Loving Will Shakespeare [Paperback]

Carolyn Meyer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2008

Poor Anne Hathaway is still living with her callous stepmother, and her prospects for marriage and a home of her own are becoming grim. However, she can’t seem to get charismatic Will Shakespeare out of her mind--even though he is much too young for her. But then one day Will impulsively kisses his childhood friend Anne, changing the course of their lives forever.
    

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up–With little factual material to work with (other than the famous second best bed bequeathed to her in Shakespeare's will), Meyer has created a fascinating, complex young woman. Agnes Anne Hathaway lost her mother in her early teen years, and her stepmother was cantankerous and verbally abusive. This first-person narrative follows the ups and downs of the subject's life as more children enter the home and she continues to feel lonely, shunted aside, and fearful of ever gaining real happiness. Since she's seven years older and a close friend of the family, she has known Will since his birth, and when he blossoms into a handsome, intelligent 18-year-old, she is mesmerized by his energy, charm, and creativity. Teenage girls will relate to Anne's rebellion against life's limitations and her fear of never being loved, and rural Elizabethan life is vividly depicted in this bittersweet romance.–Melissa Moore, Union University Library, Jackson, TN
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Agnes Hathaway's childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood have plenty of Cinderella elements: a wicked stepmother, at least one wicked stepsister (actually half sister) and her eventual rescue by an immature 18-year-old Will Shakespeare. Meyer does her usual fine job of weaving a fictionalized life tapestry from historical lives and events. Since little is actually known about Shakespeare, and even less about Agnes (Anne) Hathaway, Meyer had only snippets of information from which to work. Her speculations make for fascinating reading, as she works the slim facts into a story about a young woman frustrated by her inability to escape her family and drawn into a love, deemed socially inappropriate, for a much younger man. Readers looking for insight into Shakespeare will be disappointed. Those open to meeting a feisty young woman who is determined to live her own life in spite of societal confines, though, will be quickly absorbed by Meyer's vividly imagined portrayal of a courageous, long-suffering wife. Suggest Laurie Lawlor's The Two Lives of Will Shakespeare (2006) as a follow-up. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Graphia; 1 edition (June 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152062211
• ISBN-13: 978-0152062217
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #984,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Biographies > European

More About the Author

My first book, MISS PATCH'S LEARN-TO-SEW BOOK, published more than forty years ago, was intended to teach young girls how to knot thread, make a neat stitch, and sew simple items. The main character of my next book, CLEOPATRA CONFESSES, coming in June 2011, is a far cry from the roundish, gray-haired lady with a needle in her hand and spectacles on her nose. Since the thrill of seeing that first book in print, I've written over fifty more books, non-fiction and novels (most recently, historical fiction). In the process I've learned more about writing and a lot about history, a subject that was not my favorite when I was a young student but has become my passion--a passion I love to share with readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An addicting historical romance that lives on in your heart long after the last page is turned, August 31, 2006

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loving Will Shakespeare (Hardcover)

Agnes "Anne" Hathaway has never had an easy life. She had a loving mother, and a wonderful family up until the day the sickness came, stealing the life of her beloved mother, and leaving her father a widower. Agnes feels that the family would have been able to survive, with just her, and her siblings; but father thinks differently, and takes an evil wife (Joan) to be Agnes' new stepmother. Joan treats Agnes as if she were lower than rat poison, and, eventually, when Agnes' father passes on, Joan begins to threaten the poor Agnes. Forcing her to become romantically involved with a man whose temper rages at anytime. The only consolation Agnes has in her life, is the affections of young Will Shakespeare. While Agnes is Will's senior by eight years, she finds herself drawn to the boy whom she saw in diapers, and soon finds herself sharing passionate embraces with the young poet. Will makes Agnes (whom he refers to as Anne) feel loved, and cared for. Something that she has not experienced since the death of both of her parents. Together, the two lovers begin sharing secrets, and planning a future. And, soon, when Will returns from his time abroad, Anne realizes that he is the one for her. The only problem is that Will craves a life of travel, and playacting; while Anne wants nothing more than a stable marriage, and a family to spend time with. Now, as the two grow closer and closer, Anne must make her choice...follow her heart, or take into consideration the unbelieving stares and whispers of those who feel that she's making a fool of herself.

I have read very few plays by Shakespeare. But those which I have devoured, were adored. Which is the main reason Carolyn Meyer's LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE appealed to me so greatly. Anne is an amazing character, whose bravery in the face of death, as well as evil, and disgrace, is highly admirable. Her life with Joan, as well as her collection of siblings and half-siblings, is not an easy one, yet she pioneered through, never allowing herself to give up in the face of adversity. Will, on the other hand, is the type of boy every girl deserves to fall in love with. He's kind, romantic, and intelligent. His poems and sonnets are incredible, wrapping the reader inside them; while his wit his appealing, making it easy to understand why Mistress Hathaway was so interested, and drawn to him, so easily. While the ending of LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE was slightly abrupt, it seemed satisfying, nonetheless, and truly carries a lot of emotion with it; which will most likely leave the reader craving more information about the tumultuous romance between Anne Hathaway and the world's best known playwrite, Will Shakespeare. An addicting historical romance that lives on in your heart long after the last page is turned.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

5.0 out of 5 stars amazing love story, January 6, 2011

By 

dani - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loving Will Shakespeare (Hardcover)

This was an amazing book! I was devastated when I turned the last page and the story was over!!! Your heart breaks for the characters and you feel as though you know them personally.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another amazing book by Meyer!, March 16, 2008

By 

booklover71755 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loving Will Shakespeare (Hardcover)

Although at 16, I am probably too old for "Young Teen" books, this was a GREAT read just the same (not at all difficult)! I have been enjoying Carolyn Meyer's books since 4th grade and this one is one of my favorites! As always, while reading, you just get lost in the story and can picture every character, setting, and event perfectly.
In Loving Will Shakespeare, Meyer's main character is Anne Hathaway, Will's wife and childhood friend. 7 years older than Will, Anne has known her husband since birth, has rocked him as a baby, and has watched him grow up into a man. This book is about Anne's life and her struggle to find a "suitable" husband, and her quest to find love and not be married in the traditional manner due to family arrangements. Filled with romance, heartbreak, and historical facts, I can't say enough about how well written this book is! It was so enjoyable and I highly recommend it!