Chasing Shakespeares : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: A scholarly mystery
Review: Joe Blue Collar is busily cataloging Elizabethan goodies. Posh Posy envies and resents him. Together, they hie themselves off to London town, supposedly to authenticate a letter in which Will the Bard admits he's a fraud. Literary and scholarly skullduggery await. This is a cross-genre book that should have wide appeal.

Rating:
Summary: A Boring Bard Mystery
Review: Joe, a hick blue collar Vermont graduate student at Northwestern University and his sidekick Posy, a rich Valley Girl, Harvard grad student who peppers her speech with 'like', and 'duh' and wields a Hello Kitty pen, are the protagonists of this boring Bard mystery. While working as a research assistant to an expert on Shakespeare, Joe comes across a letter obstensibly proving that Shakespeare did not write the plays. Joe and Posy set off for London to prove the letter is not a forgery. The problem with the novel is that unless you have a graduate degree in Shakespearean studies and are quite conversant with Elizabethan history and the whole authorship question, it is impossible to follow this book, most of which consists of Joe sitting in the British Library or visiting obscure Elizabethan historical sites. This most assuredly does not make for an exciting read. In order to make this even remotely understandable to the average reader the book needs to include a geneology chart and a cast of historical characters. However, the author has not chosen to do so, but to send the reader instead to a website, www.chasingshakespeares.com, in order to find the material. Even with that material I found it exceedingly difficult to follow the plot. By the end I couldn't care less about who authored the Shakespeare plays. This novel is best saved for those with a graduate degree in Shakespearean studies. For others, there are a lot more interesting books out there to read. I can only compare this book to the Da Vinci Code, an art mystery which also presents complex historical and artistic material, but in a much more cogent and exciting way.

Rating:
Summary: Works incredibly well as a novel ...
Review: Reading this novel requires a total suspension of disbelief, but Sarah Smith pulls it off. Yes, the research methods are a bit fuzzy, and the connections Joe Roper finds between poems don't always make sense, but Joe is set up to have so much at stake (his dissertation and career), that "Chasing Shakespeares" works wonderfully as a novel. I completely disagree with the ideas Smith puts forth here, but the novel was very readable. I started reading it when I discovered it mis-shelved at a bookstore, in the Shakespeare criticism section, and I can't help thinking that the character Joe is right when he says that God is a librarian.

Minus one star because I thought the characters could have interacted with each other a bit more, and a bit less with books in the British library.

Rating:
Summary: Literary Mystery Gone Bad
Review: Sara Smith's Chasing Shakespeares did begin with exciting language, and Joe's relating of Shakespearean life to his own experiences as growing up poor are interesting. But the plot? And for that matter, the way the evidence is presented? Joe is a cross and selfish twit who snaps at Posy the whole journey. He could be more greatful: Posy is paying for him to be in London, sleeping, eating, reaserching, and snapping. Posy has no regard for the facts. What happened to the story? Joe and Posy are making love frequently, then after the meeting with Goscimer, their relationship crumbles. Was it Ted Gould's fault? What happened? And then there's no conclusion. Joe gets drunk. He thinks he figured it out, but he won't be able to do anything about it. He isn't strong enough to take a stand on what he has found. The case against Shakespeare is interesting, but the way the book is written is disappointing.

Rating:
Summary: equalman review
Review: This book starts out very intriguing especially for those who are Shakespeare fans and also for Shakespeare neophytes. It's good for the neophytes because you can glean a lot of information in a palatable/fictional format as presented by Smith. The book gets a bit long and painfully detailed midway through. This novel would probably be a 2.5 if the content was edited down significantly. The ending did a poor job of wrapping up the characters and story line.

Rating:
Summary: equalman review
Review: This book starts out very intriguing especially for those who are Shakespeare fans and also for Shakespeare neophytes. It's good for the neophytes because you can glean a lot of information in a palatable/fictional format as presented by Smith. The book gets a bit long and painfully detailed midway through. This novel would probably be a 2.5 if the content was edited down significantly. The ending did a poor job of wrapping up the characters and story line.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting Twist...
Review: This book was a good read, writing flows, enjoyable. The story plot is a bit interesting. Sarah Smith gives an captivating story about the age-old question of whether Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare. As I am a Shakespeare lover I cannot agree with the suggestions in this book, but makes you think about the other side and how others think it was Oxford who wrote the Shakespearean works, etc.The romance in the book has a sad ending... romance between the Kellogg Collection catalogger, Joe, and the rich and sassy Posy. The end is a bit wishy washy, but over all a pretty good book.

Rating:
Summary: An awful disappointment...boring.
Review: This boring book is suspiciously like a far superior 1997 mystery novel based on the Oxfordian arguments. If you want to read a book that successfully popularizes the authorship controversy, try to locate a copy of "Shakespeare's Last Bow." Apparently, this writer did.

Rating:
Summary: A Facinating Read
Review: This is by far , one of the greatest books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.And as an avid reader I have had a lot of volumes to compare this to.One thing I can guarantee is this.Every Shakespeare enthusiast will delight in this.If you like the Bard or his works even remotely you are bound to find at least one aspect of this book to your liking.

First and foremost , to get this book.To 'really' get this book you must be familiar with Shakespeare.And I'm not talking about the Shakespeare they teach you in high school.That is one reason why I can understand why many people who have read it have not been impressed by it.They haven't understood it and can't grasp its scope .Yet. Read a few of Shakespeares plays , in the Shakepearean format and a little history on the bard and then read the book.I promise you won't be disapointed.

This follows the story of the sharp but idealistic Joe Roper, and his obsession and life long love of Shakespeare and his plays.Ropers life takes an interesting turn when rummages through abox that contains 'genuine Shakespeare items' and as he sorts out the usual barrage of fakes,he finds something that could change everything.A letter signed by one Will Shakepeare .A rare find as it is, but it also happens to indicate that he wrote the plays.A matter which has been under dbate by the elite of the literary world for sometime.Which is-even today- divided into two main groups.Those who staunchly believe Shakesphere wrote the plays.And those who didn't.

(As such -because Shakespeare ordered all his plays to be burned after his death for fear of others changing them- there is no written evidence of Shakespeare writing the plays.The only known signatures by the man are of a few letters and registeries , but nothing else.This has sparked the debate)

It would be a magnificent find, and forever end the deabte.If it is genuine.Joe believes its true (And whether his skills to determine as such have been 'blurred' by hishope that he has finally found something worthwhile , is another thing to watch out for) but needs more proof.So he sets out to try but realizes he lacks the funds.

Enter theinsistent Posy Gould. A Harvard student with money and looks to match, she convinces Joe to go to London with her, where they can verify the handwriting and the age and condition of the precious piece of paper.

So they set off for Shakespeare's home ground , meeting various people .Historians.Guides.Book store owners.Who answer questions and pose new ones, as we dive into the heart of the question.Did Shakespeare write the plays? And if he didn't who did? The candidates are put under the microscope one by one, as new pieces of evidence appear.Old facts are fiction and everything turns upside down, including Joe's new relationship with Posy.

The ending may shock, startle or even frustrate you.Or you may have expected this all along.But this is a great read and an amazing mystery which poses and answers some facinating questions.A great read that you simply can't put down.And while the external characters are noteworthy .It is the enigma of Shakespeare himself that draws us into this book.

Rating:
Summary: unputtdownable
Review: This is one of the most enjoyable detective romances I've read in an age. A lovely combination of Dorothy L. Sayers, A. S. Byatt and Georgette Heyer. Smith manages to make scholarly research both compelling and sexy. I wish I'd had this much fun researching my PhD.

Recommended for all PhD students, scholars, as well as lovers of Shakespeare, mysteries and romance.