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The Dark Lady's Mask

door Mary Sharratt

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886304,717 (3.93)3
Disguising herself as a man to escape her loveless marriage and enjoy the exclusive freedoms of men, aspiring writer Aemilia Lanier falls in love and runs away with ragged poet William Shakespeare, with whom she secretly writes plays that bring him fame years later.
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1-5 van 6 worden getoond (volgende | toon alle)
Engrossing, engaging story. I loved that Aemilia's life wasn't all wine and roses. She constantly struggled but managed to not wallow in her many troubles. ( )
  bjsikes | Jan 30, 2023 |
Aemilia Lanier is credited as one of the first Englishwomen to publish their poetry with the intention of profit.

The daughter of one of Queen Elizabeth's Italian court musicians, Aemilia received a fabulously deep education at the hands of two noblewomen, becoming well-versed in Greek and Latin, as well as other contemporary languages. Through her wit and beauty, she becomes mistress to Elizabeth's Lord Chamberlain before an accidental pregnancy sends her into a miserable arranged marriage.

Happiness, an escape from her life, and a moderate income are found, however, in her collaboration with a poet, William Shakespeare. From friends, to lovers, to seeming enemies, their words bind them together, and both find inspiration in their failed loved affair -- yet Shakespeare, as a man, has far more opportunities to profit from his bitterness, and Aemilia yearns to both set the record straight and earn her own income.

I delighted in this novel from the first page. I confess I had intended to read this book with an eye toward craft, hoping to learn, but instead got lost every single time I opened it up. The word that keeps coming to me is "effortless", from the articulation of setting and era, the small details that make a scene blaze brightly, to the captivating way time passes without being obvious or distracting. And of course, the characters.

Her characters have depth and nuance, and as soon as I decided I could safely hate someone, Sharratt managed to make me feel sympathy and fondness for them. Aemilia anchors the story, a smart and creative woman who wants what so many of us want -- satisfaction in life and vocation -- and she faces the challenges of her life with admirable determination (and not a tiny bit of shocking, but delicious, ambition!). (And speaking of shocking, I looooved Sharratt's articulation of Shakespeare in this book. I'm not a fan of Shakespeare-as-a-love-interest but she sold me on this arc one million percent.) When there are so many "strong" female heroines who are depicted in rather flat ways, I found Sharratt's Aemilia -- and her friends -- to be truly strong and admirable. (And at risk of going on way too long, how much do I love that Sharratt included, and lingered on, Aemilia's wonderful friendships with other women?! I j'adore.)

In addition to the fabulous writing, I was especially delighted by Sharratt's imaginative exploration of what-if: what if some of Shakespeare's most beloved plays were co-written by someone? What if his most scathing, bitter, and unfortunate plot twists, characters, and sonnets were the result of real life insult and injury? What if his constant use of Italian locale in his works wasn't just an attempt at fashion, but the influence of a real life sojourn there? Her answers to these questions feel so real and possible, I'm letting myself imagine a world in which they happened!

I could go on and on, clearly. (And I did: have you seen the chapter dropcaps? So much detail in this book!) Bottom line: this is a marvelous read -- intense and fun in equal part -- and one of my top reads for 2016. So grateful for and appreciative of Sharratt bringing this intriguing figure to life in such a compelling, gripping way. ( )
  unabridgedchick | Aug 22, 2016 |
Aemilia Bassano Lanier is certainly a Renaissance lady who deserves more fame and study than she currently receives - especially when her primarily claim to fame is the possibility that she may have been William Shakespeare's muse. In this novel, Aemilia and Shakespeare are collaborators in some of Shakespeare's early comedies - and lovers who become estranged and fight a war through their poetry and publications for years to come. A good read, and highly recommended for fans of the Tudor era and Shakespeare. ( )
  wagner.sarah35 | Jun 14, 2016 |
I will admit to not being one who has strong feelings for Shakespeare one way or another. My knowledge of him is really limited but he lived in a time period I find fascinating. I went into this novel with no knowledge of this Dark Lady but a healthy curiosity of what she was all about. I did know that there were rumours about the possibility that Shakespeare had a collaborator or that he didn’t even write the plays attributed to him. I don’t know if this helped or hurt me going into this book.

