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rpych2's review against another edition
2.0
I randomly picked this up at a secondhand bookstore because the title seemed fun, which is something I should not do in the future.
nuthatch's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fun read, especially if you are a Shakespeare fan.
ricardoreading's review
4.0
So I bought this on a whim. Basically because because some of the blurbs called it the basis for Shakespeare in Love — one of my favorite movies — and, while they do share some uncanny superficial similarities (a girl boy-player named Viola falling for a stressed-out Shakespeare, the gleefully irreverent nature, blah, blah, blah), it is, for the most part, NOTHING AT ALL like Shakespeare in Love. I mean, despite his name being in the subtitle, Shakespeare's story is mostly a subplot, and the bulk of the book focuses instead on a handful of several other historical characters of the period, with most of the attention given to the Queen and her merrie (so merrie) band of cohorts.
I'm still really glad I picked this book up though! Mostly because it is the most charming thing ever to have been charming. The writing style is Spartan and funny and quirky and so self-aware. So self-aware, in fact, that I was actually pretty surprised to learn that this book was written in the early 1940s, the humor seeming so, you know, modern. All the recurring jokes sprinkled throughout the book — the unnamed commoner's journey through ever-changing careers, Sir Walter Raleigh's doomed search for fashionable cloak, people complaining about spelling — were definite highlights for me. The book does falter a bit, towards the end (of course an otherwise excellent book would falter towards the end) but overall a pretty fun read!
I'm still really glad I picked this book up though! Mostly because it is the most charming thing ever to have been charming. The writing style is Spartan and funny and quirky and so self-aware. So self-aware, in fact, that I was actually pretty surprised to learn that this book was written in the early 1940s, the humor seeming so, you know, modern. All the recurring jokes sprinkled throughout the book — the unnamed commoner's journey through ever-changing careers, Sir Walter Raleigh's doomed search for fashionable cloak, people complaining about spelling — were definite highlights for me. The book does falter a bit, towards the end (of course an otherwise excellent book would falter towards the end) but overall a pretty fun read!
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