Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare Audiobook

" Greenblatt knows Shakespeare like no one else. A wealth of fun, historical and little known info about the bard. "

" An interesting biography, especially since so little is known of Shakespeare's life. My only problem with this book was how much of it was based on the plays and sonnets. We cannot know that an attitude a writer expresses is a reflection of his own feelings on a subject, especially when he is portraying either historical figures, or well-known characters in the public mind. The fact that the largest part of his work was written for the stage, not to be read, would indicate even more that his characters would have to be larger than life, and they all can't reflect his beliefs. The background information about the historical world he lived in was interesting if not new, and the book was well-written. "

" Another biography I enjoyed. Informative and detailed, but it kept my interest nicely. "

" I enjoyed this book which was recommended to me by a client of mine. It attempts to give a portrait of Shakepeare based on documentary evidence about his life, a knowledge of the culture and history of his times, as well as the ideas and language of his work. Of course it is mostly quite speculative, but still very entertaining and informative. I would recommend it to Shakespeare lovers. "

" While Shakespeare's life is largely guesswork, Greenblatt here offers a fine explanation for all that he believes to be the life of the Bard of Avon, using the evidence available to make plausible explanations for such things as Shakespeare's marriage, religion, and views on retirement. The narrator is also a fine choice, reciting Shakespeare's lines with the appropriate amount of gusto. "

" Comprehensive but not boring. Greenblatt does a great job of putting WS into context. My relative lack of familiarity with The Bard's body of work was not a barrier. "

" A fascinating book. Not intended for the Shakespearian novice, Will in the World can nevertheless be enjoyed by the reader who is reasonably familiar with the plot lines and basic history of Shakespeare's life and times. Greenblatt's insights on Shaespeare's personal and family life as well as the historical and cultural context of his work are tremendous. I actually listened to an audio version of the book, which has the advantage of the narrator's excellent interpretations of the many lines of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. "

" Greenblatt's evidence can be a bit thin at times but he does a great job making plausible and occasionally provocative connections to create a new model of biographical study. His academic study, "Renaissance Self Fashioning" is even better. "

" Overly academic and way too speculative for an summer read. Why I brought this to Moloka'i is beyond me. Nonethemore, I felt obligated to finish it, even though it nearly killed me. "

" Had Shakespeare lived in the 21st century and had he come across this book, it is probaby as likely as not that he might have read it - or any other book. "

" At 40, the Bard meditates on old age. Stephen Greenblatt's reconstruction of Shakespeare's life and era. Read by Toby Stephens. "

" Brilliant analysis and synthesis of the social, political, and professional milieu of Shakespeare. Captivating writing style and technique. One of the best books I have read. Enjoyed every page. Warmly recommend. "

" A remarkably compelling and insightful glimpse into the historical records and real life events surrounding one of the world's most elusive writers. Bravo! "

" Haven't been able to get into it. "

" Well written and consistently fascinating, if extremely speculative. The Shakespeare Greenblatt builds is basically an elaborate house of cards, but is worth the read even so. "

" One to come back to again and again. "

" Shakespeare's biography. Interesting at times, occassionally dry but well written and researched. Glad I read it. Especially liked the comparison of Shakespeare's life and how it affected his writing. "

" As other reviewers have noted, there is a good deal of speculation going on in this book due to lack of historical evidence. Nevertheless, the speculation is interesting and illuminating. Since I am a fan of the tragedies, I found the last third of the book especially gripping and insightful. "

" This was a really good biography on Shakespeare...just a little hard to read. It got boring sometimes, but it was a really awesome summary and understanding of his life. "

" Totally illuminating. Anyone who thinks the plays were written by someone else should read this. "

" GREAT READ. I read the whole book in 1 day. I learned so much about Shakespeare. "

" I found this book to be a riveting tale of Shakespeare's life. The narrative flowed easily, and was fascinating to follow. "

" Tremendous book about Shakespeare's life with some necessary conjecture but also plenty of historical fact. It would have greatly helped my appreciation of all those plays and sonnets I had to read in high school and college to have had the personal and historical context Greenblatt offers here. "

" A very satisfying read for those who take their genius with salt and grit. Admiration without idealization can be as difficult to come by as detailed sleuthing without overanalysis, but Greenblatt is in pragmatic love. If you study Shakespeare syllables-up, you'll want this. "

" Great book! Enjoyed so much had me searching for additional bios on Shakespeare... "