The Marlowe Papers

Mar 30, 2013 Booknblues rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: england, historical-fiction

The Marlowe Papers
by Ros Barber
4 stars
pp. 445

I had heard the theory, that someone other than Shakespeare had written his plays, but I had never really read or investigated anything about Christopher Marlowe, so I thought Ros Barber's novel The Marlowe Papers with its central premise that Marlowe was the author of Shakespeare's work might be interesting. What I hadn't bargained for in picking it up was that it is written in verse to make it all the more authentic. A clever and innovative idea,...more

like · see review

Mar 14, 2013 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry, general-fiction

I enjoyed this "novel-in-verse" (as it seems to be called) -- but wasn't overly smitten with it.

Even I, who believe fully in the story, can find much to question here. As well, the verse sometimes tends to obfuscate, rather than elucidate, the story -- and so if this is intended to capture the hearts and minds of Shakespeareans, and sway them to a Marlovian authorship, I'm not certain that it succeeds.

The language is lovely, and moving -- but the story fails on some essential level. For one, I...more

like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Nathan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: poetry, history, other-fiction

When I was younger and less deliberate, my meals were chosen from the limited palette of steak and KFC. Thoughtless, I consumed excellence and excrescence and didn't distinguish between them. My reading followed my diet: it was at this time that I discovered "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", my first exposure to the world of conspiracy theories, fancies dressed as fact and hung from the thin thread of "could".

"The Marlowe Papers" is a novel in verse, telling the story of Kit Marlowe as spy who must fake...more When I was younger and less deliberate, my meals were chosen from the limited palette of steak and KFC. Thoughtless, I consumed excellence and excrescence and didn't distinguish between them. My reading followed my diet: it was at this time that I discovered "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", my first exposure to the world of conspiracy theories, fancies dressed as fact and hung from the thin thread of "could".

"The Marlowe Papers" is a novel in verse, telling the story of Kit Marlowe as spy who must fake his death and go into hiding, publishing poetry and plays under the name William Shakespeare. The temptation with fiction around an alternate history is to be coy about it, to slyly plant references to true people or events as winks to the reader. The trouble with conspiracy theories is that coincidences and conjunctions in reality are read as those winks: "it *must* be Marlowe writing as Shakespeare, look at all the hints he left us in the text!" Barber therefore has no need for winks, her fiction is played straight: Marlowe's diaries and letters about his life as Marlowe, then life on the lam hoping that James on the throne will let him return as Marlowe, are written honestly to the reader as confessions and not conspiracies. The conspiracy is the material from which the story is drawn.

But to dwell on the conspiracy is to miss the poetry, and that would be a shame. Barber walks a fine line between the modern reader and the historical pretence, and it comes off well. Shakespeare isn't easy for the modern mind to ingest: it's English, but to take it in requires translation from 1590s English to our modern variant. Barber says she wanted to avoid writing "cod Elizabethan", and she succeeds: between the approximate iambic pentameter and the narrator's poetic turns of phrase, the reader feels sufficient distance from traditional prose modern English to suggest authenticity.

Friend, I'm no one. If I write to you,
in fading light that distances the threat,
it's as a breeze that strokes the Channel's waves,
the spray that blesses some small vessel's deck.

[...]

London seduced me. Beckoned me her way
and spread herself beneath me, for a play.

[...]

This age abhors the truth. It beats it down
like a smart unruly servant, like a dog
whose eye reflects his master, club in hand
and poised to destroy him. Meanwhile, churches
with poisoned congregations, social ticks
who nod to each other, followers of faith
who don't believe the words, but sing the song.

Barber's poetry carries off corruption, sword fights, exile, ambition, distraction, disease, and disappointment. But love is where it really coruscates:

Alpine Letter

Love? If you'd asked me yesterday, I'd say
love is a saw that amputates the heart.
I'd call it my disease, I'd call it plague.
But yesterday, I hadn't heard from you.

So call it the weight of light that holds one soul
connected to another. Or a tear
that falls in all gratitude, becoming sea.
Call it the only word that comforts me.

The sight of your writing has me on the floor,
the curve of each letter looped about my heart.
And in this ink, the tenor of your voice.
And in this ink, the movement of your hand.

The Alps, now, cut their teeth upon the sky,
and pressing on to set these granite jaws
between us, not a mile will do me harm.
Your letter, in my coat, will keep me warm.

