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A review by jhbandcats
A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein
adventurous
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
I knew little to nothing about Christopher Marlowe before reading this; my schooling was more focused on Shakespeare than anyone else writing at the same time. I found the whole story fascinating, and I found the author’s interpretation believable. If Kit Marlowe *was* a spy (and it looks like he was), this book shows how his life might’ve played out.
Marlowe and his lover Tom are fleshed out and they’re both clever, likable characters. I wish we could have spent more time with them and their warm, if occasionally fraught, relationship. Others around them, from Walsingham to Mary Queen of Scots, are sketched in enough so we understand their priorities and compulsions.
I stayed up too late reading and as a result this isn’t a very articulate review, but I just want to reiterate how much I loved this book. I loved Kit and Tom and was fascinated by Walsingham, and I loved learning about them and the history of Elizabethan spycraft.
Marlowe and his lover Tom are fleshed out and they’re both clever, likable characters. I wish we could have spent more time with them and their warm, if occasionally fraught, relationship. Others around them, from Walsingham to Mary Queen of Scots, are sketched in enough so we understand their priorities and compulsions.
I stayed up too late reading and as a result this isn’t a very articulate review, but I just want to reiterate how much I loved this book. I loved Kit and Tom and was fascinated by Walsingham, and I loved learning about them and the history of Elizabethan spycraft.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Murder, Violence, Confinement, Torture, Classism, Death, and Religious bigotry