Agnieszka Stefa Stefa itibaren Anglezarke, Lancashire, İngiltere itibaren Anglezarke, Lancashire, İngiltere

very accurately written from the viewpoint of an autistic teenage boy but also a charming tale

I recently saw a review where someone had read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, felt completely confused, and was basically told by all commenters that "Carroll was on Opium," as an explanation for the weirdness of the writing. I suggest that original poster, instead, pick up a copy of The Annotated Alice. Both Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were essentially written for one person, Alice Liddell. Most of the references in the books that are completely odd are in-jokes that can be understood only by a reader living in England at the time of the writing, or in some cases by Alice herself. Some parts of the book are mathematical references that probably only Carroll understood, and still other references are informed by how chess pieces move about a board. Gardner pulls together vast quantities of information to make the reading of Alice more available to modern readers. Nearly every poem in Through the Looking Glass is a parody of a popular poem of the day, and those original poems are included in the notes. There is a complete translation of "Jabberwocky," including which words really were made up by Carroll and which were actual words (you'll be surprised :)) Whether or not you have read the Alice books, I suggest reading the annotations as you read the book. This is as opposed to the Oz books, where I found it easier to read the whole story first and then the annotations. I think this is because Gardner does not include a note in the annotation as to what he is referring to in the text, and you would end up reading the entire book twice. Anyway, altogether an enjoyable read, even if it is not as good as The Annotated Oz.

Perfect writing for new parents to understand and feel confident in caring for their new baby! 3 cheers for Brazelton!

This is a fun, long reimagining of history, giving Shakespeare a questionably central role. In Turtledove’s book, the Spanish Armada conquered the English (and the Dutch) to take over England, interrupting Elizabeth I’s reign (and locking her in the Tower of London). So, the English are under Spanish, Catholic and Crusader rule. Yuck, right? It’s especially difficult for Shakespeare as his plays still need to entertain and sell, but now he has to also worry about not raising the ire of the Inquisitors. This is where Turtledove’s history gets a little grand with the Bard. Turtledove – who is a legendary historical fiction writer – imagines Shakespeare being forced to write two plays that could change the course of this imagined history. One is for Spanish King Philip, who is dying; the Spanish conquerors know WS is a great writer, so they assign him to glorify their dying monarch. The other is a retelling of Boudicca, a mythology about a 1st century queen who defied Roman rule (Shakespeare’s mysterious English patron hopes this one play will raise up the inhabitants to force out their oppressors). This is where Ruled Britannia stretches the bounds of plausibility. What I‘ve always understood was that Shakespeare was only a playwright – toward the end of his life, he was even highly regarded – but he didn’t change the social or political landscape. The idea that a stage work could rally an immediate rebellion (whether successful or not) is a funny and entirely impractical one. Remember, theatre was considered a cruder, immoral, base profession – even Shakespeare noted English official hostility - except for Elizabeth I, who liked theatre - and his contemporaries often commented that actors were on par with prostitutes and thieves. Given the conceit that a play can lead an instant uprising against the powerful, though – and let’s be honest; this is speculative fiction, so it can take some license – Ruled Britannia is a frolicsome and crafty novel with lots of lively (if characterized) players. There is a lothario Spanish captain, a budding playwright, who must spy on his literary hero Shakespeare between his many dalliances. Shakespeare will, of course, give this lovable cad a spot on stage. There is Hungerford, a gritty company dresser who helps Shakespeare plot the political alliances of writing and rehearsing two incendiary plays with opposite aims. Rival playwright Christopher Marlowe makes a splashy, wonderful showing. In fact, the book is chock full of enjoyable, labyrinthine tangents provided by the many colorful actors, soldiers, politicians, clergy and common people. What adds to the tension is Shakespeare’s work ethic, and his commitment to creating two great – if politically opposite – plays. Their strengths and weaknesses will help decide whether the Spanish or English will have control over the island by the end of the novel. Turtledove knows he doesn’t have a gift with Shakespearean iambic pentameter, and yet he does a commendable job recreating the two plays. For those of us who know WS well, we’ll hear bits of Hamlet and his other King plays. Boudicca is mostly based on WS’s contemporary writer John Fletcher’s unfinished version; it also shows Fletcher wasn't always as subtle as Shakespeare. Probably the most wincing aspect of these neat stage sections is that Turtledove doesn’t understand the meter of iambic pentameter, making for some sloppy, hard-to-read prosy. The rest of the long novel – did I mention the tangents? – is written in a modernized version of Shakespearean common language. Being the historian he is, Turtledove shoehorns a little too much fact and artifact into these sections, grandstanding a bit. It definitely shows the author did his homework, and the reader gets a clear feel of the world, even the re-imagined bits. It also bogs down an already epic story at times. Still, if you’re looking for a long, winding reinvention of Shakespearean and Elizabethan history, Ruled Britannia is certainly an enjoyable dive.