Marlowe falls in love several times, but for all the shiny ever-presence love it is still the tension of of the Marlowe-writing-as-Shakespeare subterfuge that powers the story. He creates, and he wishes to be recognised for his creation, but cannot be so. Shakespeare's characters are brought low by their tragic flaw, and Marlowe's is pride. I found myself wanting to shake him by his shoulders, a sign that the author has done a good job.

Barber has created a fascinating character, told a good self-powered story, and the treat of her poetry is icing on the cake. A keeper, highly recommended.(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 12, 2012 Éowyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

I thought this was a really interesting idea; a 'novel (if that's even the right word!) written entirely in Blank Verse. Obviously the subject matter was also one that interested me.

The book apparently formed part of Barber's PhD and her central theory is the one that playwright and intelligencer Christopher Marlowe did not in fact die in Deptford as supposed. Subsidiary to this is the idea that William Shakespeare was just a front man for a whole host of plays written by an exiled Marlowe. Desp...more I thought this was a really interesting idea; a 'novel (if that's even the right word!) written entirely in Blank Verse. Obviously the subject matter was also one that interested me.

The book apparently formed part of Barber's PhD and her central theory is the one that playwright and intelligencer Christopher Marlowe did not in fact die in Deptford as supposed. Subsidiary to this is the idea that William Shakespeare was just a front man for a whole host of plays written by an exiled Marlowe. Despite appearing in a production of Doctor Faustus as a teenager, I will admit that I am not terribly au fait with the details of Marlowe's life but having read Barber's work and the notes at the back, I can see there is some mileage in the idea of him having not actually died as reported; certainly there appears something fishy going on. I'm less convinced by the idea that someone else 'must' have written Shakespeare's plays. If Marlowe could be successful as the son of a Kentish Cobbler, why can't we believe the same of the son of a Stratford glover? Be that as it may, that is the stance Barber has chosen to take and I can accept what she gives me for the purpose of her 'entertainment' of 'what might have happened'.

As to the book itself, it's about 400 pages long and I think it took about 100 of those before I felt I was really getting into it. I'm not sure if it was adjusting to the style of the work (I read some plays in Blank Verse, but I'm not a great poetry lover) or if the early section was more chronologically disjointed and more tricky to get into the swing of the action? I am glad I persevered though, as I did end up enjoying it. On the other hand, I can more than understand that some people won't find it their cup of tea at all - I don't think there is any other work, at least not in English, that is written in quite the same way. It certainly must have been a labour of love getting exactly the right words to make all that Iambic Pentameter work, so hats off to Barber on this score.

Now I feel like seeing if I can find a decent biography of Marlowe, and surely that can only be a good thing.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Apr 20, 2013 Jenny GB rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up browsing the new books at my library and was intrigued by the idea of reading an argument for Marlowe's authorship of the Shakespeare plays as well as interested in a book written in [poetry in iambic pentameter. Barber tells the story of Marlowe's life. At the beginning it jumps times frames between the past and present relaying Marlowe's early career, involvement with the government as a spy, and his eventual slow downfall from grace that leads to his faked death and exile.

I...more

like · see review

Dec 26, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was intriguing proposition: a story spun around the assumption that Christopher Marlowe did not die in a tavern brawl on 30th May 1593. The assumption that another man died and Marlowe fled, fearing being charged with heresy, and lived in exile. The assumption that he continued to write with his work being published under the name of another man: William Shakespeare.

I lack the depth of knowledge to assess whether or not the tale is viable, but I can say that, to me, Ros Barber made her case c...more It was intriguing proposition: a story spun around the assumption that Christopher Marlowe did not die in a tavern brawl on 30th May 1593. The assumption that another man died and Marlowe fled, fearing being charged with heresy, and lived in exile. The assumption that he continued to write with his work being published under the name of another man: William Shakespeare.

I lack the depth of knowledge to assess whether or not the tale is viable, but I can say that, to me, Ros Barber made her case convincing and her story compelling.

The initial proposition was made even more intriguing by the fact that it is written entirely in blank verse. I thought that it might be hard work but it really wasn’t: it read beautifully. The language is not of the period but I think it would be fair to say that it is sympathetic to the period. It feels right.

Now writing a story of Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare in such a way has a particular danger. It invites comparisons by which even very fine writers would suffer. But I think that to dwell on such things would be a mistake. Because this is a book that tells a story, celebrates its subjects, and throws intriguing questions into the air. And to write it in such a way was a marvellous feat and quite clearly a labour of love.

