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2021: Wow, this was a beautiful book. Definitely would recommend getting your hands on it!
That being said, a big warning here: nearly 50% of the book is a mother grieving her child. Not a spoiler, it's literally on page i (also, is a real life event that happened 400+ years ago really ever a spoiler?) But if you're thinking of picking this book up to learn more about Shakespeare's early life, or perhaps to see more of the behind the scenes of him becoming a playwright, neither of those are the focus of this book, and you will be disappointed.
This is one of the most heart-wrenching and gutting discussions of grief that I think I've ever read. I would not recommend this to the faint of heart, nor to anyone who might be emotionally charged from losing someone recently in their own life. That being said, maybe it will bring you comfort to read about someone else's journey. The full story of both Agnes becoming a mother and ultimately becoming a mother who loses a child is encapsulating and horrible and wonderful.
I honestly didn't even notice O'Farrell choosing not to name Shakespeare at all in the book until I was about 1/3 of the way through. I understand her choice, wanting instead to focus on the person as opposed to his famous name. However, there were just a couple awkward turns of phrase to get around just calling him Will. Ultimately, I really enjoyed following Agnes as the main narrator of this story; that was a great and essential choice.
Often, especially when I read fictionalized accounts about the Holocaust or WWII love stories in particular, I find myself wondering what on earth this new book could possibly be adding to the discourse. Why do we need ANOTHER version of Shakespeare's story? He's Shakespeare, for goodness sake. That is not the case with this book.
Also, the prose is just gorgeous. The book is full of long descriptions, and rather little dialogue, and yet I was completely hooked. It's captivating and the plot definitely moved along fast enough for me. I absolutely loved the final scene, in which Agnes finally gets to see the play that is named for her son (and features her husband as the Dead King, which I don't know if that's factually accurate, but it's a lovely touch all the same!) Another chapter that will stick with me long after finishing this book is the account of how the plague came to touch Judith - it's an incredible passage, that I was so nervous would turn out to be too gimmicky, but it works so well.
That being said, a big warning here: nearly 50% of the book is a mother grieving her child. Not a spoiler, it's literally on page i (also, is a real life event that happened 400+ years ago really ever a spoiler?) But if you're thinking of picking this book up to learn more about Shakespeare's early life, or perhaps to see more of the behind the scenes of him becoming a playwright, neither of those are the focus of this book, and you will be disappointed.
This is one of the most heart-wrenching and gutting discussions of grief that I think I've ever read. I would not recommend this to the faint of heart, nor to anyone who might be emotionally charged from losing someone recently in their own life. That being said, maybe it will bring you comfort to read about someone else's journey. The full story of both Agnes becoming a mother and ultimately becoming a mother who loses a child is encapsulating and horrible and wonderful.
I honestly didn't even notice O'Farrell choosing not to name Shakespeare at all in the book until I was about 1/3 of the way through. I understand her choice, wanting instead to focus on the person as opposed to his famous name. However, there were just a couple awkward turns of phrase to get around just calling him Will. Ultimately, I really enjoyed following Agnes as the main narrator of this story; that was a great and essential choice.
Often, especially when I read fictionalized accounts about the Holocaust or WWII love stories in particular, I find myself wondering what on earth this new book could possibly be adding to the discourse. Why do we need ANOTHER version of Shakespeare's story? He's Shakespeare, for goodness sake. That is not the case with this book.
Also, the prose is just gorgeous. The book is full of long descriptions, and rather little dialogue, and yet I was completely hooked. It's captivating and the plot definitely moved along fast enough for me. I absolutely loved the final scene, in which Agnes finally gets to see the play that is named for her son (and features her husband as the Dead King, which I don't know if that's factually accurate, but it's a lovely touch all the same!) Another chapter that will stick with me long after finishing this book is the account of how the plague came to touch Judith - it's an incredible passage, that I was so nervous would turn out to be too gimmicky, but it works so well.