Was Shakespeare a woman? Author D.J. Nix’s son pitched the idea to him
and he then read Elizabeth Winkler’s article in the June 2019 edition of The
Atlantic, “Was Shakespeare a Woman?”
This inspired D.J. Nix into writing a compelling story.
Three women in Elizabethan England share a secret –
they are the true authors of Shakespeare’s sonnets and plays. Mary Herbert, the Countess of Pembroke is a
frustrated poet who has suffered a loss.
Emelia Bassano is a court musician and mistress to the Lord Chamberlain. Jane Daggett is a seamstress for the Queen’s men’s
players and invents stories of her own.
As one of the Queen’s spies (Robert Cecil) zeroes in on them, they hire
an actor named Will Shakespeare to be their “face.” Will they be discovered?
My thoughts on this novel:
· I’ve been down and out without my computer for the past couple of weeks, so I am sadly behind on reviews. Now that my computer is repaired, I will work on getting caught up.
· The Shakespeare Secret has short engaging chapters and was a fast-paced historical fiction read.
· Robert Cecil thinks the three ladies are plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth. How do they get out of this accusation?
· I really loved the Elizabethan time period and setting.
· This novel made me want to read Shakespeare. I took a Shakespeare class in high school and in college, but it has been a while. We have a play slotted for next year for my Back to the Classics Book club. I am looking forward to it.
· I loved the strong women characters during this perilous time in history.
· It was fun to read the process of them writing the plays, such as Taming of the Shrew. I can get behind the reimagining of a terrible play and making it into a better story. It sounds like fun.
Overall, The Shakespeare Secret by D.J. Nix was a great
historical suspense novel with a feminist twist.
Book Source: Thank-you to @david.nix.author
@alcovepress @austenprose for a review copy of this novel as part of the
Austenprose PR Book Tour.
