn't feel real, more like a tryst if anything.
The magic was fascinating in concept but it felt too clean--to convenient for the alternate plot. Lady Macbeth was not a character I was necessarily rooting for, but to be fair, all of the characters were villains in their own right--which was satisfying when vengeance was obtained.
Macbeth served as a tragedy and this was startling not so. I still question what this version offers in comparison. Nonetheless, I felt like this was a solid concept that just fell a little flat to my expectations.
carigillette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
nadih's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
daphnea's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bamamelereads's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
There’s a lot to love here, but there’s also quite a bit to find frustrating. I will say, if you are looking for a straight up Macbeth retelling, this is not it. This takes familiar characters and creates a new story with some recognizable milestones.
As always with any Ava Reid story, this is gorgeously written. There are some lines that can make you gasp with how beautifully and hauntingly they are rendered.
As far as Roscille/Lady Macbeth herself…I wanted more. I wanted a powerful woman, using her power, wielding her influence. We got some small flashes here and there. But overall, she finds herself miscalculating, not as clever as she thinks, or just plain cowed by the men around her. I didn’t want to see her shrink in upon herself.
I won’t spoil it, but I actually really enjoyed the romance subplot and how the book ended.
Not my favorite of Reid’s, but still one I would recommend, especially if you can go in with an open mind.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
As always with any Ava Reid story, this is gorgeously written. There are some lines that can make you gasp with how beautifully and hauntingly they are rendered.
As far as Roscille/Lady Macbeth herself…I wanted more. I wanted a powerful woman, using her power, wielding her influence. We got some small flashes here and there. But overall, she finds herself miscalculating, not as clever as she thinks, or just plain cowed by the men around her. I didn’t want to see her shrink in upon herself.
I won’t spoil it, but I actually really enjoyed the romance subplot and how the book ended.
Not my favorite of Reid’s, but still one I would recommend, especially if you can go in with an open mind.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview. All opinions are my own.
thisisadebut's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
feuermotte's review against another edition
I wasn't even sure what this was, it was so far removed from the so called reference material.
eARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
eARC provided by the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.