Loving Will Shakespeare (2006)

William Shakespeare may have been one of the greatest writers, but he was married to his work. His wife and children were negelected ----little is known of Anne Hathaway. Carolyn Meyer does a good job of "supposing" what Hathaway's life was like---and her life wasn't easy. ( )

Reviewed by Mrs. Foley
Anne Hathaway has always dreamed of leaving the small cottage where she and her siblings live with their critical stepmother, and when Will Shakespeare returns home and begins showing a serious interest in her, Anne must decide whether to follow her heart or play by the rules. - from library catalog

I do enjoy Carolyn Meyer's books. This one was interesting as not much is known about Shakespeare or his wife. The love story and life events of both of them was very well written and feels like it really might be what happened. As with most historical fiction books, I also enjoyed learning more about that time period.

Review from School Library Journal:
With little factual material to work with (other than the famous "second best bed" bequeathed to her in Shakespeare's will), Meyer has created a fascinating, complex young woman. Agnes "Anne" Hathaway lost her mother in her early teen years, and her stepmother was cantankerous and verbally abusive. This first-person narrative follows the ups and downs of the subject's life as more children enter the home and she continues to feel lonely, shunted aside, and fearful of ever gaining real happiness. Since she's seven years older and a close friend of the family, she has known Will since his birth, and when he blossoms into a handsome, intelligent 18-year-old, she is mesmerized by his energy, charm, and creativity. Teenage girls will relate to Anne's rebellion against life's limitations and her fear of never being loved, and rural Elizabethan life is vividly depicted in this bittersweet romance. ( )

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

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. ( )

This book dives into the viewpoint of Anne Hathaway - a girl who is unsuccessful with love and after such atrocities, finds herself in love with the younger (by 7 years) William Shakespeare, who she grew up with. The story was quite moving and kept you interested until the end. ( )

I liked this! I thought the historical stuff was done very well -- the author has obviously done a great deal of research. I'm no authority on Shakespeare or his times, but she certainly put in a lot of little details of language and culture that sounded convincing. I also appreciated the way that Carolyn Meyer made Anne spirited and intelligent while still allowing her to be flawed and making her a believable product of her time -- while she's smart, she doesn't display an improbable degree of learning or interest in literature, and though she chafes at the restraints her society puts on her, she knows better than to think that she can just take off and be an Independent Woman with any success. And she makes some pretty big mistakes, or near mistakes, along the way -- but not the kind that make you smack your forehead in exasperation that anyone could be that stupid (or that the author could insult the reader's intelligence to that degree in the effort to contrive an exciting plot).And since I am rather fond of romances which involve an age gap, I thought the Will - Anne relationship worked well. But at the same time bittersweet, because we know how little time Will *really* spent with his wife and family as compared to his acting and playwriting life.I would recommend it. It's quite well done. ( )