It took me a long time to make it through this historical novel—even though it's set in Shakespeare’s day. If it draws the reader in, it only does so in fits and starts—not quickly or consistently.
But it's admittedly a good novel. The history is sound, the characters are interesting, and the writing is good. I (eventually) enjoyed making my way through the plot, though I did not like the romance elements (read “Harlequin Romance” there) very much. They seemed out of place—only there to give the novel some spice or to attempt to bring two genres together.
The historical setting, more specifically, is around the time of the Essex Rebellion and that famous staging of Richard II. The politics there are fairly interesting, and it's also interesting that we see them through the eyes of a player (Sander) and his precocious lover (Joan), who has disguised herself as a man (is that Shakespearean enough?) frequently throughout the novel to receive tutelage from Sir Francis Bacon.
Let me give you a sample from late in the novel. Here, Sander, who has been playing the women's roles for Shakespeare's company, seizes on an opportunity to move up in the company (since he's getting too old to play the women's roles convincingly). It is he who has been chosen to play Richard II in that infamous production:
I'm not sure it will make its way onto the syllabus of a future Modern Shakespearean Fiction course, but it tells an interesting story in an interesting way.
Click below to purchase the book from amazon.com
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
(and to support Bardfilm as you do so).
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