Continuations and retellings

If you are in the group, you are probably reading Shakespeare (if you are not, welcome to the group, would like an advice on where to start with his works?) :)

Do you read continuations and retellings of his works (being it for adults or for children - although I am more interested in the adult versions)?

Earlier this year, in another group, a monthly topic sent me reading retellings of the Bard's plays and just because I could, I picked 3 based on the same play (A Thousand Acres was excellent, Dunbar was meh, The Lobster Kings (only vaguely inspired by King Lear) was good but may not be for everyone). Which made me wonder if those novels are written for fans of plays or are they just using the topics and story because people know them...

What do you think about modern novels/plays which use the plays as a base? Any favorites? Or even modern movies I guess... :) Or do you just ignore them?

What do you think about modern novels/plays which use the plays as a base?

That very much depends on the particular novel or play!

I couldn't get through Christopher Moore's Fool (based on King Lear, which made me sad because generally I like Moore's humor. Not this time.

On the other hand, I loved, and would highly recommend The Gap of Time, Jeanette Winterson's take on The Winter's Tale.

>2 lilithcat: I was not as enamored with The Gap of Time as you are - something in the period transition just felt awkward. I do wonder if it was not just me expecting something different - it felt too close to the original, losing a lot of the subtlety I find in the original and adding nothing new. Which I suspect might have been the point - but not what I expected or looked for.

Those retellings that I have read have mostly been YA - I particularly enjoyed Enter Three Witches by Caroline Cooney as I found it very atmospheric.

RE: "What do you think about modern novels/plays which use the plays as a base? Any favorites? "

Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead