A review by amyappy
Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein

4.0

Hamlet is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. That having been said, I was always dissatisfied with how little Shakespeare gives us about Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship (what was their relationship before the play began? did he really love her? how did she feel about him?) and Ophelia herself (who was she? where did she come from? did she really go mad?). Here, Ophelia finally is given the chance to tell her own story. I loved how Klein fleshes out not only the major characters in the play but also the minor ones, creating the rich, believable world of Denmark's infamous royal court. When Klein writes past the events of Shakespeare's canon in the last third of the book, the narrative weakens a little, but the ultimate ending is lovely and satisfying. Hooray!