Most of the writing is in the form of iambic pentameter, as Marlowe considers his past and faces his future. He writes, he travels, he forms new relationships, he makes covert trips back to england, and he finds himself caught up in intrigue.

I couldn’t say whether or not the voice that Ros Barber created for Marlowe was authentic, but I can say that it was engaging and that I wanted to go on listening.

From time to time there are sonnets that bring significant points into focus. I loved so many of them, and in the middle of the book when they were sparse the story’s hold weakened a little. But it didn’t let go.

After a compelling opening, telling of the flight from England, considering the consequences, and looking to the future I really didn’t want to let go. And as the story unfolded I appreciated the atmosphere, the characterisation, and the wealth of detail.

Historical figures and incidents moved through the story, adding substance, and I am quite sure that if I knew more I would have noticed much more.

What I did notice was an extraordinary web of history, intrigue and emotion. The first two were wonderful but was is the third that really, really made the story sing.

After the tale had been told I found, at the back of the book, clear notes about the history and theories that underpinned the story, and generous acknowledgment of many sources. I hadn’t refered to them along the way, because I wanted to stay as I was, caught up on the story, but I was glad they were there for me to consider afterwards.

I realised that, although I wasn’t convinced that the story had been entirely plausible, I had still been caught up. Because the story was so vivid and because its telling was so effective.
(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 26, 2012 Roy Elmer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, literary-fiction

I see what Ros Barber was trying to do here. The Marlowe Papers is an argument for Christopher Marlowe being the real Shakespeare, composed entirely in verse, and spanning several years of Marlowe's life-after-death. It meets with a moderate amount of success, though I can't help but think that there are some flaws that spoil either her argument, or the yarn as a whole.

I'm a literature nerd by trade, with an MA in English and a specialism in renaissance drama. I've written essays and dissertatio...more I see what Ros Barber was trying to do here. The Marlowe Papers is an argument for Christopher Marlowe being the real Shakespeare, composed entirely in verse, and spanning several years of Marlowe's life-after-death. It meets with a moderate amount of success, though I can't help but think that there are some flaws that spoil either her argument, or the yarn as a whole.

I'm a literature nerd by trade, with an MA in English and a specialism in renaissance drama. I've written essays and dissertations on Marlowe, and on Shakespeare, and while I can see similiarities in the structure of their work, I still do genuinely believe that they are different people. Plays such A Winter's Tale are steeped in folklore and references to nature that come from the area surrounding the birthplace of the real Shakespeare and a place where Marlowe never ventured. There are just too many inconsistencies to suggest that Barber's hypothesis is correct, though that's just my view.

All of that said, this work formed Barber's PHD thesis, and has clearly been thoroughly researched. It does feel as if she has crafted a plausable story, and has deftly held her narrative together with references to plays written by Shakespeare, yet here claimed by Marlowe. There are references to Hamlet, the Tempest, Richard II, Richard III, Titus Andronicus, and all of these are used in comparison with the life experience had by Marlowe while he was alive and in his prime, or in the fictional post-death period that Barber explores in her novel. My concern about this is that fiction and fact have been blurred to create a realistic story that could lead to the same sorts of arguments that were had about realism in the Da Vinci code. The Marlowe Papers is one that should be taken with a pinch of salt, I think.

There are moments here where the verse is wonderful, and it flows, and I had to stop and try to convince myself that it wasn't a renaissance piece. There is a flipside to this however, where for the sake of convenience, or ease of reading for her audience, Barber has used anachronistic terms that jar you out of the experience.

All in all though, I would recommend it if you're a fan of early modern theatre, literature or historical novels, but my advice is to approach it with caution.

(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Bennet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: brilliant-voices-and-language, novels-stories

I turn from him again, and when he speaks,
his voice has softened passion into care.

'You may not live to see it, Kit, it's true.
But come it will. We'll leave too many clues.
Not least the silence of the Stratford man whose hands
are legally bound. He will not claim the plays,
and no one will ever testify he wrote.
When all who were involved are safely dead ---'

'Including me?'

A pause.

'Including you.
Your safety is all our care.'

And I have stopped
his speech, it seems. I turn, and see a tear.

