Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein

He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.

In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever... with one very dangerous secret.


I really love it when authors create books that mix fact with fiction, creating unknown and untouched material loved by everyone and has everyone thinking, "how could that have NOT been part of the story?". Ophelia is no exception.


I haven't read Hamlet (yet) but I'm sure, as everyone says, that after reading Ophelia, Hamlet will never sound the same again. As Ophelia looks through the eyes of the leading lady in this Shakespearean tragedy, certain elements are there from the original play. The beginning where it shows Ophelia's childhood and her acceptance into the court is pre-Hamlet. *SPOILER ALERT* the Middle bits are the Hamlet story line, with the murder etc., only from Ophelia's point of view. The After math (when she escapes) is post-Hamlet. So, in a sense, Ophelia tells the tale of before, during and after Hamlet. 


*SPOILER ALERT* Like (almost) all books I read, there have to be some amazing guy who I fall in love with. And this time it wasn't Hamlet.
Oh sure, I mean, he's amazing and everything, and yes, he's supposedly hot, but I wasn't so attracted to him as he started becoming, well, mad. My friend (who lent me this book – Thank You!) didn't know why I liked Hamlet. Well, I don't like mentally unstable guys. *rolls eyes*. Yeah, okay, I'll admit. He'd be somewhere on my awesome list of amazing guy book characters. But not somewhere near the top. And the guy who I really liked, was Horatio, Hamlet's best friend and "helper". 
OMG. I loveeeed him. I mean, he sounded much better and nicer and all the other good better stuff than Hamlet! and I lovvveed the ending of Ophelia. It was so cute, and I was hoping it would happen :)


I loved the whole story, and I mean it. Nothing was slow, everything was perfect and writing? flawless. Lisa M. Klein is a composer of words (wow I actually said that!) and I can understand that re-writing Hamlet from a different point of view is difficult, but she makes it seem so pronounced, so clear. Characters were portrayed as they were meant to be, with feelings so realistic, it makes it seem as if Hamlet was a real event in history.


Overall, I would say Ophelia is a read not to be taken lightly. You must read the brevity of the words and feel the emotions flooding through the book, as you get captivated by the setting and characters, to feel the full-effect of the book. Even without doing so, it's a book that's amazingly perfect, so true and pure, with development to the play Hamlet and shedding a new light on what happens to Ophelia and what happens behind the scenes, the leading lady taking the stage finally.

Friday Finds - Week 3

"Friday Finds" is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading. It's to share what amazing books I've found out about this week!


Books I Found:


Ophelia by Lisa M. Klein


He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again. 

In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever... with one very dangerous secret.




The Queen's Daughter by Susan Coventry

Joan’s mother is Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, the most beautiful woman in the world. Her father is Henry II, the king of England and a renowned military leader. She loves them both—so what is she to do when she’s forced to choose between them? As her parents’ arguments grow ever more vicious, Joan begins to feel like a political pawn. 

When her parents marry her off to the king of Sicily, Joan finds herself stuck with a man ten years her senior. She doesn’t love her husband, and she can’t quite forget her childhood crush, the handsome Lord Raymond.

As Joan grows up, she begins to understand that her parents’ worldview is warped by their political ambitions, and hers, in turn, has been warped by theirs. Is it too late to figure out whom to trust? And, more importantly, whom to love?

The Fat Girl by Marilyn Sachs

Jeff Lyons can’t stand Ellen de Luca, the fat girl in his ceramics class. She’s huge, clumsy, can’t throw a pot to save her life, and stares at Jeff all the time. But he’s a "nice guy" and feels terrible when Ellen overhears his hurtful remarks about her. The "crumbs of kindness" he tosses her way soon turn into advice on weight loss, college, clothes, hair . . . and, to everyone’s surprise, good-looking Jeff actually dumps his pretty girlfriend to be with the fat girl! Re-creating Ellen is a labor of love, Jeff thinks. But as her pounds melt away, Jeff resents the happy, independent young woman he has unleashed. Where is the gratitude for all he’s done for her? 

With this darkly ironic take on the classic Pygmalion tale, Marilyn Sachs offers young readers a candid portrayal of what happens when the intoxicating thrill of control is confused with love.

Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

Wicked Girls is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials based on the real historical characters, told from the perspective of three young women living in Salem in 1692—Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr.
When Ann’s father suggests that a spate of illnesses within the village is the result of witchcraft, Ann sees an opportunity and starts manifesting the symptoms of affliction. Ann looks up to Mercy, the beautiful servant in her parents' house. She shows Mercy the power that a young girl is capable of in a time when women were completely powerless. Mercy, who suffered abuse at the hands of past masters, seizes her only chance at safety. And Ann’s cousin Margaret, anxious to win the attention of a boy in her sights, follows suit. As the accusations mount against men and women in the community, the girls start to see the deadly ramifications of their actions. Should they finally tell the truth? Or is it too late to save this small New England town?

I can't wait to find these books in the bookstore and read them!

What did you find this week?