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Books : The Shakespeare Stealer
Rating: 
- A truly enjoyable historical read for young and old alike
To me, the true mark of good juvenile or young-adult fiction is if it can appeal to adult readers as well, and Gary Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer most definitely succeeds on that account. The basic plot is familiar enough: poor orphan boy is thrown into circumstances where he has a chance at truly having something of his own for the first time, but not without risks and having to make difficult decisions. But Blackwood does a superb job of giving his characters real depth, which makes the reader genuinely care about them and about what happens to them. The story is told from the point of view of Widge, the orphan boy who ends up by a combination of luck and mishap working with Shakespeare's theatrical company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is there that he finds both a calling and, for the first time in his young life, friends and a sense of belonging. But he must also deal with the reason he is there: he has been sent to steal Shakespeare's newest play, Hamlet, by a mysterious rival whose hold on Widge is reinforced by threats of what he'll do if Widge should fail.
What Blackwood excels at, though, is showing us, through Widge's eyes, the life of the theatre in Elizabethan England. Blackwood makes it truly come alive, from the moment Widge first passes through the entrance of the Globe Theatre to when he gets unexpectedly involved in the theatrical company itself, learning everything that goes into the production of a play. Blackwood does an excellent job into revealing what goes on behind the scenes, where boys work their way up the ladder from "young hopeful" to "apprentice" to "hired-man", where boys must play the female roles because women are not allowed to be actors, where they are trained in everything from projecting to be heard over the noisy crowds to giving convincing performances in sword-play and death scenes, and the lengths to which theatrical companies went to keep their work from being stolen by competitors. You can see and feel what it was all like and what it means to Widge as he is torn by the choices he is called upon to make.
About the only reason I didn't give the book a full five stars was that while Blackwood's descriptions of theatre life were quite vivid and detailed, he didn't do quite as good a job with details outside of that sphere, particularly when it came to what some of the characters look like and to giving visual detail to how things were in Elizabethan era life in general. I found the beginning a bit slow, but once Widge enters the world of the theatre, the story really does come rapidly into full flower.
Blackwood also does a good job in showing how differently people talked even within Shakespeare's England, with words and phrases marking the speaker as from the city or the country, or from one part of the country or the other. He also does an excellent job at showing how word-play and puns were very much a part of Elizabethan culture, a verbal form of the literal sword-play that was also very much an aspect of the life of the period.
All in all, I found this book a very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a good historical or theatrical read that can appeal to readers of any age.
Rating:
- Excellent read
My students read this for their literature club at school. It was definitely one of their favorites. Several told me they read the book in one afternoon!
Rating: - Interesting historical fiction
"The Shakespeare Stealer" is basically a Shakespeare based historical fiction young adult novel. It's light, exciting, and fun.
The story is about an orphan boy who learns to write in a fast, secret code. He is taken from his master to a man and is told that he is to work for this new man with his talent. Widge is told to attend a play by Shakespeare and record every word heard, then return it to his new master, who will in turn sell the rights to the play, earning money that should go to Shakespeare.
Widge encounters difficulties, and ultimately joins forces with the actors. From then on, the story becomes a bit more complicated, but still maintains the simple, fun feel throughout.
There's some action in this book, some excitement, and some interesting historic facts. But on the whole, it's simply a story. The characters aren't nearly as engaging as one would hope, and on the whole the story has its aspects of disbelief and improbability.
An interesting, fun read, but not particularly amazing. Good.
Rating: - Great Historical Fiction Title for Young Adult Readers
This novel is a terrific example of historical fiction. The author blends true and fictional elements in a stirring and adventure filled story. The author ingeniously uses the spelling and language usage of the time to lend credibility to the characters and the setting. The characters presented are round and dynamic. The protagonist, Widge, undergoes the maturation of a typical adolescent attempting to form his or her identity. Other characters develop in their own way, each with their own distinct personality and desires. The author places authentic historical characters as well, Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. These characters are also historically accurate. The queen's white make up and Shakespeare's personal tragedies are described precisely. The main conflict is an internal one, Widge must decide if he should steal the play or remain among his new friends. His predicament mirrors Hamlet's `to be or not to be' dilemma. This struggle is universal and relevant to modern day readers. This book will appeal to readers who are interested in the time period, Shakespeare, theater or an exciting, well-told story. Another high point of this book is the use of humor, both lowbrow slapstick and highbrow allusions and word play. The themes of choosing right from wrong, finding your identity, racism and gender issues are all explored throughout this rich novel. A teacher may use this book as an introduction for the life and times of Shakespeare as well as any of his plays. The Shakespeare Stealer is a highly entertaining and rich look into the past.
Rating: - Theatre and Language of England
This novel for young teens and its sequels follow the adventures in theatre and language of a boy named Widge. Those readers with an interest in theater, history, weaponry, England or linguistics will find this especially interesting. The names of streets and buildings will be familiar to those who have read other novels of London. Though some events are harsh, I found this quite appropriate for my son to read. Those who enjoyed reading this story of a boy in theatre might also like reading the similar adventures of a girl in choir in the historical novel A Murder for Her Majesty by Alice Hilgartner. The Shakespeare Stealer is recommended.
This is the first of a series that includes Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy. All three are in the single-volume hardcover The Shakespeare Stealer Series. The series should be read in order. The Shakespeare Stealer is a complete novel and does not leave you hanging while you scramble to find the sequel.
