Carole's Monday: Mrs. Shakespeare

Author: Robert Nye

Title: Mrs. Shakespeare

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: hardcover

Pages: 224

Published: 1993 

Where I Got It: My shelf (Flint Library book sale)

Summary: 

In a memoir written seven years following her famed husband's death, Anne Hathaway recalls her life with William Shakespeare, especially a remarkable week spent in London, in April 1594, in his lodgings over a fishmonger's shop.

Review:

This has been collecting dust on my shelf for about 3 years now. I bought this at the Flint Library book sale a while back. Finally dusted this off and gave it a chance. 

This is a memoir of Anne Hathaway...the wife of the famous William Shakespeare. It has been 7 years since her husband has died and she has decided to sit down and recall her life with him. 

The first thing you'll notice is that the formatting of this is really different. Which fun and different of course. It's written in verse-style. Anne wanted to honor her husband by writing her diary and reflections in this way. Different and not for everyone. I liked it because it seemed to fit and it was fun!

However...........I did have issues with the jumping around in the timeline. I would've liked her to tell their story from when they first met and so on. I would've loved to see their relationship develop and change and then she at the end they finally understand each other. This felt....hollow in a way. 

I would've also loved to learn more about her and the kids from her POV. You see it a little bit here and there, but she focuses so much on him and his career. They are pretty much forgotten in good ol' Willy's shadow so it would've been nice for this to focus more on them. Yes, I get he was her hubby and a big part of her life, but it would've been nice to know her before she met him too and her life after him. That is what I was hoping for when I picked this up 3 years ago. 

Overall, I did have fun with this. Some humor and it was nice learning a bit about Anne. I did have some big issues though. I'll give this 2 stars. 

Reading Challenge(s)

- TBR Reading Challenge (#1)