In this exuberant comedy, MacDonald asks, What if Desdemona and Juliet were allowed to live? Constance Ledbelly, a tweedy academic, has ghostwritt...
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reviews
Feb 22, 2011
Amber
rated it: 
Goodnight Desdemona, o'er all others
Did not fail this reader to impress.
Even Shakespeare's characters could not
Leap off the page the way MacDonald's do,
Though hers are take-offs on th' originals.
Even Shakespeare's verse has not endured
So well that I did not find hers more fresh.
The meeting of her world and the Bard's!
The call to revere him, though she dares adapt,
Truly I believe is answered well.
Playfully done, and with true art More...
Did not fail this reader to impress.
Even Shakespeare's characters could not
Leap off the page the way MacDonald's do,
Though hers are take-offs on th' originals.
Even Shakespeare's verse has not endured
So well that I did not find hers more fresh.
The meeting of her world and the Bard's!
The call to revere him, though she dares adapt,
Truly I believe is answered well.
Playfully done, and with true art More...
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Apr 04, 2007
Anne
rated it:
Yes, yes, yes. We ALL KNOW I wrote my undergraduate thesis on this play. Well guess what?! READ IT. Even though (spoiler alert!) I proved in my thesis (nerd!) that the basic argument of MacDonald's protagonist - that "Othello" and "Romeo and Juliet" would have been comedies if Shakespeare had included a Wise Fool character to foil the trajectories of the title characters - is never effectively proved by the play, it's a freaking good time to read any way, and is structure
More...
May 28, 2010
Bunxena
rated it:
* * * * 1/2
A wild, wonderful ride through two of Shakespeare's noted tragedies, with a modern twist, some hilarious slapstick, and even a bit of self-discovery. The protagonist is Constance Ledbelly, an English professor at Queen's working toward her PhD, which focuses on an encoded manuscript that she believes to be the original source of Othello and Romeo and Juliet. She ends up landing her own role in these two plays, altering them significantly and learning about herself along th More...
A wild, wonderful ride through two of Shakespeare's noted tragedies, with a modern twist, some hilarious slapstick, and even a bit of self-discovery. The protagonist is Constance Ledbelly, an English professor at Queen's working toward her PhD, which focuses on an encoded manuscript that she believes to be the original source of Othello and Romeo and Juliet. She ends up landing her own role in these two plays, altering them significantly and learning about herself along th More...
Aug 15, 2011
Elisa
rated it:
This is pure, unadulterated genius.
I was assigned this book back in university, before Fall on Your Knees came out, and after reading it, twice over in one night, I went around preaching to everyone about this incredible new writer by the name of Ann-Marie Macdonald. You could say I was one of her early adapters :)
I was assigned this book back in university, before Fall on Your Knees came out, and after reading it, twice over in one night, I went around preaching to everyone about this incredible new writer by the name of Ann-Marie Macdonald. You could say I was one of her early adapters :)
Jul 21, 2009
Peter
rated it: 
Ann-Marie MacDonald's re-telling of the story of Romeo and Julliet is witty, subversive and a joy to read, and even more fun to watch performed on stage. Reading plays is a strange joy and one I plan on doing more often.
Sep 21, 2009
Elaine
rated it: 
An English professor is so steeped in proving the theories of her Ph.d thesis that she becomes involved in the action of Shakespeare's plays. Hilarious, but will be difficult to read aloud to my play-reading group.
Sep 24, 2011
Ak
rated it:
A few genuine laugh-out-loud moments (especially liked Constance's "Who's on first?"-esque initial encounter with the Ghost).
Feb 10, 2012
E
rated it:
Pretty solid and thoroughly Canadian romp through the world of Shakespeare's plays. Would love to see it performed.
Jul 31, 2011
Anne- Marie MacDonald brings humor into the tragic world of Romeo and Juliet; Othello and Desdemona. A creative satire.
Dec 20, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
I had a really good time playing Constance in an amateur production of this a few years ago. She has some great lines!
Jun 03, 2011
Ana
rated it:
Loved it! What a fascinating idea, to change how Romeo and Juliet and Othello played out.
Apr 15, 2011
Karen
rated it:
Wonderful twist on classic plays. I really like librarian protagonists too.
Nov 17, 2010
Jacqui
rated it:
I'm going to be directing this in the summer of 2011 and I can't wait.
Jan 28, 2011
Samantha
rated it:
Hilarious and though-provoking. You won't see Shakespeare's tragic heroines in the same light again.
May 12, 2008
Laura
rated it: 
Disappointing. I love Ann-Marie MacDonald's novels, but this turned out to be simultaneously dense and cloying. Blah.
Dec 28, 2010
Kelly
rated it:
A light read. A funny and smart satire on Shakespeare.
I want Ann-Marie MacDonald to come up with a NEW NOVEL, though.
I want Ann-Marie MacDonald to come up with a NEW NOVEL, though.
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 08, 2012
Feb 06, 2012
