Book Review: By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

Pages: 544

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: August 20, 2024

Publisher: Ballantine

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: Mad Honey

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

 

 

Goodreads says, "Two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—are both forced to hide behind another name to make their voices heard.

In 1581, Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history.

In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina—like Emilia—be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed?

Told in intertwining narratives, this sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire asks what price each woman is willing to pay to see their work live on—even if it means they will be forgotten."

 

 

Melina Green, an aspiring playwright, is hitting a lot of barriers in her field, mainly because she is an outspoken woman. One of her family members discovers that they are related to Emilia Bassano, one of the first female poets and playwright from the 16th century. After Melina looks into her, she discovers that Emilia also encountered many roadblocks as a female writer, which she can relate to. The world wasn't ready for a female poet and Melina finds out there's a good chance that Emilia sold her work to none other than William Shakespeare. This explains many of the gaps in  Shakespeare's background that critics have often questioned. How did Shakespeare know about court life? Italy? The law? Well, Emilia knows all of this and more as she is highly educated and traveled extensively. Melina pieces this all together and writes a play based on Emilia's life, which really makes the audience, as well as readers of this book, truly think about Shakespeare and his authorship. Fans of Elizabethan England and stories about strong women trying to succeed against the odds will appreciate Jodi Picoult's By Any Other Name.

I thought Picoult did a wonderful job bringing Elizabethan England, as well as Emilia Bassano, to life. The details surrounding the castles, everyday life, the dilapidated homes, the plague (!!) all really brought this time period to life including many of the barriers that Emilia faced. Picoult definitely did her research and it shines within this part of the story. On the other hand, I wasn't as interested in Melina's story. It felt like just a plot device at times. She wasn't nearly as compelling as her counterpart, so in turn, I felt I was really gravitating towards Emilia's story, the true star of this show.

I appreciate fictional books that also make you think and that's the case in By Any Other Name. For years critics have been questioning whether Shakespeare actually wrote all those plays and poems, and By Any Other Name does the same thing. In fact, it poses a really strong argument and sheds light on real-life poet, Emilia Bassano, whom many people may have never even heard of. I always appreciate a book that brings unknown women back into the spotlight that they deserve; however, I am sure this topic will naturally bring some controversy.

While this isn't my favorite of Picoult's novels, I still appreciate the author's well-researched message and its ability to make me think and question what we know about William Shakespeare. Fans of classic literature won't want to miss this one.

In the comments below, let me know if you plan on reading By Any Other Name and if you are a fan of Jodi Picoult.