Rating: Summary: fiction can be misleading Review: Although Literature is fiction, and bearing that fact in mind, I would like to say that Roderigo Lopez (1525-1594) existed (in flesh and bone) and was a physician to Queen Elizabeth I. He was killed under dubious circumstances, after being charged of trying to poison the Queen. NEVERTHELESS, the Doctor was a PORTUGUESE Jew and not Spanish as the novel (eventhough fiction) says or imagines he was. I think History students and readers in general should bear that in mind. Enjoy your reading.
Rating: Summary: A Quality Read Review: An excellent read! Kellerman's detective novels are good, but I think perhaps she has found her true calling in historical fiction. The Quality of Mercy is a fast-paced, enthralling, and diverse novel, switching easily from adventure to intrigue to romance and back again. The characters are absorbing; likable yet very human. By the time the reader has finished following Shakespeare, Rebecca, and co. through their myriad adventures, which follow such timeless themes as fighting, gambling, crossdressing, and prostitution, he will wonder where the six hundred pages have gone. Nothing, though, will prepare him for the cold shock of the ending, which is excellent, but will bring all but the most stoic individuals to tears. This book is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Faye Kellerman, Shakespeare, Judaism, or historical fiction.
Rating: Summary: Since reading his poems, I'v wanted to kiss Shakespeare Review: Faye Kellerman knows her Shakespeare and brings alive every emotion his poems and plays ever stirred! As a historical mystery it's fantastic! As a historical novel it's great. If you can only buy one book a year, buy this one!!!
Rating: Summary: LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT Review: I am unable to write just how much I enjoyed and have recommended this book to others.Faye Kellerman would do well to write another historically based book. Read it if you haven't, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: Summary: A disappointment Review: I found this book to be very dark, with scenes of torture and rape. While she might have been attempting to show the position of women in this society, it could have been done in a different manner. I prefer Faye Kellerman's contemporary mysteries.
Rating: Summary: Graphic yet compelling Review: I was so engrossed in this book, I couldn't put it down. I found Rebecca's storyline particularly interesting, Shaespeare's, not so much. It is not for the faint of heart - there are graphic descriptions of torture that may be fiction but are based on actual historical events and are very disturbing. But if you can handle it, it's a great book!
Rating: Summary: A rolicking Shakespearean mystery Review: Imagine the detective/protagonist is none other than William Shakespeare, the poet and playwrite! This story is set in
the the time of the first Queen Elizabeth, the late 1500's. It combines a murder of Shakespeare's good friend and mentor with
a love story complicated by the religious intolerance of the
day. The heroine is a Jewess whose family harks from Spain and whose father is a physician to the Queen. The novel romps all
over England, the high seas and Spain. It may sound an
unlikely combination of circumstances and people, but the story
is so well written and so much fun that it is impossible to put down--and at the same time makes one sorry to see it come
to a close. Great reading!
Rating: Summary: Great concept, enjoyable read, a bit too long Review: Kellerman has written an enjoyable mystery featuring a young detective named...Will Shakespeare? Yes, it's a surprising adventure with a young Will searching for his mentor's killer, and romancing a lovely young lady named Rebecca Lopez who has problems of her own (she's a secret Jew, in hiding from the Inquisition). You may also notice some interesting similarities to the film "Shakespeare in Love" and Kellerman's book came first! While it's a good read, the book does go on a tad too long (a sometime failing of Kellerman's), and the revelation of the killer seems a bit tacked on, as Rebecca's story takes center stage late in the book. Still, this is a very entertaining novel, and well worth a look.
Rating: Summary: Good, but not amazing Review: My best friend and I had to read this book for school (we all had to team up and read a book set in the middle ages) I am completely sure that if my teachers had read this book they would not have reccomended it, it is kind of...school inappropriate. I liked it, she didn't.
Rating: Summary: Too many historical errors Review: Queen Elisabeth I was not a lesbian. Enough said.
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