The Secret Life of William Shakespeare
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'In this brilliant evocation of mid-16th century, full of atmosphere and detail, we follow not only the young man's journey but that of Anne's too... the lives of Kit Marlowe and Ben Johnson are expertly woven through Will's story and the author fleshes out his protagonists and their relationships so perfectly that the reader cannot help but become immersed in their joys and sorrows'
(Choice Magazine )'Happy to combine romance with academic investigation, Morgan places Shakespeare's relationship with his wife at the novel's heart... he introduces encounters that we understand will be later incorporated into his plays *****'
(The Lady )'This beautifully written novel convincingly recreates the Elizabethan world'
(Press Association ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.Product Description
The greatest writer of them all, brought to glorious life.
How well do you know the man you love? How much do you think you know about Shakespeare? What if they were one and the same? He is an ordinary man: unwilling craftsman, ambitious actor, resentful son, almost good-enough husband. And he is also a genius. The story of how a glove-maker from Warwickshire became the greatest writer of them all is vaguely known to most of us, but it would take an exceptional modern novelist to bring him to life. And now at last Jude Morgan, acclaimed author of Passion and The Taste of Sorrow, has taken Shakespeare's life, and created a masterpiece.
How well do you know the man you love? How much do you think you know about Shakespeare? What if they were one and the same? He is an ordinary man: unwilling craftsman, ambitious actor, resentful son, almost good-enough husband. And he is also a genius. The story of how a glove-maker from Warwickshire became the greatest writer of them all is vaguely known to most of us, but it would take an exceptional modern novelist to bring him to life. And now at last Jude Morgan, acclaimed author of Passion and The Taste of Sorrow, has taken Shakespeare's life, and created a masterpiece.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Jude Morgan, who has acquired many plaudits for his accounts of Byron, Caroline Lamb, the Brontės and others, has daringly turned his hand to Shakespeare, a man whose very existence has been doubted by many. This book tells the story of Shakespeare's adult life, while he was still working in Stratford for his glovemaker father, and beginning with his meeting with Anne Hathaway. Despite his father's disapproval he is drawn to the performances staged by travelling players, conscious that there is something missing in his life, a need which proves to be only temporarily assuaged by his love for Anne. What starts as a minor rebellion becomes an open one and he leaves for London with a troupe of players. Life as an actor, even a competent one, is hard in a city where the theatres are frequently closed by plague, so he turns his hand to improving scripts and, eventually, to his own plays, but his writing is driven as much by the creative urge as by the need for survival.
You really need a spark of genius to put words into William Shakespeare's mouth, he had such facility with words, coining a new one when there was nothing that would immediately answer. Jude Morgan is very, very good, but there was a tiny lack, for me, of that spark of brilliance, and a recognition that all the best lines in the book actually come from Shakespeare's plays, but this is subtly handled and there's never any hint of pastiche. Morgan uses the neologising nicely, making it the subject of discussion between writers, producing some inspired examples. There are some well-wrought Shakespearean conceits, too.
The joy of this book was when the attention was turned to writing - to the creative drive, the pleasure of words, the turning of old stories into new. At such times all the playwrights, Will himself, Marlowe, Jonson, Kyd, Dekker, seemed most alive, close to our modern sensibilities but not anachronistically so - after all, the problems that face the writer are born anew with every individual. Something of that is true for actors, too - you can learn technique, but not talent. Will's also an actor, of course, and Morgan uses this adroitly to address the issue of Shakespeare's identity, drawing one of those characters who's difficult to know, someone who slips through the fingers of even the most perceptive acquaintance.
This is an excellent historical novel which offers some convincing insights into Shakespeare and his contemporaries. If Morgan set out, in the words of his protagonist, to "write me a man, who thinks and lies and bleeds, and you remember him when you lay the book down or leave the theatre, recall and judge and think around him like a man you've known long to drink with", then he has succeeded here.
