By Any Other Name: A Novel

"Shakespeare is not just a playwright; he's practically a religion." It has long been theorized that our beloved Shakespeare might not have been the original author of the plays and sonnets we grew up learning. Many do not want to hear it or question their blind allegiance to him. Others, like @jodipicoult, have looked at the seemingly glaring data in front of us and come to another conclusion. There are many theories that it was a group of authors that contributed under the name of William Shakespeare. What Picoult argues is, could it not be that the writer of the most timeless female characters (Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, Viola, Portia) not, in fact, also be a female? And is it not more likely the case? She tells a fictional story, based on extensive research and historical data, that makes this claim very believable. She gives life back to the name Emilia Bassano. In 1999, I took a couple of courses in college called Shakespeare 101 and 102 and fell in love. It was so interesting and eye opening to reread these famous words from a different perspective. To look at his famous portrait from a different perspective. I really enjoyed this book and it was so well researched and well done, it would be hard for me to give it anything less than five stars.

I kept putting off reading this book because of its length. Even when I started reading it two days ago, I lamented at how long it would take to read - HA. It was worth it and had to be this epic to truly capture the heartbreaking life of Emilia. Oh what a thought, and the author makes a fantastic case both in the story and in her note at the end. Book #114 in 2024

❤️💔

Even if you are not a fan of Shakespeare (which I definitely am not ) or romance this is a good read. It makes a lot of sense and it is realistic and authentic feeling. The ending is satisfying even though (like in real life) it does not have the happy romantic ending,

I have read almost all of Jodi Picoult's books so I got this one and read it right away! It does have an interesting premise and like Crooked Branch interweaves the story of two female relatives from different times very well. However, I'm not sure if I was just in a bad mood while reading it but something about the book kind of depressed me...I think the past was pretty bleak and not sure how much I actually like reading about it, so I'm reading Harry Potter now to cheer me up haha :)