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A review by serenology
Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
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.