BOOKS AND BAKING

Devouring food and literature one bite at a time.

The New BoB - where we review Books, Restaurants and share Recipes both Old Favorites and New Discoveries

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Opheilia - Lisa Klien / Hamlet - Shakespeare


Rating: ME - some reference to passion and violence
Enjoyability: +

I am always intrigued by 'the other story'. Books written from a non main characters point of view. Thus when my sister recommended it as a book she read in her book club about local Ohio authors, I decided to give it a try. While i was reading it i decided how fun it would be to read Shakespeare's version at the same time, its been a long time since i read Shakespeare raw.

The book follows the story of Hamlets lover, Ophelia. From her life as a child to well after the time she spent with Hamlet. As she describes it there is her rowdy time as a wild child with out a mother, her time as a lady in waiting to Queen Gertrude, her time as a shepherdess when she dressed up in costume to meet Hamlet in secret, Hamlets wife, the mad women in rags, and the woman after. There are many personalities and stories for her to tell. While I didn't find this story one that made me want to forgo food and sleep to finish, I did enjoy the telling. I also enjoyed the Shakespeare refresher.
What other books do you know that have a Hamlet theme?


No comments: