Customer Reviews

Loving Will Shakespeare

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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

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.

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!

Having been fortunate enough to have read Ms. Meyer's previous release, MARIE, DANCING, I was anxious to read her take on the life and times of William Shakespeare. Although I must admit that I enjoyed Marie, Dancing, based on Marie van Goethem and the role she played in becoming the inspiration for Edgar Degas's sculpture, Little Dancer Aged Fourteen, just a tad bit more than LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE, I did thoroughly enjoy this book.

LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE is the story of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes "Anne" Hathaway. Anne, however, is the main character in this story, and although I wasn't disappointed, per se, I can admit that I was hoping for more of an intimate look into Mr. Shakespeare himself.

Having lost her mother to illness, Anne finds herself with a new stepmother, Joan, who is eerily reminiscent at times to the evil stepmother portrayed in the classic story of Cinderella. After the last attempt to fix her up, yet again, with a cruel and intolerant suitor, Anne realizes that she's been looking for love in all the wrong places. But how can she be in love with young Will Shakespeare, though, when she's known him since he was a toddler?

In love with him she is, although it takes her awhile to act on her feelings. Thankfully for Anne, Will returns her love. Not so fortunately, however, is the fact that Will has the desire to write sonnets and poems, to act on the stage, to travel the world and see the sights. All Anne has ever wanted is to be married, to raise children with a man she loves, in a home they can call their own. When they finally do marry, Anne realizes quite quickly that the permanent, loving homestead she so desired will undoubtedly be one without the constant presence of her husband.

LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE is intriguing, to say the least. It's interesting to see how Anne and Will fall in love through friendship and the course of time. While beautiful, it's also haunting, to know that this couple stayed married for more than twenty years, during which time Will was hardly ever at home with his wife.

This is a great read for lovers of history, or for those interested specifically in the life of William Shakespeare. I can honestly say that I feel like I know Will and Anne Shakespeare--or, at least, know of a young man and a slightly older woman who were, once upon a time, madly in love.

Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"

I did not enjoy this book. First of all, it never really struck me as a novel, but rather just a list. It seemed too "and then" to me. While the characters weren't neccesarily unlikable, I never got invested in them, even Anne herself. Also, cramming an entire person's life into a short book made it seem very rushed. As much as a decade would go by in a single chapter, and Anne would sum it up in a list of births and deaths. That's all Carolyn Meyer seemed to focus on really, was the births and deaths in Anne's life. The "romance" with Will didn't even turn up to the end of the novel, and what little there was consisted of plain, uninteresting conversations. The ending was also very disappointing. She ended up miserable for the rest of her life? What kind of end is that? I just didn't care for it at all.

Agnes Hathaway lives in small Stratford-Apon-Avon with her cruel stepmother, many siblings, her best friend, and her wily, young neighbor Will Shakespeare. This probably historically accurate book tells the story of Anne and Will's bittersweet love story (from flirtation to a shot-gun wedding at her pregnancy to his leaving for his destiny in London as the world's greatest writer), though it doesn't get to it until the last 60 pages. Before that, the book is a boring and tedious catalogue of life in the Renaissance in the country and Anne's numerous suitors. Although the premise of the book (focus on Will's often forgotten wife) has definite promise, the book is so boring and has so little to do with Will Shakespeare or his genius, I don't know why the author even bothered. Or readers. Grade: C-

Carolyn Meyer has done an admirable job in fleshing out Anne Hathaway, the wife of famous playwright William Shakespeare. There is little that is known about Anne or her relationship with Shakespeare, so the author has done her best to make Anne a person that readers can relate to.

Agnes Hathaway (nicknamed "Anne" by William Shakespeare) has known William all his life, as she is seven or eight years his senior. While many men - from first crushes to serious suitors - enter her life, none turn her head and charm her quite as much as Will Shakespeare, who grows from a "younger brother" sort to being the man of her dreams. Her family, in particular her cruel and harsh stephmother, frowns upon her choice, but Agnes decides she must follow her heart and not what society would deem "proper."

"Loving Will Shakespeare" is a misleading title, as this book is more about Anne's life growing up and the many trials she must endure, especially when it comes to getting married. Anne is a likeable person who just seems to not get any breaks, not in her family or romantic life.

While it was a good, quick read, I was disappointed in how flat and unrealistic parts of the story seemed. Anne and Will saw each other so infrequently in the beginning of the book that I wasn't sure how sincere his love for her was. Maybe he was just being nice or was a big flirt? He didn't seem to be that major of a character, despite the fact that he was going to end up being Anne's husband.

Once Anne and Will get married, the book rushes through the rest of their marriage, ending with the return of William to his wife five years before his death. I know this book is geared toward younger readers, but it would have been nice to see their actual marriage fleshed out more. A few more chapters after they married, devoted to how Anne felt with her husband being on the road and their ongoing seperation, would have been nice, especially as he grew in fame and she stayed at home. Instead, the twenty-some years of their marriage are summed up fairly quickly in one short final chapter. Historians believe that, during their marriage, William had many extra-marital affairs while living apart from his wife. Maybe some sort of reconciliation at the end would have made the story sweeter. Instead, I was left feeling that Anne just traded one bad situation (with her family) with another (a somewhat loveless marriage).

I have to say this book missed the mark for me. It was a quick read so I finished it, but it was missing depth and feeling. The story appeared to have all the right ingredients. The time period was perfect England 1611, the Black Death swept the country side, power swept the kingdom and a childhood romance blossomed between an unlikely pair. I was also excited to get a glimpse into the young life of Will Shakespeare and looked forward to reading this novel by Carolyn Meyer.

The book is a boring and tedious and has little to do with Will Shakespeare or his genius. I was left wanting.