- A truly enjoyable historical read for young and old alikeTo me, the true mark of good juvenile or young-adult fiction is if it can appeal to adult readers as well, and Gary Blackwood's The Shakespeare Stealer most definitely succeeds on that account. The basic plot is familiar enough: poor orphan boy is thrown into circumstances where he has a chance at truly having something of his own for the first time, but not without risks and having to make difficult decisions. But Blackwood does a superb job of giving his characters real depth, which makes the reader genuinely care about them and about what happens to them. The story is told from the point of view of Widge, the orphan boy who ends up by a combination of luck and mishap working with Shakespeare's theatrical company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It is there that he finds both a calling and, for the first time in his young life, friends and a sense of belonging. But he must also deal with the reason he is there: he has been sent to steal Shakespeare's newest play, Hamlet, by a mysterious rival whose hold on Widge is reinforced by threats of what he'll do if Widge should fail.
What Blackwood excels at, though, is showing us, through Widge's eyes, the life of the theatre in Elizabethan England. Blackwood makes it truly come alive, from the moment Widge first passes through the entrance of the Globe Theatre to when he gets unexpectedly involved in the theatrical company itself, learning everything that goes into the production of a play. Blackwood does an excellent job into revealing what goes on behind the scenes, where boys work their way up the ladder from "young hopeful" to "apprentice" to "hired-man", where boys must play the female roles because women are not allowed to be actors, where they are trained in everything from projecting to be heard over the noisy crowds to giving convincing performances in sword-play and death scenes, and the lengths to which theatrical companies went to keep their work from being stolen by competitors. You can see and feel what it was all like and what it means to Widge as he is torn by the choices he is called upon to make.
About the only reason I didn't give the book a full five stars was that while Blackwood's descriptions of theatre life were quite vivid and detailed, he didn't do quite as good a job with details outside of that sphere, particularly when it came to what some of the characters look like and to giving visual detail to how things were in Elizabethan era life in general. I found the beginning a bit slow, but once Widge enters the world of the theatre, the story really does come rapidly into full flower.
Blackwood also does a good job in showing how differently people talked even within Shakespeare's England, with words and phrases marking the speaker as from the city or the country, or from one part of the country or the other. He also does an excellent job at showing how word-play and puns were very much a part of Elizabethan culture, a verbal form of the literal sword-play that was also very much an aspect of the life of the period.
All in all, I found this book a very enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a good historical or theatrical read that can appeal to readers of any age.
Rating:
- Excellent readMy students read this for their literature club at school. It was definitely one of their favorites. Several told me they read the book in one afternoon!
Rating:
- Interesting historical fiction"The Shakespeare Stealer" is basically a Shakespeare based historical fiction young adult novel. It's light, exciting, and fun.
The story is about an orphan boy who learns to write in a fast, secret code. He is taken from his master to a man and is told that he is to work for this new man with his talent. Widge is told to attend a play by Shakespeare and record every word heard, then return it to his new master, who will in turn sell the rights to the play, earning money that should go to Shakespeare.
Widge encounters difficulties, and ultimately joins forces with the actors. From then on, the story becomes a bit more complicated, but still maintains the simple, fun feel throughout.
There's some action in this book, some excitement, and some interesting historic facts. But on the whole, it's simply a story. The characters aren't nearly as engaging as one would hope, and on the whole the story has its aspects of disbelief and improbability.
An interesting, fun read, but not particularly amazing. Good.
Rating:
- Great Historical Fiction Title for Young Adult ReadersThis novel is a terrific example of historical fiction. The author blends true and fictional elements in a stirring and adventure filled story. The author ingeniously uses the spelling and language usage of the time to lend credibility to the characters and the setting. The characters presented are round and dynamic. The protagonist, Widge, undergoes the maturation of a typical adolescent attempting to form his or her identity. Other characters develop in their own way, each with their own distinct personality and desires. The author places authentic historical characters as well, Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth. These characters are also historically accurate. The queen's white make up and Shakespeare's personal tragedies are described precisely. The main conflict is an internal one, Widge must decide if he should steal the play or remain among his new friends. His predicament mirrors Hamlet's `to be or not to be' dilemma. This struggle is universal and relevant to modern day readers. This book will appeal to readers who are interested in the time period, Shakespeare, theater or an exciting, well-told story. Another high point of this book is the use of humor, both lowbrow slapstick and highbrow allusions and word play. The themes of choosing right from wrong, finding your identity, racism and gender issues are all explored throughout this rich novel. A teacher may use this book as an introduction for the life and times of Shakespeare as well as any of his plays. The Shakespeare Stealer is a highly entertaining and rich look into the past.
Rating:
- Theatre and Language of EnglandThis novel for young teens and its sequels follow the adventures in theatre and language of a boy named Widge. Those readers with an interest in theater, history, weaponry, England or linguistics will find this especially interesting. The names of streets and buildings will be familiar to those who have read other novels of London. Though some events are harsh, I found this quite appropriate for my son to read. Those who enjoyed reading this story of a boy in theatre might also like reading the similar adventures of a girl in choir in the historical novel A Murder for Her Majesty by Alice Hilgartner. The Shakespeare Stealer is recommended.
This is the first of a series that includes Shakespeare's Scribe and Shakespeare's Spy. All three are in the single-volume hardcover The Shakespeare Stealer Series. The series should be read in order. The Shakespeare Stealer is a complete novel and does not leave you hanging while you scramble to find the sequel.
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