I was captured from the beginning by Melina's story and found myself racing through the Emilia sections to get back to Melina. I am not a playwright, but I am a writer and a theatre lover. I felt that the themes of racism and sexism (in the theatre world as well as the world at large) were handled brilliantly. I know that Emilia's story is important, however I think that the book would have benefited from the author's weaving some of Emilia's story/history into the one story line that belonged to Melina as, in my humble opinion, this novel was about 150 pages too long. The author's notes at the end of the book are fascinating!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult is a very different novel than her usual fiction. She creates a dual timeline story of an aspiring playwright, Melina Green who lacks confidence in her own work. She contrasts this with her ancestor, Emilia Bassano, the first female published poet and the woman who many believed was the actual author of many of Shakespeare's works. It was an interesting dichotomy and although it's fiction, you could see how it could fact. A very interesting concept and worth considering! Thank you to the author publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

What if Shakespeare was never actually a playwright? This question has been posed many years over the decades, but this time Picoult explores the idea through a dual timeline; that of Emilia Bassano-the purported true playwright, and her ancestor Melina Green. While Melina tries to uncover the truth of her ancestor by writing a play of her own, we also follow Emilia's life in 1500s England.

Picoult has the tendency to pen extremely length novels. Sometimes this works out and the length of the book actually lends itself to the plot/character development. Other times, the story falls short and can't seem to keep up with the gargantuan amount of pages. Unfortunately, <u>By Any Other Name</u> mostly fell in the latter category. I enjoyed Melina's chapters as they were often shorter and more concise and lent a lot to her character, but Emilia's chapters were just tedious after a while and I feel like so much could have been cut from them. By the 50% mark I was just ready for everything to be wrapped up and felt exhausted by the idea of 300 additional pages to go. Overall the story was fine, it was interesting, Picoult put a creative and well written spin on it-but it needed to be about 200-300 pages shorter!

I adore Jodi Picoult's books..this was an interesting well researched historical fiction novel.with a dual timeline. The premise.asks the world was the great great Bard, Shakespeare really a woman.. I found the premise to be intriguing. Highly recommend!

The story goes back and forth between Melina in 2023 who’s writing a play and researching about Emilia, who’s thought to be the author of many of Shakespeare’s works, and Emilia herself in the late 1500s/ late 1600s. Melina is investigating and uncovering Emilia’s story, and we see it unfold. Melina shares a similar fate to that of Emilia. It was an interesting story but the back and forth cut the pace. I preferred Emilia’s POV and I didn’t want to constantly be taken back to 2023 and beyond to see Melina’s play develop.

I find myself struggling to write this review. I enjoyed the story a lot. The parallels between the past and the present. The concept that Shakespeare may not have written his plays is an interesting one. This is not a fast or easy read. There is a lot of historical information which tends to get overwhelming and I felt my attention drifting at times.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me the privilege to read and review this ARC.

I will read anything by Jodi Picoult. Her characters are well drawn, and there is always an element of social commentary that's "torn from the headlines". This one tells the stories of two women, both playwrights facing gender discrimination, living centuries apart. In present day, Melina Green has written a play about the woman rumored to be the real voice behind Shakespeare's plays. She is getting no recognition until a noted critic sees a production that's billed under the name "Mel Green" and assumes that Mel is a man. In the late 1500s, Emilia Bassano is not allowed to publish, perform, or even submit the plays and poetry she has written. When she finds herself destitute, she makes a bargain with a relatively unknown actor (Will Shakespeare) to produce her plays and poetry under his name for a fee.

Each character is compelling and intriguing. At first, I wasn't sure. I thought the story was just so-so and even rather contrived. As the book progressed, though, I became enamored of the characters and found myself curious about how things would turn out. Although this is certainly not my favorite Picoult book (that would be Nineteen Minutes!), this one was very enjoyable and addresses an important topic. This is (IMHO) a fine addition to the canon.

