Product Description

Will Shakespeare has left Stratford for London and pitched himself headlong into the chaotic, perilous world of the theater. Through raw will-and an amazing gift for words- he raises himself from poor player to master playwright. But as his success earns him great pleasure and adoration from others, it also draws the jealous wrath of Christopher Marlowe, a baby-faced genius whose anger is as punishing as his poetry is sweet...

From the pen of Grace Tiffany, a Renaissance scholar and Shakespeare historian, leaps a wild, vivid tale that brings Will Shakespeare to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1932718 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-04
• Released on: 2004-05-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School - Tiffany's informative account of Shakespeare and his world weaves fact and fiction in a historically accurate setting. The colorful tale starts when young Will discovers the beauty of the written word not in the airless schoolroom where he spends his days copying Latin phrases, but in his Uncle Edward's library. He reads voraciously and learns much about the world from the books and from the perilous climate of religious intolerance. As events continue, he weds Anne Hathaway, and they have three children. He yearns to be a playwright, and his restlessness compels him to journey to London where he meets Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson, and other famous contemporaries, all of whom influence his work. As he gains fame, he misses his family in Stratford, but his passion for the world of the stage overwhelms familial desires. This novel, by the author of My Father Had a Daughter(Berkley, 2003), which is about Judith Shakespeare, gives readers a wonderfully intimate view of day-to-day life in Shakespeare's England. Historical details, such as references to the plague and to fickle Queen Elizabeth, all help make this novel come alive. Teens will enjoy the brisk pace, colorful characters, and conflicts and successes in the life of this literary giant. - Susanne Bardelson, Kitsap Regional Library, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Tiffany, author of My Father Had a Daughter (2003), which was a tale about Shakespeare's youngest daughter, Judith, tackles the life and work of the master himself here. As a boy, young Will admires his uncle, Edward Arden, who has an extensive library that he allows Will to use. It is Arden's eventual execution that sets Will against the monarchy and sets the stage for his complex relationship with Queen Elizabeth. After marrying Anne Hathaway and having three children with her, Will sets off for London to make his fortune. He is captivated by a group of players he witnesses putting,^B and he falls in with the theatrical literary crowd in London, including Thomas Kyd and rambunctious Christopher Marlowe. Both his patron, the young and almost pretty Henry Wriothesley, for whom Will writes sonnets, and the "dark lady," Emilia, make appearances and capture Will's attentions and affections. For those who want to be immersed in the vibrant world of sixteenth-century London and the life of the great writer, this lively, boisterous novel will have much appeal. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Grace Tiffany is a professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama at Western Michigan University. She has taught Shakespeare at Fordham University, the University of New Orleans, and the University of Notre Dame, where she obtained her doctorate.

Customer Reviews

Page turner!
This is a great read! It is a page turner that presents a vivid picture of Elizabethan London. I especially enjoyed the subtle comparison between the way Will sees an event and his daughter's view of the same event as described in Tiffany's earlier novel about Shakespeare's daughter, Judith. Also, the reference to the Earl of Oxford is very funny. (The Earl's descendant's claim that he wrote Shakespeare's plays.) We do not exactly enter Shakespeare's mind, but we can see something of how he observed human nature and how the words flowed to paper and stage. (It reminded me of the scene in Amadeaus in which we see Mozart writing his Requiem.) Brevity may be the soul of wit, but this book is too short. More pages next time please!!!!

A Believable and Likable Shakespeare
Unlike with fictional Shakespeares created by other, more famous writers, I could actually believe this fictional Will wrote the great man's plays. He is complex, warm, insightful, funny, ambitious, innocent and sophisticated at once. One can imagine him having penned Shakespeare's greatest lines, yet he doesn't walk around spouting iambic pentameter. The story of his relationships with contemporary playwrights, including Kit Marlowe and Ben Jonson, and their alternately friendly and bitterly competitive rivalries is spellbinding, as are the political subplots. However it is the story of Will's relationship with Anne Hathaway, and the way his plays themselves are shown to reflect his growing maturity and his eventual return to his marriage and his "real" life, that is most compelling and profound. Dr. Tiffany gives us a convincing and extremely entertaining portrait of Shakespeare and the personal and cultural context in which he wrote. Read the first few pages on "Look Inside" and you'll be hooked!

A Superb Read
I loved Tiffany's first Shakespearean novel, My Father Had a Daughter, so I had high hopes for Will. I was not disappointed. Tiffany vividly explores the complex personal and historical forces that shaped Shakespeare's life and work, including his contact with fellow playwrights, his relationship with his wife Anne, etc. I was struck by Tiffany's uncanny ability to sketch the bard as an ordinary yet inspired--and inspiring--man. Though it's possible that Will may irk the Marlowe enthusiasts who give Marlowe credit for Shakespeare's plays, I found its account of the competition and friendship between Renaissance playwrights subtle and convincing. I also appreciated how Tiffany's second novel provides us with Shakespeare's perspective on events reported by his daughter in My Father Had a Daughter. Wonderful!