By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes an “inspiring” (Elle) novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.

Hardcover, 544 pages

Published August 20, 2024

 by Ballantine Books

4.5/5 stars

Jodi Picoult has turned into an auto-read author, though I do have a ways to go with her backlist. Before By Any Other Name was even published readers knew this was a departure from her usual style. Not being a Shakespeare fan, let alone read any of his works I was a little apprehensive. Now after turning the last page I am curious to try a couple plays. 

By Any Other Name is a dual time period story. Present day it's the story of Melina Green, a playwright who has written about Emilia Bassano from Shakespeare time. She is also a distant relative and the other POV.  As usual I enjoyed the past story more so, probably the history buff who liked reading the times. Without going into details, this was a well written and researched read. Her life was brought to life with vivid descriptions of the culture, treatment of women and general history of the times.  Honestly I would have been happy with this part being the whole book.

My only con would be the size. Over 500 pages was a tad too long, overly detailed at times. But still a book I recommend for the rich historical content.

This book was part of my 2024 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge