Publication Date August 20, 2024
I remember reading an article inThe Atlantic entitled “Was Shakespeare a Woman?” (June, 2019) which examined the possibility (and, for some, the staunchly held belief) that Emilia Bassano was the true author of some/many/all (your choice) of the works attributed to William Shakespeare, the man considered by many to be the greatest author of all time. She was a real person, a woman who led an amazing life (1569-1645). As an English major and former Shakespeare buff (who took way too many classes around these subjects back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s and saw plays as frequently as possible in Ashland, OR, Berkeley (CA), Stratford (Canada), and my current hometown of Santa Cruz, CA, I found this incredibly intriguing.
Fast forward to the 2020s and I’m now a retired librarian who still loves to read, enjoys seeing plays when I can (very occasionally these days), and whose reading tastes lean toward popular fiction – including Jodi Picoult. She has been a favorite of mine, and I particularly enjoy the way she entertains while making her readers THINK, frequently about social issues. So, here comes JP’s latest book, By Any Other Name, and thanks to Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley, I received an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Emilia Bassano was a writer who, as a woman in the late 1500s and into the 1600s, was relegated to being anything other than a renowned author/playwright. Generations later, her fictionalized descendant, Melina Green, has been inspired by the life of her famous ancestor to write a play and a friend submits it to a festival under a pseudonym – as a male.
In an intertwined story, generations earlier,Emilia Bassano writes a play, pays a young actor, William Shakespeare, to act as the true author of her work, and…as my grandson would say “things happen.”
Ms. Picoult’s novel tells the alternating stories of Emilia and Melina in expansive scope and somewhat stunning perception of the struggles women face in the world, then and now.
Confession: I was THRILLED to get this book. I couldn’t WAIT to read it! Then I kept putting it aside, not wanting to rush into it or give it less than my full attention. So it took me months to actually “do the work” and consider what to say. TBH, I still don’t know what to say…but I still love JP and look forward to everything she writes. Knowing that this book won’t appeal to everyone, I still highly recommend it…but I’m not yet suggesting it to either of the book clubs I’m in. I love the way it looks at the roles and marginalization of women – then AND now. For me, it’s five stars. For fans of Jodi Picoult, English majors, literary mystery fans, and some book clubs.