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Vicki Ford | 2/9/2014
" Interesting and well-researched view on the woman who might be Shakespeare's Dark Lady. "
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Doria | 1/30/2014
" This book struck me as pretty light-weight, to say nothing of the fact that the entire premise - Shakespeare secretly married another woman before he was forcibly wed to Ann Hathaway - is pretty shaky. It's basically a paperback torrid romance, Elizabethan style: love in the time of Bubonic plague, etc. It's okay for reading on the T, but I kept finding myself covering the cover. Forsooth! "
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Marie | 1/25/2014
" Lots of interesting historical details about England in Shakepeare's time and an explanation for his strange personal life that is intriguing and fun in a soap opera way, although from what I've read there isn't any significant historical support for it. I probably would have given it 4 stars except that something about the narrative voice just didn't work for me, and I didn't find myself liking the characters all that much. Sometimes it felt more like straight biography than historical fiction, even though it was definitely fictional. I would probably try another book by the author if it was on a topic I was interested in; she obviously loves history. "
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Susan | 1/25/2014
" I've always thought of William Shakespeare as just a playwright and a poet, so it was interesting to see him as a person instead. I liked the premise of the book, but found the last part dragged a bit. Perhaps it was my impatience. I frequently get impatient with a book when I am nearing the end. One factual error really bothered me. Will and Anne go to Westminster Abbey to see the burial site of Elizabeth I in the Henry VIII Chapel. It's the Henry VII Chapel. Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York are buried there in an exquisitely beautiful chapel. Henry VIII is buried at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. Perhaps it was a typographical error, but such errors should not be committed. "
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Ali W | 1/13/2014
" I almost finished this book, but not quite. Enjoyed the story but did just seem to drag on and I had other stuff going on in my life, I never had the motivation to read the last couple of chapters. "
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Kiran | 1/11/2014
" Fairly enjoyable read; the writng didn't feel ground-breaking. But it was easy to read and interesting to have this perspective on both Shakespeare and the events of the times. "
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Suburbangardener | 12/30/2013
" A very plausible version of Shakespeare's life, this book is also a very entertaining read. It's told from the point of view of The Dark Lady. It breathes life into the events surrounding the writing of some of the greatest plays in the English language. "
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Paige | 12/26/2013
" Very enjoyable immersion into Elizabethan England. Told by Shakespeare's muse and mistress, the literary and likeable Anne Whately. "
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Sarah | 12/19/2013
" I love the way Harper used Shakespeare as a character, and took the lines from his many works to weave a compelling story "
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Suzanne | 12/19/2013
" It was story about shakespeare's mistress. Pretty good. "
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Stephanie Lawton | 12/14/2013
" Very interesting. I hadn't heard this bit of history. I realize this is historical fiction but there's usually more than a grain of truth. Was Shakespeare actually married to another woman when he married Anne Hathaway? Hmmm .... "
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Jan Aldergate | 12/4/2013
" This was an interesting read. Elizabethan England is one of my favorite periods in history, and this was a pleasant surprise. Another find at the Buckeye Book Fair, well written and a very engaging heroine. Solved the mystery of the dark lady anyway. "
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Ulla | 12/4/2013
" A truly wonderful novel! Anybody who loves Shakespeare should read it, and I warmly recommend the audiobook version, narrated by the fabulous Anne Flosnik!! "
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Ilona | 12/1/2013
" GREAT STORY! FUN TO READ! "
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Caroline | 9/23/2013
" I love this book so much! Its beautifully written and is definitely an interesting on the identity of "the Dark Lady." "
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Larene | 6/20/2013
" makes me curious what kind of writing Shakespeare would have turned out if he was allowed freedom of speech. He really had to cater towards the queen and not write anything too anti-government. "
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Ali | 5/25/2013
" This book was good. I can't really pinpoint a true reason for disliking it. But, still, it wouldn't be one of my favorites. The writing was of amazing quality, though. "
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Gloria | 8/9/2012
" I found this very moving as well as enlightening. I enjoy Shakespear and now to know more of his personel life has helped to understand him better. "
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Linda Anderson | 1/25/2012
" The history surroundling the theater was very interesting. Mistress Shakespeare did not have a backbone though. "
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Robin | 1/22/2012
" In this book we learn about Anne Whatley, who supposedly was married to Wm. Shakespeare before Anne Hathaway and she remained first in his heart. I learned a great deal about Elizabethan times and Shakespeare himself. The author made everyone quite human and believable. "
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Sgarrard | 11/4/2011
" A great re-imaging of the life of Shakespeare told from the view of his mistress/wife. An interesting read, well developed characters, great story. "
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Christa Wilson | 10/29/2011
" Good Book. Liked it. "
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Laura | 10/19/2011
" It was pretty good, but the writing wasn't as convincing as I had hoped it would be. "
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Megan | 2/28/2011
" I thought this book was just okay. I hated that Anne was so weak for a man and felt like she wasted her whole like waiting.
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Anna | 1/8/2011
" Good story about Shakespeare's hypothetical second wife. Well written and interesting. Great for anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
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Jan | 11/26/2010
" This was an interesting read. Elizabethan England is one of my favorite periods in history, and this was a pleasant surprise. Another find at the Buckeye Book Fair, well written and a very engaging heroine. Solved the mystery of the dark lady anyway.
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Katherine | 11/13/2010
" This work of fiction is very believable and nicely paced. It seems far more realistic than the usual historical fiction, though the core idea of the "other" or first Mistress Shakespeare is questionable, to say the least.
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Tacowsh1t | 10/21/2010
" As usual Karen Harper did an amazing job makeing history come alive.
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Aubrey | 10/4/2010
" A good read if you like Shakespeare and historical fiction. The writing wasn't phenomenal (no Sharon Kay Penman) but an entertaining and fun read.
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Casgoc | 9/12/2010
" This was a fun read, giving insight to Shakespear's time period.
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Christy | 8/26/2010
" What a wonderful way to look at Shakespeare...through the eyes of a woman who might have been his lover and muse...Karen Harper hit this one out of the park...
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