BTW -- the character of Emilia is a real person, and there continues to be a controversy about who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays. In an afterword, Picoult explains her research, and there is an extensive bibliography. Also included are footnotes that explain the extensive quotes and references to "Shakespeare's" plays and sonnets. This would be a great book for students and teachers of English literature.

Thank you so much netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book! I have read and enjoy all of Jodi’s books for they are super in depth and researched and her writing is amazing. This book was so detailed and had such a deep dive into history and Shakespearean times. I love that jodi puts her heart and soul into every book she published. While this wasn’t my favorite book, I still enjoyed it and the heartbreak and hard times the characters had gone through.

By Any Other Name
by Jodi Picoult
Pub Date: Aug 20 2024

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.

Such an interesting book topic! I can tell a lot went into writing this and I really enjoyed it. I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan and this one lived up to expectations! Definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Jodi Picoult!

By Any Other Name
by Jodi Picoult
Pub Date: August 20, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes a novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.
Picoult’s novels have long been favorites of mine for the characters and the topics. In each of her works I find something to relate to and something to open my mind to a way of thinking that I could not imagine before. In her novels we find scenes that make us accept that things are not always as they seem.
BY ANY OTHER NAME is a different novel for Jodi… it is more historical but blends contemporary so naturally with the dual timeline. Picoult shows us in this novel that it’s ok to find your voice outside of what is expected of you- and it’s ok to break the tradition to be seen.
This novel is for fans of Shakespeare, for those that didn’t fully understand him, and for those that at times feel unseen and marginalized. It is a story of strength, love and perseverance.
This is not my favorite Picoult book but I do commend her for doing the research.

Reason I picked up the book: I'm a huge Jodi Picoult fan, and I think I've read most if not all of her books—you can read my previous reviews of them here.
And what's this book about?
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of Mad Honey comes a novel about two women, centuries apart—one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays—who are both forced to hide behind another name.

Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.

In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.

Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on ... no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.
Recommended for: Anyone who enjoys historical books or books that jump from past to present.
Favorite paragraph: In public, Emilia played the part of a decorative object. In private, when she felt too full at the seams of her own life, she spilled all that emotion and intelligence and hope onto pages and pages of poetry, fables, and snippets of dialogue. Emilia wrote from the point of view of the bird of prey, delighting in those few moments of freedom befroe the jesses were pulled. She wrote fairy tales about princesses who climbed down brick towers, rescuing themselves. She wrote female characters who were adored for both their minds and their beauty. She wrote witty banter with men who were not afraid of a woman who could think for herself. She wrote of what sex must be like when your soul was as invested as your skin. She wrote love poems, where sometimes love was fire, sometimes it was rote, and sometimes it was agony.

She hid hundreds of pages under her mattress.

She did not write happy endings. As any real poet knows, the best tales are the ones that contain kernel of truth.
Something to know: I vaguely remember hearing that Shakespeare perhaps did not write all of the work that he's known for, and this book explores that.
What I would have changed: I'll admit that this Picoult book took me a little longer to get in to—however, once the story/plot picks up, I enjoyed it a lot. So I would maybe change the beginning a bit, but I'm not entirely sure how.
Overall rating: 4 stars out of 5.
Where can I find this book? Click here to pre-order via my Amazon affiliate link—the book will be out on August 20, 2024.

Although heavily researched this book was just wasn't for me. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read.

I really enjoy reading Jodi Picoult's works and this one was no different. Her books are entertaining, and easy to read yet they push you to deeply consider different aspects of the world around you. They ask you to put yourself in her characters shoes and think: what would you do?

This novel in particular By Any Other Name focuses on Melina and her distant ancestor Emilia, both of whom are female playwrights trying to carve a spot out for themselves in a male dominated world.

If you're familiar with and enjoy the works of Shakespeare, this is a really fun read that explores who he was (or wasn't) and how the works attributed to him may have come to be. At times it could be a little slow, but the plot is solid and compelling.