Aemilia Bassano Lanier is remembered because she was the first woman who produced a printed book and proudly called herself poet in a time when many women could not even read. She was the child of a court musician and her family history is a bit muddled. Her father died when she was very young and she was fostered with a wealthy, noble woman and given a very diverse and extensive education.

The novel takes the reader through her life and purports that she meets Shakespeare and has an affair with him. They form a writing partnership and even with a limited knowledge of the great man’s works anyone reading will recognize the plays that the two supposedly work on together. Their relationship does not end well and Aemilia goes back to her husband but Shakespeare’s rancor comes back to haunt her life when his Dark Lady Sonnets are published and all who know of their relationship assume they are about her.

Aemilia’s life was never dull and Ms. Sharratt takes the tidbits left here and there to craft a fascinating tale about a rare woman. Other than her printed works there is not much else in the historical record but snippets and so much of the book is her supposition of what might have been. The author has a magical way with descriptions and I found myself feeling like I was existing within the story. I love when an author can do that with words. I have only one small complaint about the book and that involves the very beginning. It starts when Aemilia is 7 years old. This is something I see now and again in historical fiction and to me it is very jarring. The 7 year old Aemilia acts more like a teenager than a child. She is far too adult for her age. And it’s far more than the “times.” Once she left her childhood it was fine but a child is a child – not some deep thinking mini adult. ( )
  BooksCooksLooks | May 20, 2016 |
I had to laugh at the irony that I finished this book on the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, and the book ended with his death. Made me chuckle. This book was an intriguing look at the world of Elizabethan England in all its finery and squalor. The plight of women and artists in the time frame came to vivid life in Sharratt’s hands.

The author definitely didn’t hold back in her descriptions of Elizabethan England, urban, court life, and sedate country estate. Late 1500s life in Renaissance Venice also was vividly described. I loved all the little details she put in: how life was like in the Jewish ghetto in Venice, different aspects of the alchemical world, the glitter of life in court vs the semi-squalor of its lower class denizens, and the intricacies of patronage for artists and poets of the era.

Yet, what really drew me in was how the author explored the plight of women during the times. Given that the book was about the first published female English poet, the story of women in the times isn’t that far-fetched. But by exploring more than just Aemilia’s story, Sharratt brings to light the story of all the women of Elizabethan England. The dependency of one’s place in the world being determined by the men in your life, having a reputation that could be ruined by just a whisper and how life-threatening it was to have no man in your life are all explored in detail. I cringed and wept more than once for the various fates of these women.

Sharratt’s amazing talent at characterization is what really carries this story. Aemilia is amazingly human, strong against adversity and thinking on her feet to adapt to ever changing situations. Yet, she can also be carried away in the grand sweep of romance and poetry, losing sight of the real world for the glitter of fantasy. I loved how despite the many falls she experiences in life, she still has the guts to pick herself back up and forge a new path for herself. She’s strong and flawed, just like every woman on the planet.

Sharratt also carries over the great characterization skills to her minor characters as well. Shakespeare is both likeable in his poetic glory and hateful in his douche bag misogyny. Alfonse makes you cringe with how pitiful he was, and yet he loved Aemilia with all his heart through all the trials they experienced together. Those are just two great examples of her Sharratt’s secondary characters were as vibrant and life-like as her lead.

In a book I enjoyed more than I expected to, I found a great author to delve more into. She tells a great story, makes her characters come to life, and delves into the historical intricacies like few other authors can. This was a great introduction to Aemilia Bassano, Shakespeare’s possible Dark Lady, and to Mary Sharratt as an author. Recommended for lovers of historical fiction and stories of historical women everywhere!

Note: Book received for free from publisher via GR giveaway in exchange for an honest review. ( )
  Sarah_Gruwell | Apr 25, 2016 |
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Disguising herself as a man to escape her loveless marriage and enjoy the exclusive freedoms of men, aspiring writer Aemilia Lanier falls in love and runs away with ragged poet William Shakespeare, with whom she secretly writes plays that bring him fame years later.

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