By Any Other Name Book Review

Have you ever wondered if Shakespeare really was the author of all those plays? What if the plays were actually written by a woman?

That's what Jodi Picoult explores in her latest novel By Any Other Name (Ballantine Books), which I received for free to review.  

In the present day we meet Melina, an aspiring playwright, who discovers through her father's ancestral research that she is related to a female poet named Emilia Bassano. 

And in the past, we meet Emilia, born to a family of court musicians, educated by a countess, and given away as a courtesan to a man in charge of theater entertainment for the Queen. 

Both stories overlap, despite the many centuries between them. While Melina struggles to find her footing in the New York City theater world, she writes a play about her ancestor. In a drunken state, Melina's roommate submits the play to a contest under the name "Mel". Not that big of a deal, right? Until the contest thinks that Mel is a man and begins talking to Melina's roommate instead of Melina. But Melina thinks this is a great mistake because maybe it gives her play a chance to be heard.

In the past, Emilia spends her time writing poetry and plays, but because of her gender and station, she can't take credit for their authorship. But someone else can: William Shakespeare, an aspiring playwright whose plays are terrible. Through Shakespeare, Emilia's words can be heard. 

I really enjoyed this novel. I took a Shakespeare class in college and probably still have my textbook somewhere in my basement! Some of the arguments for Emilia being the author of the plays are sound, but of course, there will be Shakespeare acolytes who don't believe any of it. This novel would make a great discussion at a book club, whether the readers know anything about Shakespeare's plays or not. It says a lot about marginalized groups, the treatment of women, how far we've come and how far we still have to go.