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A review by artemismatchalatte
Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein
4.0
This is a reimagining of Shakespeare's Tragedy Hamlet told from Ophelia's prospective. It covers most of Ophelia's life both before and after she's involved with Hamlet (she survives him this time rather than dying). The middle of the book is where it mostly intersects with Shakespeare's original play.
What I liked in this version is that the female characters were much more realistic. Even Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, was made so much more sympathetic in this version of the story. Even though she still essentially does the same things as she did in the play, Ophelia's understanding of Gertrude makes her a much more sympathetic character than in Shakespeare's play which makes her as bad as Claudius. In fact, in this version of the play, Hamlet is much less sympathetic especially in the way he treats Ophelia. Not that he was great to her in the play either, so this isn't a huge surprise, really. This isn't really a story about Ophelia's romance with Hamlet but how she escapes the tragedy that her family gets tangled in and how she avoids becoming another victim.
I liked the author's reinterpretation of the text. Ophelia's situation escaping to a nunnery was realistic for a woman in the renaissance era. She would likely have nowhere else to go without having the protection of a family (Polonius and Laertes still die in the story- most of the plot of Hamlet remains the same save Ophelia's living to the end of the book). The later part of the book where Ophelia is in France at the nunnery reminds me a lot of the Christian mystics texts that we read in my Brit Lit class. The plots at the nunnery follow these themes where there is a miracle that Ophelia witnesses.
It's actually very different from the source material but still interesting and believable in the context of the story and historic period. If you wondered what Ophelia's take on the Hamlet play was, this would probably be enjoyable for you. I would also suggest if you like historic fiction, reimagined classics, and YA novels. There are points where the story is a bit slow but I appreciated the detail. Ophelia's character is likeable and relatable. I give this book 4 stars. I would suggest this book.
What I liked in this version is that the female characters were much more realistic. Even Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, was made so much more sympathetic in this version of the story. Even though she still essentially does the same things as she did in the play, Ophelia's understanding of Gertrude makes her a much more sympathetic character than in Shakespeare's play which makes her as bad as Claudius. In fact, in this version of the play, Hamlet is much less sympathetic especially in the way he treats Ophelia. Not that he was great to her in the play either, so this isn't a huge surprise, really. This isn't really a story about Ophelia's romance with Hamlet but how she escapes the tragedy that her family gets tangled in and how she avoids becoming another victim.
I liked the author's reinterpretation of the text. Ophelia's situation escaping to a nunnery was realistic for a woman in the renaissance era. She would likely have nowhere else to go without having the protection of a family (Polonius and Laertes still die in the story- most of the plot of Hamlet remains the same save Ophelia's living to the end of the book). The later part of the book where Ophelia is in France at the nunnery reminds me a lot of the Christian mystics texts that we read in my Brit Lit class. The plots at the nunnery follow these themes where there is a miracle that Ophelia witnesses.
It's actually very different from the source material but still interesting and believable in the context of the story and historic period. If you wondered what Ophelia's take on the Hamlet play was, this would probably be enjoyable for you. I would also suggest if you like historic fiction, reimagined classics, and YA novels. There are points where the story is a bit slow but I appreciated the detail. Ophelia's character is likeable and relatable. I give this book 4 stars. I would suggest this book.