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A review by bookb1itch
By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Better Reading for an advance prrof copy of this book. This is the review I submitted to them:
Jodi Picoult delivers! Told in her trademark addictively realistic style, supported by research into the lives of real characters, she asks: did Shakespeare deserve the accolades showered upon him over the past four centuries? Did he even write most of the plays and poems? Picoult has me convinced - how did he alone achieve such a huge body of work, whilst acting full-time? Also, how could a man who most likely never left England write so convincingly about the Danish court and life in Italy? Not to mention how a humble actor could write with such knowledge of the legal process. Emilia's story is addictive - I just had to know how it was all going to work out for her, if indeed it would. The parallels with Melina's story in the present are extremely unsettling- have we made much progress on the road to equality in over four hundred years? Bottom line, this is a gripping and highly entertaining combination of the stories of two remarkable women, fighting for recognition where men control the narrative. Highly recommended!
Jodi Picoult delivers! Told in her trademark addictively realistic style, supported by research into the lives of real characters, she asks: did Shakespeare deserve the accolades showered upon him over the past four centuries? Did he even write most of the plays and poems? Picoult has me convinced - how did he alone achieve such a huge body of work, whilst acting full-time? Also, how could a man who most likely never left England write so convincingly about the Danish court and life in Italy? Not to mention how a humble actor could write with such knowledge of the legal process. Emilia's story is addictive - I just had to know how it was all going to work out for her, if indeed it would. The parallels with Melina's story in the present are extremely unsettling- have we made much progress on the road to equality in over four hundred years? Bottom line, this is a gripping and highly entertaining combination of the stories of two remarkable women, fighting for recognition where men control the narrative. Highly recommended!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Abortion, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic