Many thanks to my friends at @randomhouse @penguinrandomhouse @prhaudio for the free #gifted copies of this book.  

 “There was once a girl who became invisible so that her words might not be.” 

A sweeping tale rooted in centuries of history and yet deeply resonant of women’s struggles in the present.  

Even as I appreciate the feminist stances found in Shakespeare’s plays, I have never been a profound lover of his art.  So, I wasn’t quite sure how this storyline would land for me.  

But I immediately found myself lost within this premise wholly devoted to learning about Emilia Bassano and grappling with the provenance of Shakespeare’s plays.  

From the first lines, Picoult’s masterful storytelling absorbed me.  It’s a vibrantly told tale with a cinematic unfolding.  Fittingly, the prose was poetic, and cleverly placed lines from Shakespeare’s works added nuance.

I fell in love with Emilia from the onset.  Bold, educated, clever, spirited, full of fortitude, never backing down— her storyline was often tragic, and yet she fascinated and inspired!  Picoult painted her portrait with rich detail honed through meticulous research, exacting an adept blending of fact and fiction.  

Truly, this theme of women’s voices being silenced defies time and place.  And so, it mattered not that Emilia resided on another continent in another era.  Her longing to be fully heard and know spoke directly to my heart, and her resiliency and determination was powerfully relatable.    

Closing the pages of this beautiful tale, I couldn’t help wondering if maybe my “Shakespeare” problem had never been about the words but the way the person associated with them never felt fitting.  

Another literary masterpiece by Picoult.  

🎧 I had to snag a print copy of this one- just look at that cover! 😍 But the audiobook narration is exquisite.  Primary narrators, Billie Fulford-Brown and Laura Benanti, bring the two main characters to life with an easy authenticity.   The addition of a full cast for the play script creates a unique dynamic and drew me into the play.  This one is well worth the listen.