By Michelle Ray
Genre YA Contemporary
Pages 348
Recommended by Me
First Sentence Zara leans in, looking like a schoolgirl sharing a secret.
Synopsis
A modern day re-telling of the classic play by Shakespeare.
What it has going for it
Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare. I could write a whole review on it and why I love it so much but I won't bore you to tears, don't worry. Needless to say ever since I heard about this one I've been eyeing it nervously. See, every time I read a re-telling of a favorite book I'm usually painfully disappointed. I think if you can re-write a story with very little differences from the original and still keep the reader glued to the pages, even if they already know how it's all going to end, then you deserve a round of applause. Michelle Ray managed to keep me flipping pages late into the night several times so hats off...although.....
What's lacking
....I think the original story and what I love about it is what really kept me reading. In my opinion re-tellings shouldn't be THAT close to the original. I know it's walking a dangerous line to write a re-telling. On the one hand you risk taking too many liberties and pissing off lovers of the original, but on the other hand, you risk staying so close to the original that you make your readers wonder why they didn't just read the original again rather than your book. I am sympathetic to that dilemma so I won't be too harsh but this one just stuck to close to the original but it was in a modern day world. So some of those lines the author tried to squeeze in just sounded stupid. I also sort of had hopes that something was going to happen and it didn't. That's no fault of the authors but still.
Favorite moment
I adore when Ophelia loses it and starts prattling on to the king and queen and Horatio carriers her off. It's my favorite scene in the original and still was in this one too.
Yea or Nay?
Uh, yeah, I guess but if at all possible please just stick to the original.
I agree -- I like retellings that surprise me. If they stick too close to the original, they become predictable and, well, unoriginal. Hate that.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteA contemporary Hamlet? Sounds weird. I was going to ask if the girl goes crazy, but you answered that. My favorite Shakespeare is Taming of the Shrew. I completely agree about retellings. They need to be recognizable but original.
ReplyDeletePerfectly said. I just wish these authors would get that. ;)
DeleteI've never read the original, but I totally want you to write a post on it!
ReplyDeleteI should. I almost did a comparison of the two but it takes so much time that I just don't have. :(
DeleteI'd love it if you wrote a review of Hamlet!
ReplyDeleteThat would be quite the change from my usual YA stuff, huh? I should.
DeleteUsually I really like retellings, but the author's have to put their own twist on it and make it different enough from the original to make it enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it needed more of a twist. Ah well.
DeleteSounds intriguing anyway. And dude, you should totally do a post on Hamlet itself!
ReplyDeleteYou know I love The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, yes? Do you have plans to read that sometime? It's based on Hamlet, though I hardly recognized it. Maybe you'll like it? Then again... maybe not...
I have read Edgar Sawtelle and it was so different than Hamlet it was almost not recognizable. What I should really write about it Horatio. I absolutely adore him!!!
DeleteRetellings can be tricky, you're right. At least the book wasn't too awful, and your favorite scene was the same as your favorite in the original. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, at least it has that.
DeleteI've never read Hamlet, but I might own it. I wanted my own copy of R&J and the one I got has 3 other plays in it, but I've never read them. I will check it out though and plan on reading it sometime next year.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend watching it. Reading Hamlet just isn't as great as seeing it.
DeleteI think it's great that people write modern retellings because maybe someone will read the original after reading them, but I always laugh when they try to keep too many old lines in a modern world.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are back reviewing, Jenny! You bring up such an excellent point about the dangers of a re-telling. Now I am wondering if I could pull this off. Maybe a modern re-telling of Mulan is in order!
ReplyDeleteBTW, do you watch Sons of Anarcy? My husband does, and he told me it is a modern take on Hamlet. It's supposed to be very good.