By Any Other Name
The No. 1 New York Times bestseller for fans of HAMNET
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4.3 • 74 Ratings
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
They Never Met. But Their Lives Are Bound by a Secret, a Sacrifice, and a Story That Demands to Be Told…
The #1 New York Times Bestseller
'Her best one yet' JOJO MOYES
'A timeless classic' CHRIS WHITAKER
'[An] inspiring work of feminist literature' ELLE
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New York playwright Melina Green fights to have her voice heard in a man’s world - forced to hide behind a lie to get her work on stage.
Centuries before, her ancestor Emilia Bassano, mistress to one of Elizabeth I’s nobles, faced the same silence. Her bold act of rebellion changed everything - but at a great cost.
Two women, separated by time, united by defiance. Together, they challenge a world built to keep them quiet.
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PRAISE FOR BY ANY OTHER NAME
‘A likeable heroine and a fun, readable evocation of Elizabethan court life and theatre’ THE TIMES
'Stunning. So interesting, clever, educational and moving. One of the best books I've read in recent times' GILLIAN McALLISTER
'Had me absolutely captivated . . . I loved all the questions this novel raised about who gets to tell which stories and how complex that can become. Jodi Picoult is a genius' JENNIFER SAINT
‘A fun jaunt through Elizabethan London, full of literary easter eggs’ INDEPENDENT
PRAISE FOR JODI PICOULT
'A writer the world needs to be reading right now' Independent
'It is hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes' Financial Times
'She is the master of her craft' Daily Telegraph
'There are writers who try and do what Picoult does, and then there's Picoult' Marie Claire
Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestseller, April 2023
Jodi Picoult's books have sold 40 million copies worldwide, BBC May 2024
Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestseller, September 2024
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Two women across five centuries struggle to be heard in this affecting drama from best-selling novelist Jodi Picoult. At the dawn of the 2020s, Melina Green is a struggling young playwright trying to break into London’s boy’s club theatre scene with a play based on her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano, whom she believes is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays. In the late 16th century, Emilia is a writer at a time when women are barely allowed to learn to read and must hide her identity by allowing a man to take credit for her words. Unfortunately, things haven’t changed much for Mel. Picoult cleverly illustrates the similarities between the two women’s situations while immersing us in each century’s cultures and biases. We were frustrated by Mel’s dilemma and heartbroken by the trials and tribulations Emilia goes through. By Any Other Name is a relatable and moving read, and another strong entry in Picoult’s admirable body of work.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Picoult (Wish You Were Here) offers a stimulating if muddled parallel narrative of two women writers, each of whose work is credited to a man. In 1582, poet Emilia Bassano becomes consort to Lord Hunsdon, Queen Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain. At the time, women were forbidden to have anything to do with the theater, but when Emilia crosses paths with William Shakespeare, he's impressed with her work and agrees to pay for the sonnets and plays she's secretly written if he can take credit for them. Thus begins a working relationship that spans decades. In the present day, Emilia's descendant Melina Green writes a play about Emilia and Shakespeare, but fears she won't be able to get it produced after being told that people only relate to plays by men. Unbeknownst to Melina, her roommate, Andre, submits the play to a fringe festival under the pseudonym Mel Green, leading the artistic director to assume the writer is a man. After the play is accepted, Andre poses as Mel during the production, with Melina pretending to be his assistant. The Elizabethan sections, which follow Emilia through an unhappy marriage as the work she wrote for Shakespeare receives acclaim, are the strongest. In comparison, Picoult's depictions of racism and sexism in the contemporary theater world are a bit simplistic. It's a mixed bag.
Customer Reviews
I choose to believe this is true
What a spellbinding story. Left me saddened and uplifted at the same time.
Excellent
As always!
An incredible read
This is the first book I have read that has sparked something bigger in myself. Highly recommend for everyone.