'Go on,' I s

...more

8 likes · like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't recall ever having read a 'novel in verse' before, and I must admit there has always seemed something quite forbidding about a book described thus. However, I found this book compelling and breathtaking, and quite unlike any other book. The theme, an imagined life of Christopher Marlowe if he had not been killed in a brawl in Deptford and had continued to write plays that were published under the name of 'William Shakespeare', was intriguing. I have never taken much note of the long stan...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not sure whether I am allowed to comment on this book, having had the freebee copy sent to a friend of mine passed on to me because she knew of my interest in Christopher Marlowe. But I will anyway, because I find Gilly P's comments so ridiculous. She rejects it because she calls it an "epic poem" rather than a "novel in verse". So what? Despite my disagreement with some of the story as told by Ros Barber, I found her telling of it excellent, and read it in one sitting. It is a story which o...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 08, 2013 Margaret rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Readers who care about Kit Marlowe

Recommended to Margaret by: Saw a review in the NYTimes

“The Review”

Picture this: a novel written in verse,
a modern imagining in Marlowe’s
mighty line, of a life lived after a
falsified death. Check Wikipedia;
Christopher Marlowe died, stabbed in the eye,
in a reckoning over a bill
in 1593, so it’s said. But
wait, there’s more to this story. The others
with him in that house in Deptford
were hardly model citizens: spies,
loan sharks, con-men. And, Christopher Marlowe
had some issues of his own. Arrested
for heresy and suspected as a
government spy, he seem...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 25, 2013 Carl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a mixed bag for me.

Whilst I enjoyed the verse style of the writing I did find some of it to be somewhat lacklustre - having said that maintaining such a style for such a long book cannot be easy by any stretch. But therein lies another problem I had with the book - it's too long! I found that the first third was excellent, the middle third was okay but the last third became a bit of a slog. This is not because of the style but because of the story - I feel it had been dragged on fo...more

like · see review

Apr 16, 2013 Bryn Hammond rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: imagined-fiction

I wish I’d read the notes as I went. If I had, I’m sure, I wouldn’t have begun to feel underwhelmed in the latter half. She says the notes are ‘not in any way essential to the understanding or enjoyment’. But, although I like the works of Shakespeare and Marlowe, I don’t know their biographies, never mind the arguments for authorship, and I had no idea what amount of detail in here was real-life. While I thought the story was wandering aimlessly, in fact she was stitching together pieces of real...more

like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Christina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-tried

I tried to read this. I thought the book had a smart, clever premise because it was written entirely in iambic pentameter which is a feat in and of itself. I was going to write this review in iambic pentameter but my computer just glitched on me and I lost my brilliant work. I give up. The novel picks up shortly after Christopher Marlowe was murdered, but actually his death was faked. He flees to the continent where he continues to write poems, plays, and other works under the name of William Sh...more

like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Charlotte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Early Modern era fans take not: a significant feat in which Ros Barber writes a novel, starring Christopher Marlowe, in blank verse. Kit, in this alternate world, does not die in a tavern in Deptford, but stages his death, escapes to the continent, and writes all of Shakespeare. Despite the literary devices and potential for twee the book flows beautifully, and shouldn't offend, except for those most die-hard Shakespearean-authorship axe-grinders. Highly recommended. If you would like a well-res...more

like · see review

Sep 14, 2012 Gabriel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, paperback

A novel in verse. I actually did a double take on that just to make sure that I got it right. I mean, a novel in verse, that's like a poem and meters, and stuff like that right? Hehe. I was really shocked because this is the first time I've heard of a novel written in verse.

A novel in verse. I just can't get over the idea. Well anyway, the book was simply brilliant! I never expected I'd enjoy something on Christopher Marlowe. I mean, I know the guy but I'm not really interested in his history. D...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2012 Catherine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is such an original novel, written with such verve and energy, that I'd recommend readers cancel their commitments for a few days, stock up on tea (or ale) and just enjoy immersing themselves fully in this rich, delicious, multi-layered story. You don't have to know about Marlowe, or hold any 'position' on the Shakespeare authorship question, to enjoy this book; you just need to be the sort of reader who appreciates an exciting tale well told. Then you can marvel at its fluency, and delight...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 06, 2013 Chaitra rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-read-maybe, novel-in-verse, orange-prize-nominees, poetry, set-in-france, historical-fiction, british-literature

To begin with, I was very gung-ho about reading a novel in verse. I also thought that I should raise the book's rating for that purpose. But, it's a new experience for me, sure, but it isn't for Barber. And in any case I'm no good at rating poetry. I mean, I also think that the verse form did this tale a disservice. I'll explain.