In this "the more things change the more they stay the same" look at women and other minorities in the theater world, readers meet contemporary playwright Melina Green and Emilia Bassano, Melina's ancestor who may have written some of Shakespeare's most famous plays.
In both centuries, the theater world is difficult for women to navigate. Melina is working under a male pseudonym while Emilia devises a plan to pay actor William Shakespeare to bring her words to an audience.
Per usual, Jodi Picoult does her due diligence to incorporate as much "truth" as she can in her tale. Anyone who enjoys theater or Shakespeare and Elizabethan times will appreciate this story.

I always love a Jodi Picoult and this did not disappoint. I was more invested in Emilia’s story than Mel’s , but thought it was an interesting look at how gender affects success in the present day as well. Picoults extensive research makes a plausible case for Emilia being the author of many plays attributed to Shakespeare, as well as exploring her fascinating life.

Melina Green is a playwright in present times. She has researched one of her ancestors named Emilia Bassano and has written a play about her called “By Any Other Name”. The book goes back and forth between chapters written by the two women. Emilia lived during Shakespeare’s time and was a writer and poet when it was unheard of for women to be writing plays. Melina is struggling in modern times getting her play to be recognized. It was a fascinating study of the parallels the two women faced in a male dominated world. Jodi Picoult is a wonderful author who draws you into both of these women’s worlds. I am a big Shakespeare fan and really enjoyed the conjecture of Emilia writing many of Shakespeare’s works. The author seemed to really do her research into Emilia Bassano, a real historical figure. The story of both women and their struggles in getting their writing read and how both had to hide behind a man’s name to accomplish that was amazing. I highly recommend this book. I give it 4.5 stars out of 5 so I’m rounding up to 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book is set to be published on August 20, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC!

By Any Other Name follows both Emilia and Melina, female playwrights centuries apart, attempting to make their names known in a male-dominated world. However, they do so by using a male surrogate to get their work noticed and published.

By Any Other Name was an absolutely delightful read. As an avid Shakespeare fan, I could not have enjoyed this more. We've all heard the theory that William Shakespeare did not write all or any of his plays or sonnets, and I'm ashamed to admit that I have never considered that a woman may have authored them instead. This was such a fun and fresh take on sexism within the publishing industry and in the world as a whole.

Jodi Picoult does a beautiful job of highlighting the barriers that women face in a male-centric society. I think that both Emilia and Melina perfectly encapsulate the frustration that most women feel when trying to make themselves known to the world. The parallels between the past and present show that, although we have made quite a bit of progress, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done.

I took away one star because the middle was a bit slow for me. However, overall I believe that this is a fantastic book. I really identified with the struggles that both Emilia and Melina faced, despite not being a writer myself. I think that this book does a wonderful job of describing not only what it is to be a woman, but also what it is to be human. I will definitely be adding this to my shelf when it is published in August of this year.

This is a dual POV told between modern day Melina and Shakespearian times Emilia. It’s the story of two play writers and the struggles women face having their stories told both today and in the 1500s. The idea of would you rather have your stories out the in the world without being credited or do you need to have your name attached.

I am a huge Jodi Piccolt fan and I love historical fiction, and I think this concept is unique and interesting BUT I also think the Emilia chapters need a massive editing. Her story, her struggle gets so lost in so much detail and minutia I go so bored with her sections. There was just too much going on in her story and so much was unnecessary. I wanted to like this book so much more and honestly I was just relieved when it was over.

I am facing challenges in reviewing this book. Although I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, this particular book didn't resonate with me as much. However, as I progressed through the pages, it improved and grew on me. Surprisingly, I found the part set in the 1500s with Emilia more captivating than the present-day storyline featuring Melina. The historical context of women being restricted from publishing or writing plays and poetry during that era was not surprising, but delving into their lives proved to be truly fascinating. On the other hand, Melina's perspective felt somewhat implausible, and I found myself skimming through certain sections. Overall, I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars, rounding up from 3.5 stars, due to its commendable research and background in historical fiction.

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC to read and review.