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booknerd7820 's review for:
By Any Other Name
by Jodi Picoult
As a former English major, most of us are fully aware of the questioning of Shakespeare's writings as truly belonging to the famous bard. The idea that it was in fact a woman writer however was completely new to me so you can imagine that I dove into this novel with both feet.
As is always the case with a Jodi Picoult book, she doesn't just choose one controversial topic but rather employs several in her storytelling. Along with questioning the provenance of the world's most famous plays, Picoult also tackles sexism and race in the theater industry.
I found myself completely immersed in Emilia's life and rooting for her the entire way while also feeling that heartache that every single woman has felt when crawling up a seemingly Sisyphean hill against the patriarchy. The proof and incorporation of so much of Shakespeare's works was exquisitely done and has me completely convinced that Bassano may in fact be one of the main contributors to the works we now attribute to William Shakespeare and I say that as someone who literally named their son after him! The romance between Emilia and Southampton hit a bit too close to home for me as well and their story was one of my favorite parts of the entire novel. Reading the afterwards from the author sent both chills up my spine and tears down my face.
Melina's story was for me for a vehicle to tell Emilia's and I didn't care as much for her character as her ancestor's. I understood why she did what she did but felt like she had so many opportunities to tell the truth and chose not to out of her own selfishness.
Yes, this one is long, but it is so worth it in the end! Overall, this is one of my favorites of the year for historical fiction and I've already been recommending it to friends and family as their next must read book. This one is perfect for English majors and lovers of theater, but also anyone who loves a really good romance story. 4.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Ballantine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
As is always the case with a Jodi Picoult book, she doesn't just choose one controversial topic but rather employs several in her storytelling. Along with questioning the provenance of the world's most famous plays, Picoult also tackles sexism and race in the theater industry.
I found myself completely immersed in Emilia's life and rooting for her the entire way while also feeling that heartache that every single woman has felt when crawling up a seemingly Sisyphean hill against the patriarchy. The proof and incorporation of so much of Shakespeare's works was exquisitely done and has me completely convinced that Bassano may in fact be one of the main contributors to the works we now attribute to William Shakespeare and I say that as someone who literally named their son after him! The romance between Emilia and Southampton hit a bit too close to home for me as well and their story was one of my favorite parts of the entire novel. Reading the afterwards from the author sent both chills up my spine and tears down my face.
Melina's story was for me for a vehicle to tell Emilia's and I didn't care as much for her character as her ancestor's. I understood why she did what she did but felt like she had so many opportunities to tell the truth and chose not to out of her own selfishness.
Yes, this one is long, but it is so worth it in the end! Overall, this is one of my favorites of the year for historical fiction and I've already been recommending it to friends and family as their next must read book. This one is perfect for English majors and lovers of theater, but also anyone who loves a really good romance story. 4.5 Stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Jodi Picoult, and Ballantine for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.