But first, the Shakespeare authorship question. I've read and enjoyed several plays by Shakespeare without ever wondering who it's author was. It is enough for me that t...more To begin with, I was very gung-ho about reading a novel in verse. I also thought that I should raise the book's rating for that purpose. But, it's a new experience for me, sure, but it isn't for Barber. And in any case I'm no good at rating poetry. I mean, I also think that the verse form did this tale a disservice. I'll explain.

But first, the Shakespeare authorship question. I've read and enjoyed several plays by Shakespeare without ever wondering who it's author was. It is enough for me that they're available. But I also love conspiracy theories, so I started this book with the view to be fully converted to a Marlovian. (After already being a Baconian and Oxfordian, before converting back to Stratford. Marlowe would have been a new position for me.) Sad to say, that did not happen. Some parts of this fiction are believable, such as Marlowe's death being very convenient. But that he commissioned Shakespeare to pretend to be him and then set about with all the passion of a jealous mistress to undo him (and by extension Marlowe himself and everyone who supported his plot), is stretching my credulity. It's the same reason why I'm not an Oxfordian or a Baconian or any other thing, it's too hard for a non scholar like me. As I see it, there's much shoehorning of convenient facts and dropping unceremoniously of inconvenient ones required to support anything. Why, going by the book, is Marlowe connected to William Hall at all other than pure speculation? If anything, he's connected to Shakespeare, the man from Stratford. I'm a bad conspiracy theorist, am I not?

But, in my defense, I have nothing against the real, historical Christopher Marlowe being the author of the works of William Shakespeare. It's this book's Kit Marlowe I detest. In a 400 pages long book, 380 were given over to some quality self pity. So much so that I wanted to punch him in the face and take away his pen and paper. This is why I think verse did not work for this story - that much self pitying would not have floated in a prose book. There is no way in hell would I believe this cry baby was capable of anything - not a badass intelligencer who spent 8 (?) years in the service of the Queen, not a man who could write the comedies of Shakespeare, not anyone I would want to bother hiding and risking my own neck for (if I were Walsingham). He's ungrateful and careless and has the gall to whine and doubt the sincerity of his friends when he's the one who is doing everything but shouting from the rooftops that he's Marlowe. He also whines about how he was grievously slandered, etc. when the so called slander is all true - he blasphemed when he should have known better, against the judgment of his friends. Yep. Him I detest.

I had to laugh whenever someone called him discreet in the book, which was every so often. Just about everyone he meets recognizes him, everyone is in on this plot, and the two people who aren't he informs. Some plot. A couple of things also bothered me, why would he say in a chapter that Kit Marlowe would have never died in a tavern brawl like it was a new thing for him (Venus and Adonis and Thomas Thorpe), when he was in on the entire plot to rescue him and thus knew that that would be the reason given? And why would he go by both Louis Le Doux *and* William Hall when he's in Burley? In the book, Walsingham is confused as to which name he went by when he was in Burley for a few months at least. I also did not like the little conceit in the book that while no one would know while they were living, the Mermaid Club would leave so many clues that "intelligent" people would be able to sift through the clues when they were all dead. Yaay for the pat on the back, but considering the number of contenders there are for the Shakespeare authorship question, I think it's safe to say that that intention didn't work as well as supposed.

I probably would have been more willing support this theory if Barber's Kit Marlowe didn't keep harping on about being a cobbler's son and then go on to speak hideously of the Stratfordian's Cuntry ways and blunted wit. Book Marlowe treats Shakespeare as an usurper to the imaginary throne, not as a paid man doing as he was bid by Marlowe himself. I wish the Book Shakespeare had written Book Marlowe to back off or he would have him exposed. It's not as if anyone believed Shakespeare was the author of his works if we were to go by the book, what then had he to lose? Instead, he's strangely quiet, despite all the humiliations supposedly heaped on him in his own plays.

I'm not convinced of the Marlovian position, and I'm not convinced of the verse form although I acknowledge its effort. I found Kit Marlowe to be dour and unlikable, and since he's the only one I had to listen to for 400 long pages, I didn't like this book.

