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winnimartha's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed reading New Boy, a succinct and creative reimagining of Othello. Set on a playground in the 1970s and still completely believable. Speaks to how many of Shakespeare's plays could be set anywhere with any set of characters and still ring emotionally true.
azulization's review against another edition
4.0
**Thank you to Penguin Random House for this ARC! This book will be available May 2017**
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is an incredibly accurate retelling of Shakespeare's Othello set in a 1970's suburban schoolyard taking place over the span of a day. Not only does it give new life to one of Shakespeare's classic plays, it also touches upon issues of racism and stereotyping, alongside themes of betrayal, friendship, love, and belonging.
Setting the story within a schoolyard as well as within only one day at said school is a smart choice in my opinion, as it is true that such dramatic happenings such as lies spreading and betrayal ensuing happens daily, especially among children who are so easily swayed by the words of their peers.
I would personally suggest this read to anyone looking for adaptions of plays/retellings for academic purposes.
New Boy by Tracy Chevalier is an incredibly accurate retelling of Shakespeare's Othello set in a 1970's suburban schoolyard taking place over the span of a day. Not only does it give new life to one of Shakespeare's classic plays, it also touches upon issues of racism and stereotyping, alongside themes of betrayal, friendship, love, and belonging.
Setting the story within a schoolyard as well as within only one day at said school is a smart choice in my opinion, as it is true that such dramatic happenings such as lies spreading and betrayal ensuing happens daily, especially among children who are so easily swayed by the words of their peers.
I would personally suggest this read to anyone looking for adaptions of plays/retellings for academic purposes.
jenpaul13's review against another edition
4.0
Playgrounds are fascinating studies as a place where familiar social ecosystems develop among children. New Boy by Tracy Chevalier follows the story of a boy's first day at a new school.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
It's Osei's first day at a new school in Washington, D.C. Not only is he the new boy, he's also the only black child in the school. Dee, a teacher favorite, is partnered up with Osei, or more easily called O, to help get him up to speed with the classroom procedures and lessons. The children in this sixth grade class spend a fair amount of time before, during, and after school on their playground, where there are rules that seem to govern how people behave. With the emotions raging, O and Dee quickly become enamored with one another, to the annoyance of Ian. As Ian works to keep his surroundings working to his advantage, he schemes to undermine O and Dee's budding relationship, not caring about the repercussions.
Placing the emotionally charged Othello in a schoolyard setting makes a lot of sense given the tendency toward rather childish attitudes and antics presented in the original play. The deviousness of Ian's actions and the complicity of the children trying to fit in or survive relatively unscathed were well-depicted and elicited the universal feeling and experience of the play quite well. Setting the story in the 1970s helped to convey unease toward racial differences that were portrayed in the original. I found it a little difficult to believe that so much turmoil took place on just one day, as there was a fair amount of relatively elaborate scheming going on and events in Othello took a longer time to develop and fester, but in demonstrating with the quick and sometimes fleeting nature of children's emotions, it is still mildly believable.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
It's Osei's first day at a new school in Washington, D.C. Not only is he the new boy, he's also the only black child in the school. Dee, a teacher favorite, is partnered up with Osei, or more easily called O, to help get him up to speed with the classroom procedures and lessons. The children in this sixth grade class spend a fair amount of time before, during, and after school on their playground, where there are rules that seem to govern how people behave. With the emotions raging, O and Dee quickly become enamored with one another, to the annoyance of Ian. As Ian works to keep his surroundings working to his advantage, he schemes to undermine O and Dee's budding relationship, not caring about the repercussions.
Placing the emotionally charged Othello in a schoolyard setting makes a lot of sense given the tendency toward rather childish attitudes and antics presented in the original play. The deviousness of Ian's actions and the complicity of the children trying to fit in or survive relatively unscathed were well-depicted and elicited the universal feeling and experience of the play quite well. Setting the story in the 1970s helped to convey unease toward racial differences that were portrayed in the original. I found it a little difficult to believe that so much turmoil took place on just one day, as there was a fair amount of relatively elaborate scheming going on and events in Othello took a longer time to develop and fester, but in demonstrating with the quick and sometimes fleeting nature of children's emotions, it is still mildly believable.
Overall, I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
erickac's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
New Boy is an Othello adaptation set in 1970s Washington, D.C. on a school playground. The concept is really clever, and I think the setting allows for interesting conversations about the persistence of racism across centuries. It definitely adds to the new focus of racial conceptions in Shakespearean works. However, I don’t feel that the novel accomplishes what Chevalier hoped it would. The characterizations are clunky and bit too mature to translate fully into the adaptation. There’s also a conversation to be had about Chevalier’s choice to write this adaptation as a white woman and whether or not that is the reason behind the novel’s shortfalls.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Suicide attempt
aseel_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I wish I knew the original play, because I think it would have been interesting to see how the retelling altered different elements etc. generally, it was an interesting read but an absolutely horrifying ending
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, and Sexual harassment
dado_maurizio's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
papernapkin's review against another edition
I'm reading this in tandem with Othello for the Hogarth Shakespeare retellings
I don't think I'm going to rate these books, because this one felt contrived and I imagine the others will too. I mean, of course they're contrived, authors are trying to fit the plot and characters from a Shakespearian play into their book. It's supposed to be somewhat contrived, but I still don't like it.
I really liked that this is set in the 7th grade. What better setting to explore insecurities, gossip, and plotting revenge? Chevalier very neatly matches the corresponding characters, and they're very well crafted. She deftly explores issues of race as well. The plot-- eh, I'm not that fond of the plot of Othello either.
I don't think I'm going to rate these books, because this one felt contrived and I imagine the others will too. I mean, of course they're contrived, authors are trying to fit the plot and characters from a Shakespearian play into their book. It's supposed to be somewhat contrived, but I still don't like it.
I really liked that this is set in the 7th grade. What better setting to explore insecurities, gossip, and plotting revenge? Chevalier very neatly matches the corresponding characters, and they're very well crafted. She deftly explores issues of race as well. The plot-- eh, I'm not that fond of the plot of Othello either.
lucaelisabeth's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
casebounder's review against another edition
2.0
The latest in the #HogarthShakespeare project, Tracy Chevalier's New Boy is a retelling of the tragedy of Othello. In it, Shakespeare's stage is reimagined as a 1970s American school yard, the players now a group of 6th graders grappling with fledging relationships, puberty, and (of course) racism. When precocious Osei, a Ghanaian diplomat's son, joins a mostly white suburban school, his mere presence disrupts the flow of students and teachers alike.
I think the middle school setting really works for Othello, and appreciate the depiction of institutional racism. However, I would have preferred a standalone book rather than a companion piece, which is what I believe we have here. For all Chevalier's clever work translating the plot, Act V suffers from sticking too closely to the source material. The ending feels especially forced, violent, and rushed in opposition to the carefully repurposed proceedings. Because of this, I imagine readers with little Othello knowledge will be reviewing fairly harshly. Personally, I broke out my own big Bard tome for a quick refresher.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for a fair review!
I think the middle school setting really works for Othello, and appreciate the depiction of institutional racism. However, I would have preferred a standalone book rather than a companion piece, which is what I believe we have here. For all Chevalier's clever work translating the plot, Act V suffers from sticking too closely to the source material. The ending feels especially forced, violent, and rushed in opposition to the carefully repurposed proceedings. Because of this, I imagine readers with little Othello knowledge will be reviewing fairly harshly. Personally, I broke out my own big Bard tome for a quick refresher.
Thank you to Penguin Random House for this ARC in exchange for a fair review!