Story Description:
Hodder|May 7,
2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 9781444737394
You’re the author
of the greatest plays of all time. But
nobody knows.
And if it gets
out, you’re dead. On May 30, 1593, a
celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in London. That, at least, was the official
version. Now Christopher Marlowe reveals
the truth: that his “death” was an elaborate ruse to avoid a conviction of
heresy, that he was spirited across the English Channel to live on in lonely
exile; that he continue to write plays and poetry, hiding behind the name of a
colorless man from Stratford – on William Shakespeare.
With the grip of a
thriller and the emotional force of a sonnet, this remarkable novel in verse
gives voice to a man who was brilliant, passionate, and mercurial. A cobbler’s son who counted nobles among his
friends, a spy in the Queen’s service, a fickle lover and a declared religious
skeptic, Christopher Marlowe always
courted trouble. Memoir, love letter,
confession, and settling of accounts, “The
Marlowe Papers” brings Christopher Marlowe and his era to vivid life.
My Review:
As we know, on May
30, 1593, a celebrated young playwright was killed in a tavern brawl in
London. That was the “official” version
of the story, however. The “real truth”
is that Christopher Marlowe’s death was an elaborate ruse to avoid his being
hanged for heresy. He was then taken
across the channel to live a long, lonely exile, all the while longing for his
true love and pining for the damp streets of London. He continued to write plays and poetry hiding
behind the name of a colorless man from Stratford named William Shakespeare.
Although I loved
the entire story, I was a bit put out by it being written in verse. I understand the reasons for penning the book
in this way but think I would have found it more enjoyable had it not been
written in verse. I’m not at all saying
the book was unreadable, I just felt very uncomfortable with this style of
writing. I am going to give it a second
read to see if I can come to accept it more the second time around.
Thank you to
Hachette UK Canada for sending me the book which I won in their contest.
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