Unique take on female characters in Shakespearean plays
Enter the Body is a unique, feminist take on several Shakespearean plays. Admittedly I had to Google summaries on the plays to refresh on or learn about the various plots and characters, but you don't need to be fluent in Shakespeare in order to enjoy the prose and distinct voices of the characters.
While the "trapdoor" scenes showing the interactions between all the characters felt a bit forced and stiff for me (even though these parts did bring up some interesting questions about how the female characters have been portrayed and could be empowered to play different roles), I really enjoyed the poetic narratives of the individual characters (Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia). Joy McCullough has a gift of language in showing each character's perspective in the stories we all know as well as how each character reimagines the ending of their stories.
This book is hard to characterize, but I love that it makes you think and rethink some of the "classics."
Many thanks to Bookish First and Dutton Books for the early copy.
While the "trapdoor" scenes showing the interactions between all the characters felt a bit forced and stiff for me (even though these parts did bring up some interesting questions about how the female characters have been portrayed and could be empowered to play different roles), I really enjoyed the poetic narratives of the individual characters (Juliet, Ophelia, and Cordelia). Joy McCullough has a gift of language in showing each character's perspective in the stories we all know as well as how each character reimagines the ending of their stories.
This book is hard to characterize, but I love that it makes you think and rethink some of the "classics."
Many thanks to Bookish First and Dutton Books for the early copy.