You really need a spark of genius to put words into William Shakespeare's mouth, he had such facility with words, coining a new one when there was nothing that would immediately answer. Jude Morgan is very, very good, but there was a tiny lack, for me, of that spark of brilliance, and a recognition that all the best lines in the book actually come from Shakespeare's plays, but this is subtly handled and there's never any hint of pastiche. Morgan uses the neologising nicely, making it the subject of discussion between writers, producing some inspired examples. There are some well-wrought Shakespearean conceits, too.
The joy of this book was when the attention was turned to writing - to the creative drive, the pleasure of words, the turning of old stories into new. At such times all the playwrights, Will himself, Marlowe, Jonson, Kyd, Dekker, seemed most alive, close to our modern sensibilities but not anachronistically so - after all, the problems that face the writer are born anew with every individual. Something of that is true for actors, too - you can learn technique, but not talent. Will's also an actor, of course, and Morgan uses this adroitly to address the issue of Shakespeare's identity, drawing one of those characters who's difficult to know, someone who slips through the fingers of even the most perceptive acquaintance.
This is an excellent historical novel which offers some convincing insights into Shakespeare and his contemporaries. If Morgan set out, in the words of his protagonist, to "write me a man, who thinks and lies and bleeds, and you remember him when you lay the book down or leave the theatre, recall and judge and think around him like a man you've known long to drink with", then he has succeeded here.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I have only read Jude Morgan's The Taste of Sorrow before, and as I loved that I thought I would give this a go. We actually know only a comparative small part of Shakespeare's life, as there are missing years, and controversies over which plays he solely wrote, and whether the ones that have been handed down had been edited. So, as you can imagine I was quite excited to have a go at this.
The story isn't just about Shakespeare, you also have other stories running alongside this, there is Anne Hathaway, stuck at home bringing the children up, and also Ben Jonson. This in itself does give some extra depth to the book, and most people picking this up will I'm sure be gladdened that it is not full of forsooths and other such words. You do feel a certain amount of being there in the times this describes, and the characterisation is also good, making this a good read. But Shakespeare himself only comes across so far, he appears more of an enigma, whereas other characters, such as Ben Jonson, really come alive.
This is fiction and the author could have played about with the character of Shakespeare, giving us perhaps a greater understanding of this man, but instead it seems to me he has gone for something a bit safer, thus only giving us a good book, instead of something that could have been great. After reading this you don't feel you know anything that new or fresh about Shakespeare, only what you have already read before in biographies.
The story isn't just about Shakespeare, you also have other stories running alongside this, there is Anne Hathaway, stuck at home bringing the children up, and also Ben Jonson. This in itself does give some extra depth to the book, and most people picking this up will I'm sure be gladdened that it is not full of forsooths and other such words. You do feel a certain amount of being there in the times this describes, and the characterisation is also good, making this a good read. But Shakespeare himself only comes across so far, he appears more of an enigma, whereas other characters, such as Ben Jonson, really come alive.
This is fiction and the author could have played about with the character of Shakespeare, giving us perhaps a greater understanding of this man, but instead it seems to me he has gone for something a bit safer, thus only giving us a good book, instead of something that could have been great. After reading this you don't feel you know anything that new or fresh about Shakespeare, only what you have already read before in biographies.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you have never read Jude then I urge you to pick this up - you will not be disappointed. I think it is the best book he has written. And considering that all of his other books are amazing, especially PASSION and THE TASTE OF SORROW, this one is even more enthralling, absorbing, beautifully written, rich and authentic. It is immensely readable but is also literary - the language is stunning.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
The writings illuminate the man; the man illuminates the writings
I got introduced to Jude Morgan through the very wonderful The Taste of Sorrow and was swept up by his ability to write what I suppose must be called 'fictional biography'. Read more
Published 2 minutes ago by Lady Fancifull
The pangs of disprized love
Did William Shakespeare's knowledge derive from personal experience? Was he a courtier? Did he travel the world? Fight in wars? Where was he during the missing years? Read more
Published 22 hours ago by G. M. Sinstadt
Jude Morgan's best yet
I can never fault Jude Morgan, and the Secret Life of William Shakespeare is masterful storytelling. Read more
Published 4 days ago by A Customer
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