P.S. Marlin, Merlin, Marley, Morley, Marlowe all go uncommented, but a hyphenated Shake-speare is a MAJOR CLUE!(less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 24, 2012 Julian Chambers rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an amazing debut novel in verse, from an astounding new talent. Barber has created a novel which is so breathtaking, it is worth taking time to stop and savour beautiful lines, and at other times, charge ahead to keep up with the narrative pace. This heady combination makes reading this novel a unique experience. It is astounding, the way Barber almost seems to channel Marlowe, effectively resurrecting a dead man's voice in verse. While the question of authorship may seem a challenging o...more

like · see review

Feb 04, 2013 David Seals rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Disappointed - in the facile writing, and the research I've read before as a devout Marlovian. Nothing new. Of course he is "Shakespeare", and England is a fraud for keeping the pretense up for so long, for commerce; but why didn't he shout it from the rooftops, as all writers would, and have, like Cervantes when pretenders tried to say they wrote Don Quixote? Marlowe-Shakespeare must have been one crazy mean motherfucker. I don't like him.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the best books about Christopher Marlowe I have had the pleasure to read. Told in verse, as far as I'm concerned this makes it unique but brilliant! It tells the tale of his life before and after his faked death in a Deptford tavern and how he published his plays under a very famous pseudonym. But if I tell you which there will be no point in reading this truly great book :-)

like · see review

May 01, 2013 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, general-fiction, poetry

A novel in verse, Barber weaves a tale of spies, deception, and identity in the The Marlowe Papers. Written from Christopher Marlowe's perspective, we follow Marlowe through fame, death, and undeath as he travels the continent and England to avoid execution. He is a man with no name and very few friends, yet whose works are celebrated under the name William Shakespeare.

It's a great read and you don't have to know anything about Marlow or Shakespeare to enjoy the tragedy of a man who couldn't cla...more

like · see review

Feb 11, 2013 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-star, historical-fiction

I loved this. I know its in verse and that's off-putting to a lot of people, but its extremely readable. If Barber had written it in prose, it wouldn't have been nearly as effective. It's gorgeously written, and I'll be buying a copy for my shelves (I borrowed it from the library) because it's something I'll definitely want to read again. I found/find myself wishing this is what really happened and I personally will happily pretend it's true.

like · see review

May 04, 2013 Aoife rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would give this 5 for the quality of the poetry and 3.5 for the story which lost me from time to time. Other times the clarity of the poetry carried me away. I loved the idea of the modern telling of a story through a long poem. The power of poetry is the clarity of emotion it can express. It can tear your heart out. Some poets get caught out with being too clever with words. Whilst she goes near the edge on this she does not teeter over and it would have been easy to lose me altogether in his...more

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literary-fiction

Conjures via galloping blank verse the life after the presumed death of the "baddest boy of English Literature" (Simon Worrall). Having faked his own death to avoid being hanged for heresy, Marlowe lives in lonely exile, addressing his beloved in a coded memoir and writing play after brilliant play to be published under the name of a nobody from Stratford, one William Shakespeare.

like · see review

Sep 01, 2012 Ilya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The novel is written in verse, but it's still easy to read. The main thing I really don't like is it perpetuates the idea that Shakespeare wasn't really Shakespeare, and that Marlowe actually wrote the plays. If you look at it as a work of fiction with a few historical truths regarding Marlowe and his demise, it's really good.

like · see review

May 15, 2013 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I had forgotten how much I love the language of Shakespeare. The author's use of this language and style made me feel as if I was back in a time when every word spoken had meaning and one had to be very careful and clever in expressing thoughts and opinions - so different from today's quick tweets and facebook posts.

like · see review

Apr 07, 2013 Adrian Salmon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Wonderful book. It doesn't really matter whether you buy into the "did Shakespeare write his own works?" argument. What matters here are two things - does the verse narrative flow, and do you believe in the emotional truth of exiled Kit? And for me both can be answered with a yes.

like · see review

Mar 17, 2013 Thomas S rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Engaging story and surprisingly easy to follow given that it is written in pentameter verse using a lot of Elizabethan English. Based on a theory (not sure if it's mainstream or considered far-fetched)about the identity of two famous English playwrights.

like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 Clare rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the most original and enthralling novels I've ever read. Totally gripping plot: adventure and mystery and romance and history and literary whodunnit all rolled into a bundle of fast-moving poetic narrative. A must read.

1 like · like · see review

title link	preview: The Marlowe Papers
avg rating	preview: The Marlowe Papers Goodreads rating: 3.79 (105 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793194-the-marlowe-papers?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356403588l/15793194.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15793194-the-marlowe-papers?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber[/url]

The Marlowe Papers

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (7)

Genres

Books by Ros Barber

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Marlowe Paper...

Quotes from The Marlowe Papers. by...

The Marlowe Papers

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (7)

Genres

Books by Ros Barber

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About The Marlowe Paper...

Quotes from The Marlowe Papers. by...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (7)