Maryanne FantalisReseñas

I got this for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers and I'm glad I didn't realize it was book 2 in a series before requesting it/reading it. I always prefer to read books of a series in order and I may have never read this book if I realized it was a book 2.

If you enjoy historical fiction with a bit of romance thrown in for fun, I recommend this book. It was a quick read and entertaining. I plan to find the first book in the series and read that, since I liked book 2. If you enjoy reading stories you probably already know (in this case, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing) from another perspective, give this a try.

Beatrice has spurned men and is not afraid to make her feelings known. Her uncle has decided it's time she is wed and King Henry VII visits the estate with his entourage. When faced with the man who broke her heart, will Beatrice find a way to forgive and secure her future? Or will a villain win the day?

I enjoyed Fantalis' first book so I was eager to pick this one up. Though I have a fondness for Shakespeare, I will admit I haven't read it in some time. Much Ado About Nothing is not one I know by heart, so I did find this retelling a little bit more difficult to enjoy. Beatrice's sharp tongue and wit took some time to get used to.

Still, the story was full of history, which I always appreciate. I believe this is respectful of the original source material.

For readers looking for a historical read with a nod to Shakespeare, I would recommend this one. I received a free copy from the author and all opinions expressed are my own.

As always, thank you very much to LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program and City Owl Press for giving me the opportunity to read this nice work in exchange for an honest review.
“Much ado about Nothing” is one of my favourite plays and adaptations from Shakespeare. My favourite version is the delightful one by Kenneth Brannagh, set in the beautiful Mediterranean Landscape, like the original play (Messina, in Sicily). I have also seen more “modern” (Joss Wheddon’s) or comical (Benedict Cumberbatch’s) adaptations and they are all right, but Brannagh’s continues to be my favourite one… along with this version.

Here the author translates the action to the England and court of Henry VII Tudor (and not Prince don Pedro of Aragon), and his queen Elizabeth (in the play the Prince is not married or engaged: “get thee a wife”), when they are young and not even married. I love how she has done it. I have watched recently two tv series about the period, The White Queen, and, more specifically, the White Princess, based on very recommendable novels by Philippa Gregory, so I have the facts fresh. Margaret de la Pole, my-lady-the-king’s mother is an important and well portrayed character. Princess Elizabeth, King Henry’s bethroted/wife is another lovely and well-portrayed character, a good addition. The villain is not Don John and not the prince’s stepbrother, but it works well.
Hero is Grace, Signor Benedick is Lord Edmund Benedict, but the main events are basically the same (Grace is sent to a convent, instead of left for dead, Henry and Elizabeth have marital life even before they are legally married), and Beatrice and Benedict here do have a past that we don’t see in the original play. But the same sharp wits, and it is a delight.

I liked very much this “translation”, and would gladly read “finding Kate”, the first installment of Maryanne Fantalis’ “Shakespeare’s women” series, about “The Taming of the Shrew”, which is a play that I also like very much.

I received this book through LibraryThing Early Reviewers group in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book is a novelised version of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" told from Beatrice's perspective. Maryanne Fantalis has made a spirited attempt to give a feminine perspective and has a done great job, in particular managing to show how "cribb'd and confin'd" the women in Shakespeare's time were in how they could live their lives. She gives a depth and complexity to the relationship between Beatrice and Benedict, showing Beatrice's original naivete as well as Benedict's more cynical but more realistic attitude. The other love stories - that of Grace and Thomas and King Henry and Princess Elizabeth - are also well drawn with the faults (ie in Grace being painfully perfect and Princess Elizabeth being shown as manipulative and scheming) more likely due to the original material and suggestive of how attitudes to love and marriage (and women) have changed. Fantalis was particularly clever in not trying to modernise the story, perhaps understanding that this is a story that is very much of its own time. She has her characters use Shakespearean English which again harked back to the original play and reminded the reader of the source material.

I am not sure of whether a reader without at least a basic knowledge of Shakespeare's works and his times (particularly his role as a Tudor propagandist) would appreciate this book but for anyone with an interest in Shakespeare it is a fascinating exercise. I look forward to reading Fantalis's other forays into giving Shakespeare's women their own voices.½

A take on Much Ado About Nothing I really enjoyed this book. Beatrice has always been one of my favorite Shakespeare women and Fantalis does a great job capturing her spirit. I love the shift to Tutor England and how it made the characters interesting. Beatrice and Benedict have great interactions together and were a lot of fun to read.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters seem very real and their personalities shine through from the main to the minor ones alike.
The dialogue is witty, sharp and wise. The frustrations and injustices of various double standards and hypocrisies are well described.
The story and many characters are based on Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The setting has been shifted to early Tudor England.
The sense of time and place are very well-drawn - I love that. It feels as if you are really there.
I also liked the fact that the plot progresses chronologically. So many modern novels I read have two or more intertwined story threads that weave back and forth across time and location. It is a great technique most of the time but it is also relaxing to stick with the same time-frame and set of characters from start to finish. I suppose that's what Shakespeare intended.
A great read.

