Customer Reviews

Get Thee to a Nunnery: A Pair of Shakespearean Divertimentos

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Slavitt is at ease with language, Shakespeare, and human nature. I couldn't put this one down, not because I was on the edge of my seat, but because I kept falling off it laughing. Philosophy and Sociology were never as much fun as they are in this little volume. By the way, dust off the dictionary before you start this one.

Don't know any Shakespeare? Don't worry. Even if your education was as incomplete as mine, you can still follow along and enjoy these two stories. The writing is witty, sly and a delight to read.

These two novellas are witty, playful, irreverent, intelligent--everything we've learned to expect from Slavitt. This book is a must-have for any Shakespeare fan, but it's not only for the lover of Shakespeare.

I personally prefer the the shorter novella, a retelling of Measure for Measure, set in a small, less-than-reputable Old West town. Need I say more?

The retelling of Romeo and Juliet is wonderful as well, uncovering hidden lusts for thirteen-year-old Juliet harbored by many older men.

But these novellas are not only humorous retellings of classics, but also in depth excursions into the nature of civilization and the nastier parts of human thought and emotion.