Chasing Shakespeares

This was an interesting book, but read a bit like the author had a thesis she wanted to write and just had the characters say it in dialogue.

Sarah Smith's novel Chasing Shakespeares reminded me strongly of The Rule of Four, but with slightly better writing, and to a lesser extent Matthew Pearl's newest, The Poe Shadow (with its mix of history, research and fictional storyline).

In Shakespeares I liked the premise a bit more than the product, but Smith's book is certainly an interesting read and a good basic introduction to some of the many questions that continue to surround Shakespeare's life, most importantly of course the issue of whether he actually wrote the plays that have been attributed to him. It made me want to go out and read more, which I suppose is what any good book (fictional or otherwise) should do. A good starting point is the book's website, which happily show more for me, footnote junkie that I am, contains complete references and a full bibliography. Oh joy! show less

Every now and then I come across a book that I can't put down. Chasing Shakespeares is one of them. I am a Shakespeare collector who has delved into the author controversy. I usually come out wondering how people can believe such nonsense. But Sarah Smith weaves such a compelling story of diligent and scholarly Shakespearian research that she almost has me believing I am reading fact and not fiction. Moi recommends.

I recently read "Possession" by AS Byatt and this novel reminded me of that one - though easier reading, to be sure. Ms. Smith poses all kinds of interesting questions as she explores the question of Shakespearean authorship. Joe is a reluctant explorer of theories he doesn't want to be true and along the way he begins to see himself from a different angle as well. I liked that this book didn't try to wrap everything in a neat package, but let things be ambiguous and let Joe be o.k. with that.

Absolutely delightful; this book was one of those that I read straight through today without stopping until I'd finished. I can't recommend this one highly enough; but I think that perhaps people who are interested in the topic are going to appreciate it the most. I've had such good luck this month with the books I've chosen to read, and this was no exception.

In the author's "apologies and acknowledgments," on page 333, she notes that the book is about "how imagination meets research, how one believes what one believes...." and this really sums up the story. Having done years of research myself, I know from experience that the first thing a good researcher needs is imagination -- so I could really relate. The book focuses on a young show more college student named Joe Roper, who has loved Shakespeare all of his life, and who, when the story opens, has just spent a year fact checking for his professors who published a new volume on the life of Shakespeare. Joe is now working on some documents called the Kellogg Collection, most likely forgeries. But something does draw his attention -- it is a letter that makes it sound like Shakespeare the writer that we all know and love didn't write his famous words. Enter Miss Posy Gould, a flamboyant spoiled rich girl from Harvard, who convinces Joe that he should take the letter to a friend of hers in England to have it tested for authenticity. Posy is a believer in the "Oxford camp," those people who believe that the current Earl of Oxford during Shakespeare's times was the true author of the Bard's works. Joe follows Posy, and the two of them spend time meeting with anyone they can find who will help shed some light on the authorship issue, while Posy's friend Nicky is authenticating the letter. Joe begins to do some in-depth research at the British Library, and begins to make some startling finds that could eventually make for some drastic changes in his life. I don't want to say more and spoil the book for the next reader.

I thought this book was truly wonderful and if you're into bibliomysteries, you'll love it. show less

This book bears repeated reading as I was so caught up in the plot that I feel that I missed many of the subtle details. I thoroughly enjoyed it and picked up a hardcover copy so that the book will stand up as I read it multiple times.

I would almost put this in a category with Alan Wall's School of Night as a research mystery of Shakespeare's authorial origins. Interesting characters put together the pieces of the puzzle in a way that makes different truths, depending on the angle from which you want to see it.