Scan barcode
A review by cctblog
Becoming Bea by Leslie Gould
4.0
I absolutely love Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. I also love modern retellings of classic literature ... even though the retellings often leave something to be desired. Leslie Gould is no novice at these reimaginings, as Becoming Bea is the fourth novel in her Courtships of Lancaster County series, each of which is based on one of Shakespeare's plays. I've read two of the previous novels in the series, and while I greatly enjoyed Courting Cate, I didn't particularly care for Minding Molly. I knew I wanted to read Becoming Bea simply because I love the source material, but I wasn't sure if I'd truly enjoy it. Fortunately, Becoming Bea exceeded my expectations.
Becoming Bea is a completely endearing novel. I love the way Gould took the basic plot of Much Ado and adapted it to fit her story. Bea and Ben are obviously Beatrice and Benedick, but they also bear some resemblance to Hero and Claudio. And while many of Much Ado's events occurred in one form or another, they didn't always involve the characters I expected them to. This kept me on my toes and made the novel far less predictable than I anticipated. (I'd wondered how on earth Gould was going to work in a "Kill Claudio" scene, and it turned out that she didn't have to.)
Those familiar with Much Ado will enjoy the parts that reference it, and those who aren't will simply enjoy a great story.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
Becoming Bea is a completely endearing novel. I love the way Gould took the basic plot of Much Ado and adapted it to fit her story. Bea and Ben are obviously Beatrice and Benedick, but they also bear some resemblance to Hero and Claudio. And while many of Much Ado's events occurred in one form or another, they didn't always involve the characters I expected them to. This kept me on my toes and made the novel far less predictable than I anticipated. (I'd wondered how on earth Gould was going to work in a "Kill Claudio" scene, and it turned out that she didn't have to.)
Those familiar with Much Ado will enjoy the parts that reference it, and those who aren't will simply enjoy a great story.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Litfuse Publicity Group. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.