A review by astoriareader
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

challenging reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

SYNOPSIS
  • Melina Green is an aspiring playwright. Unfortunately, the theatre world often overlooks female writers. Despite this, she has written a play that shines a light on the life of her ancestor, Emilia Bassano. Melina chose to write about Emilia after doing in-depth research and discovering she may have been the writing of some of Shakespeare’s works. In fact, Shakespeare may not have written any of his own work.
  • Due to the bias against female playwrights, Melina's best friend, Andre, submits the play to a festival under a false male name to increase its chances of being recognized and selected for production.
  • The book alternates between Melina’s situation in the present day and Emilia’s life in the 1500s.

MY THOUGHTS
  • Jodi Picoult is an excellent writer, and she is an automatic read for me. This book is different than her other books, and honestly, it wasn’t my favorite of hers that I’ve read.
  • Picoult did a ton of research, and I enjoyed reading the Author’s Note at the end.
  • I liked learning about the Shakespeare’s authorship question & how hard it has been for women playwrights. 
  • I am also a big Broadway theatre fan, so it made me consider how often certain playwrights are selected.
  • I enjoyed the overall plot, the premise, and the different POVs. But, I thought the story dragged. I think this could have told in significantly less pages & better execution.
  • This is also a personal preference, but I like it when books are organized in shorter chapters. It flows better IMO. Here, the sections are SO long. It is daunting. I wish they were broken up differently.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️🥝. 3.5 stars. Historical fiction. Very solid premise, plot, & topic, but IMO it dragged & the execution could have been a lot better. Nevertheless, Picoult is an amazing writer!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on August 20, 2024.
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