Arden
In 16th-century England, Will Shakespeare wants nothing more than to leave his father’s gloving business, provide for his family, and make his mark on the London stage as a playwright. His primary problem? Finding more than two scenes to craft on the page. That’s where Alice Arden comes in, decades earlier. As Will learns about the death of Alice’s husband, Thomas, and the part she did and did not play, he discovers his muse. And the rest, they say, is history… yet we don’t always know history as well as we think we do.
The Faversham events and Will’s life in Arden are meticulously researched, and both the language and details throughout the book are evocative of the setting. The chapters featuring Will’s story are exciting for the reader who wants to get to know a younger, more mischievous, and more human Bard. However, the chapters which focus on Alice’s story read as unfinished, with too much summary and not enough in-scene, leaving behind opportunities to increase stakes and tension that would drive the narrative forward with more gusto. Often, the text slips into dropping paragraphs of information that showcase the author’s expertise, but leave the story by the wayside. Unfortunately, a little more than halfway through the novel, Will makes a discovery that, without more narrative drive within Alice’s own chapters, saps tension out of the remainder of Alice’s story.
That said, this novel conjures compassion for Alice, and honors her memory with the truth and an inner dignity in spite of the injustices foisted upon her. Fans of Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet may enjoy diving into these pre-fame days for the Shakespeares, this time with a primary focus on Will.