I typically am not a fan of Shakespeare, but I do like this book! I love the constant banter between Beatrice and Benedict. She may have sworn off men and marriage, but she's still in love with the guy and refuses to admit it. When two people refuse to admit their feelings for each other, it usually makes for interesting dialogue! Grace and the princess also serve as great supporting roles in the story. Both are aware of this "I hate men and I'll never marry as long as I live" diatribe. This is mere anger talking. Anger, bitterness, and a twinge of regret.

As you know, love will conquer all. It may happen in the way you think, but you will be satisfied with the outcome!

I was excited to read this as I had enjoyed the first book in the series, and I like "Much Ado About Nothing" even more than "The Taming of the Shrew".

As in the previous book, the setting was changed to England, and consequently some of the names were changed from the play too. Another big change was that instead of the visiting party being the entourage of a prince, it had the new king and his bride to be at the head of it. That added an interesting element. As for the familiar story, it was still very much there. For example the war of words and the big wedding scene were retained. Overall, I found this to be a very satisfactory retelling of a play I love.

Thank you LibraryThing Early Reviewers for the opportunity to read and review this.

I have very little understanding with Shakespeare, so I was hoping that I wasn't going to feel lost in this book. I'm glad to report that I caught on well. Maryanne Fantalis made it easy to understand the idea of the plot and its progression.

The first book (act?) was good. The second book felt dry and boring and I wanted to chuck it. The third book picked up better, but it just wasn't the same as the first book. I felt like the ball had been dropped into a big dark hole and lost to the world. *shrugs* Oh well.

I think I could rate it better if the last two acts had been a little more like the first. But that's my unasked opinion. I can't see myself re-reading it. If I'm going to keep a book, I want to gush over it. But if you are true-blue Shakespeare fan, you might like this book!

Disclaimer: I was provided this book for free and no payment was made for my review.

This book was a great read! It kept me engaged to the very last page and had me wanting more with each turn of the page. Although there were quite a few period terms, it was not enough to hinder the story, with most being explained in the following text. Kate and Will are such strong characters that you can’t help but to be drawn in! If you haven’t read Shakespeare but want the gist of his story, THIS is the book you want!

Satisfying and eye-opening take on the Taming of the Shrew. Kathryn is too intelligent for her time and her own good. Following her inner dialogue as she looks at life around her and how she finds it almost impossible (at first, anyhow) to break out of a young lifetime of habits in order to find a paradoxical new freedom, makes for a dandy read. You don't need to know Shakespeare to savor this book. It's worth a look by school and public libraries caring about interesting tales for intelligent teens.

I really hate not finishing a book once I've started, but unfortunately that's where I find myself with this one. I adore Shakespeare, though admittedly Taming of the Shrew is not one of my favorites, but I just could not get into this story. It's on my kindle, and I have no plans to delete it, so perhaps I'll find my way back to it later on and give it another go.

What I liked about the story - the idea that Kathryn could only really be herself when she quit living her life according to the expectations of others - that she needed to figure out who she really was - not just be the person everyone said she was.
What I really disliked about the story - the way William went about "taming" Kate - teaching her to trust him and to let go of her picture of herself. Kate is written as an intelligent and independent person who has been vilified for these very strengths. While she has developed a cynical and harsh manner of seeing the world, she's not stupid. I think William could have easily helped her to let go of this side of herself without being so awful. That being said, this was a well-done retelling of "The Taming of the Shrew".

Kathryn isn't like the other women in her small town. She has a mind and she isn't afraid to use her tongue when the opportunity arises. When Sir William comes into town, though, things change as she never expected.

I have been fond of Shakespeare for some time now, and The Taming of the Shrew is one that many know. This retelling is respectful of the source material but cleverly retold in a fun way that illuminates 'Kate' as never before.

Like other readers before me, the second part of the book was difficult to get through and Sir Williams explanation for his behavior (his method of 'taming' his new wife) makes me want to slap him. But it does make sense and of course I forgive him.

All in all, this is a fantastic and fun read for anyone!

I was excited to read this book because I've seen and enjoyed "The Taming of the Shrew". This book did not disappoint me. In fact, I think I prefer it to the play.

The setting was changed to England, and the political issues of the time added a layer to the story, and especially to William, that I really liked.

I felt having Kathryn as the narrator was a good choice as it really made me sympathetic to her situation.

As for William, I see why it was imperative that he win Kate's trust, but despite his claims to the contrary, I believe there must have been a kinder way of doing it.

The author's descriptions of the setting really brought Kathryn's world to life and put me there in it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more by this author.