A review by hyperashley
The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson

4.0

When I first started reading Shakespeare in high school I felt like most high school students felt—confused. I don't think I ever had the chance to read The Winter's Tale before so this was very interesting to me. I'm not usually a fan of retellings but I really enjoyed this one. I actually look forward to more Shakespearean retellings in the future, particularly MaCbeth.

Since I never read the play before this I don't know if I can really judge it well enough but that could be a good thing. I would say it's a good thing because I can't compare them. I thought this was a good book, it held my interest all the way to the end, it slipped a little at the end. The ending was a little confusing but I incorporated that more with it being Shakespearean than anything else. (Don't kill me for thinking that.)

The characters were interesting. It was easy to like and dislike them and it was easy to tell who the villain was. They made it easy to read because they played so well off of each other. Leo was an ass but that's a given and I didn't like the rape scene. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what made him snap and go crazy but I think that was just how he was. Mimi didn't deserve that and I wish she had a bigger part in the story. Along with Xeno and Zel, I liked them so much but they only had small(ish) parts.

Perdita was a strong girl, especially after hearing everything about her early years. It was a pretty crazy story and I don't think I could have handled it, at least not the way that she did. I also don't think I would have gone to find my biological dad after having such an amazing dad already. She should have just left it alone and looked for her mom instead.

I recommend this to anyone that enjoys Shakespeare or that just enjoys a good suspenseful read.

"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."