The Gentleman Poet: A Novel of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare's The Tempest by Kathryn Johnson

The Gentleman Poet: A Novel of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare's The Tempest by Kathryn Johnson

The blurb:
Enroute to the Americas in 1609, Elizabeth Persons, a young servant girl, sees her blinding headache as an ominous sign. Sure enough, a hurricane during the final leg of their journey tosses the ill-fated Sea Venture and its one hundred and fifty passengers and crew onto the dreaded shores of the Bermudas, the rumored home of evil spirits and dangerous natives.  In the months that pass -- time marked by grave hardship, mutiny, adventure, danger. . . and a blossoming love between Elizabeth and the wrecked ship's young cook -- she despairs of their ever being rescued.

But she finds hope and strength in the remarkable new friendship, forming a fast bond with the Sea Venture's historian, a poet traveling under the name of William Strachey.  But Will is more than he seems. To many back home in England, he is known by a different name: Shakespeare.  And he sees in their great shared travails the makings of a magical, truly transcendent work of theater.

Review:
I always loved studying Shakespeare in school. Piecing together the story, the beautiful words, discovering that certain turns of phrase we use in everyday life came from the imagination of one man.  It's a chance to exercise your brain and imagination for rich rewards.    So, The Gentleman Poet: A Novel of Love, Danger, and Shakespeare's The Tempest was particularly interesting to me.

William Shakespeare is a fully developed character in the novel and we have glimpses of what the man could have been like.  It adds another layer of interest and intrigue to an already engaging story.   Elizabeth Parsons works as a domestic to a crotchety and wealthy older lady.   Elizabeth tries to keep her mistress satisfied even as the shipwrecked passengers and crew face danger and possible starvation.   Elizabeth's resourcefulness and industry help save the day and her growing importance in the camp is one of my favorite parts of the book.

Kathryn Johnson weaves together a fascinating story of a young girl and a gifted writer as they are drawn together by friendship and the shared experience of religious persecution.

ISBN-10: 0061965316 - Paperback $13.99
Publisher: Avon A; Original edition (September 7, 2010), 330 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

About the Author:
The author of more than forty published novels, Kathryn Johnson is an Agatha Award finalist and honoree of the American Library Association.  She founded Write by You (www.writebyyou.com), an author's mentoring service, and teaches at the Writer's Center in Washington, D.C.