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Warwick Collins
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The Sonnets Hardcover – 1 Nov. 2008

by Warwick Collins (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

Shakespeare in Love for the sonnets: a fictional tale of how Shakespeare wrote his most famous poems.

No one knows for sure precisely when and where Shakespeare wrote his sonnets or, more intriguingly, who he wrote them for. In this wonderfully entertaining novel acclaimed author Warwick Collins imagines the circumstances that inspired 30 of the Bard's most popular sonnets.

The young Will Shakespeare is living under the patronage of Henry Wriothesley, Earl of Southampton. The controversial earl is under pressure from his family and those close to the royal court to settle down but he is far too busy drinking, carousing and cavorting with his motley band of acquaintances to pay attention. Not then, the obvious setting for poetic genius but within the politics (both State and sexual) of this lofty household Will finds lots to inspire his pen, and a few attractive distractions too.

Collins has crafted a clever, witty and enjoyable novel from fragments of history. He interweaves 30 sonnets into the text in seamless fashion. The Sonnets wears its scholarship lightly and its love of Shakespeare and poetry proudly.

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  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The Friday Project
  4. Publication date
    1 Nov. 2008
  5. Dimensions
    14.1 x 2.4 x 20.9 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    1906321787
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1906321789
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Product description

About the Author

Warwick Collins lives in Lymington, Hampshire and is the author of several novels and screenplays. He blogs regularly at www.warwickcollins.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The Friday Project
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Nov. 2008
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ First Edition
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1906321787
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1906321789
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 424 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 14.1 x 2.4 x 20.9 cm
  • Best Sellers Rank: 1,288 in Humorous Verse
  • Customer reviews:
    3.4 out of 5 stars 8 ratings

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Warwick Collins

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3.4 out of 5 stars
8 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • White owl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bought this after reading Gents
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 January 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I am enjoying the book very much. Beautifully thought out and written - a joy to read. I would recommend very highly
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  • Annabel Gaskell
    4.0 out of 5 stars A fine novel that brings the sonnets to life
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2008
    Verified Purchase
    This is an ambitious novel. The author has taken Shakespeare's sonnets and created a novel around them, selecting those that fit this narrative - 32 in all, reproduced in full within the text.

    Although I love Shakespeare's plays, I've never read the sonnets, just knowing a couple of the famous quotes. This novel was a great way of getting to know them, and importantly, understanding them for they are full of coded messages and allusions which need interpretation. I must say he's done a pretty good job.

    Plague has shut London's theatres, so young Shakespeare is staying with his patron, the Earl of Southampton who is an art-loved and encourages Will in his endeavours. Thus the poetry flows, full of fraternal love. Then two women enter the scene and Shakespeare falls in love with the dark lady of whom many of the sonnets are written about. There has been much speculation over her identity over the ages, and the author goes with the current thinking that she was the wife of the Earl's tutor Lucia Florio.

    This is a novel full of romance and passion, and of course it is brimming with poetry. The characters are vivid including a cameo from Marlowe, and I couldn't help falling for the Earl a bit myself! Collins has also had some fun with certain lines from Shakespeare, and manages to get many of the titles of his plays into the text - which lighten the serious emotions on display in the rest.

    Although I may not actually go as far as reading the rest of the sonnets, I'm glad to understand and enjoy those I read here. You don't have to be a Shakespeare lover to enjoy this novel, but it has definitely inspired me to revisit some other Bardic stuff.
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  • CharlieCarly
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very clever concept.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 July 2010
    This is not normally the sort of book I would pick for myself, tending to be one who leans more towards chick-lit than anything else. However, having studied Shakespeare's sonnets through English and drama classes, I was actually quite interested to see what this book would be like and I really was pleasantly surprised. The inclusion of the sonnets with relation to the text was brilliant and it was really interesting to see a possible context in which they might have been written. The author used quite poetic language which really helped capture the mood of Shakespeare's world and it was easy to imagine that it was actually Shakespeare's voice. It was also interesting to see quotes from some of the plays slipped in, although at times it did seem a little unnecessary and jarring, almost like an awkward pun randomly placed in.

    I found that it was an extremely quick read and really quite engrossing, I'd recommend it to anybody, but especially people who may have studied or are studying Shakespeare at school. Rather than just having to learn the sonnets, it's a great way to explore and see a different side to them.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Brida
    4.0 out of 5 stars A possible context for the sonnets...
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2009
    Ever since my time during GCSE and A-Level, I have loved the sonnets by Shakespeare. This novel by Collins tries to provide some potential background to 32 of his sonnets. Set during the plague years, when the theatres of London were forced to close, Collins takes us to the household of the Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare's lord and patron. Here, we witness a fictionalised account of what may have happened during Shakespeare's time there and what drove him to write the majority of his sonnets. Throughout the novel, Collins has woven 32 of the sonnets, providing context for them and perhaps even another perspective of what may be behind the words.

    As a quick, summer read, THE SONNETS is very successful. It is a charming way of bringing the sonnets a little more to life. And for some, it may even encourage them to discover Shakespeare's work for themselves.
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  • Shornexe
    4.0 out of 5 stars A scholarly work
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 July 2010
    Unless you are a fan of Shakespeare, or studying the sonnets, this work is likely to pass you by, and that would be a shame. Set in Hampshire during a period when the London theatres were closed due to the plague, it is written (largely) in the first person and seeks to place the writing of the sonnets in context by exploring the mindset of Shakespeare. From the first line, Warwick Collins captures the tone and feel, not only of the narrator, but of the times and the environment. The use of language is beautiful and poetic without verging on the self-indulgent; it is at times erotic and clever. All together, a scholarly work.
    And that, I am afraid, is its main problem. For my money The Sonnets is more of an intellectual exercise than an engrossing read. On too many occasions Will sighed `and so I retired to write about what happened that day' (I am paraphrasing), which in truth, was not much. The affairs of the heart, court intrigues and political conspiracies were mere back-story to the sonnets themselves - admittedly, this is the author's intention - and could have been explored in depth, making the novel longer and more fulfilling as a result. A must for English Literature students, and a fine achievement, but as `A Novel' (as it proclaims on the dust cover) it may fail to find a wider audience.
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