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The Fool's Girl
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Product Description
Review
`Fast and gripping . . . The writing is faithful to the period and the depiction of Shakespeare reads authentically'
--Bookfest
`A gripping and evocative historical novel'
--Wordsmith
'A gripping and evocative historical novel' --Wordsmith
--Bookfest
`A gripping and evocative historical novel'
--Wordsmith
'A gripping and evocative historical novel' --Wordsmith
Product Description
Violetta and Feste have come to London to rescue the holy relics taken from the church in Illyria by the evil Malvolio. Their journey has been long and their adventures many, but it is not until they meet the playwright William Shakespeare that they get to tell the entire story from beginning to end! But where will this remarkable tale ultimately lead Violetta and her companion? And will they manage to save themselves, and the relics from the very evil intentions of Malvolio.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Fool's Girl.,
By
This review is from: The Fool's Girl (Hardcover)
I have to be honest and say- I know almost nothing at all about Shakespeare. Apart from wading through Macbeth at school, my experience of the great bard is almost zero. This in no way affected my enjoyment of A Fool's Girl and in fact, I found it fascinating. I've heard of Twelfth Night, but until reading this book, knew nothing about it. Rees bases The Fool's Girl around the famous play, in that the events that happened in Illyria were real, and Shakespeare is inspired to tell the story, known as Twelfth Night, after meeting and helping Violetta.Where Celia Rees absolutely excels is bringing history to life. Descriptions of sights, sounds and smells all create such imagery that for a while I actually was in seventeenth century London. She doesn't shy away from the grisly truth so at times the book is violent and slightly disturbing, especially in her descriptions of the fate of prisoners and betrayers. But this makes the book seem all the more authentic. Seventeenth century London wasn't the nicest of places after all, with the heads of criminals hanging from London Bridge and the lack of sanitation. Violetta is an inspiring character. She's strong, determined, loyal and proud so even in hard times she never looses sight of herself. I found myself really routing for her and sympathetic of her plight. The book is told in an alternating third person narrative and then first person from several characters. I would have preferred a little more from our heroine herself, as I thoroughly enjoyed her voice, and the story was, after all, hers to tell. The book is full of action, myth and romantic legends, which I absolutely adored. In particular, Violetta's retelling of her parent's life in Illyria is captivatingly beautiful. Rees' writing is incredibly readable, while remaining extremely intelligent and I read the book very quickly. There was enough mystery and intrigue to keep me gripped and I finished the whole 320 pages in just over a day. There was one area I was a little disappointed. There is a romantic thread that begins in Violetta's childhood and continues throughout the book. I found it a little lacking, in that it felt slightly contrived and without real passion, which was a shame. Perhaps the reason for this goes back to what I said earlier, that Violetta's voice could perhaps have been used more and thus made the romance more believable and exciting? I still enjoyed the book very much, but felt if this had been developed a little more, it would have been amazing. Celia Rees remains one of my favourite authors, and The Fool's Girl does nothing to change that. It's fast, it's gripping, and it's entertaining. I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys an exciting historical novel, from aged 13 up, or as an introduction to this genre.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent novel set after TWELFTH NIGHT ended ...,
By
This review is from: The Fool's Girl (Hardcover)
It's 1601 and Violetta, the daughter of Duke Orsin and Lady Viola, is a refugee from Illyria. Her uncle, Count Sebastian, aided by the evil Malvolio (former steward to her aunt, Duchess Olivia) launched a coup and during the destruction of the city, Malvolio made off with a precious relic that's vital to the country's future. Violetta, aided by her faithful fool, Feste, follow Malvolio to London and enlist the help of the successful playwright, William Shakespeare to save the relic and in doing so, save both her country and herself.Celia Rees's YA novel is a clever reworking of Shakespeare's TWELFTH NIGHT that re-imagines certain aspects of the play and then goes onto imagine what happens after the play finished. Although you get a lot out of the book if you're already familiar with the play, the story is equally strong for you to enjoy it without knowing a thing about it - and hopefully those who don't know the play will go to read it afterwards. Violetta is a spirited character - determined, resourceful and uncowed in the face of Malvolio's malign threats. Feste is equally strongly drawn - fiercely loyal to Violetta, mischievous, unpredictable and a teller of tales. Rees gives both of them (and a number of other characters) strong voices. Where Rees does particularly well though is with her depiction of Shakespeare himself - here a man of regrets for the loved ones he's left in Stratford, not so much a genius as a man with a good eye (and ear) for a story and whose quick wits have him skirting the world of court and diplomacy. In contrast, Stephano (Violetta's cousin and love interest) is a little two-dimensional, as is his faithful friend Guido. There's a wonderful sense of period, with the Globe Theatre recreated to great effect. There's a distinct fantasy undertone to the story, one that remains all the more tantalising for the way in which it is kept under the surface. If I've got a complaint it's that I wish it could have been twice the length. The writing's beautiful, the story is clever and intricate and it was a delight from beginning to end.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful read,
By Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog "Falcata T... - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE) (TOP 500 REVIEWER)
This review is from: The Fool's Girl (Hardcover)
My first novel by Celia and to be honest whilst I expected to be thrown to the wolves I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't alienate me. With no prior knowledge of the other three titles in this series the book was wonderfully researched, had some wonderful twists and will generate a real love of adventure for future fans of the historical fiction genre. Add to this a wonderful sense of prose, great characters (both lead and support) which when backed with a plotline that will grip the reader really did make this a title to enjoy. Great fun all in and one that has left me having to seek out other titles in the series so that I can get the full flavour. Wonderful.
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