Michael Joseph (10 Oct 2024)
Thank you to Michael Joseph and to NetGalley for my advance review copy of this book.
★★★★★
I’m a big fan of the middle period of Picoult’s novels, but I haven’t enjoyed the more recent books. However, I could not put this one down. This is not the standard Picoult novel centred around a court case with a big twist three quarters in. This is very different and I forgot I was reading Picoult at all.
I also thought this would be a retelling of Romeo and Juliet, like the recent novel Fair Rosaline by Natasha Solomons. I was wrong again.
By Any Other Name is a meticulously researched exposé of Shakespeare that combines the stories of an extraordinary woman and her modern day ancestor with searing commentary on the enduring struggle of women and other minorities to have a creative voice.
Mel and Andre’s current day stories are nuanced and incisive but it was the story of Emilia that really gripped me. Whether or not any of the historical claims are true, the point remains that every facet of this beautifully embroidered and critical novel is completely believable.
For fans of Stacey Halls, Laura Shepherd Robinson and Anna Mazzola.
The Oxford Bookworm 