Tag Archive | retelling

O is Ophelia in A Wounded Name, by Dot Hutchison (book review) – “Hamlet” in boarding school

Apr17

book cover of A Wounded Name by Dot Hutchison published by Carolrhoda LabSeeing ghosts,
hearing malevolent spirits,
trying to keep steady for Dane,
as his madness spirals down, down…

Newly-dead headmaster Hamlet will not stay in his grave, “the ghost that walks, that challenges, is the fury that murmurs through his son.” (p. 129)

Yes, we know how this story ends, but the journey to disaster is richly retold by Ophelia in this eerie 2013 version of Hamlet.

Find it today at your favorite local library or independent bookstore, and travel to Elsinore Academy, if you dare.

**kmm

Book info: A Wounded Name: A Tragedy / Dot Hutchison. Carolrhoda Lab, 2013.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk: A mourning son, Hamlet’s rageful ghost, a widow remarried too quickly, the banshee songs tormenting motherless Ophelia – Elsinore Academy’s secrets will soon undo all under its roof.

The sudden death of Elsinore’s headmaster sends his son into deep depression; when the headmaster’s widow marries her brother-in-law hastily, Dane’s rage grows murderous.

Calls to end her worries by drowning, as her mother did, echo from the lake fae – if Ophelia takes the pills which block their siren song, how will she stay awake enough to show Dane the ghost of his father who demands revenge?

This lyrical retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet  brings all the tragedy’s characters together in a boarding school where deception and murder seem to be family tradition. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

G for Great, by Sara Benincasa (book review) – love, longing, and lies

Apr8

book cover of Great by Sara Benincasa published by Harper TeenThwarted love,
desperate love,
lies, lies, obsession, and lies…

Glitz, glamor, and money only go so far in covering secrets which don’t want to stay hidden in this nowadays retelling of The Great Gatsby.

Just published today, look for Great  in your local library or favorite independent bookstore as you roller-coaster through one summer in the Hamptons.

What classics-retold have you read lately?
**kmm

Book info:  Great / Sara Benincasa. Harper Teen, 2014.  [author site]  [publisher site]  Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My book talk:  Naomi didn’t like summers with her baker/celebrity mom in the so-snobby Hamptons, but she never dreamed that the second-nature posing and lies of the rich teens there would move from foolish to fatal.

This summer began strangely enough when Naomi found herself helicoptering from NYC with the senator’s daughter Delilah, her boyfriend Teddy, and cute classmate Jeff. Then she discovered that mysterious Jacinta had leased the huge, fabulous house next door, planning extravagant parties which made teens clamor for invitations

Naomi did think it odd that Jacinta, whose exclusive teen fashion blog has a huge following, actually begged her for an introduction to Delilah, subject of the blogger’s fashion show photo spreads with much commentary.

Drinking and drugs, crazy driving and worse behavior – just another summer for these Hampton teens, until Teddy starts objecting to Delilah and Jacinta spending so much time together. Old secrets bubble to the surface, new secrets erupt with dire consequences, and Naomi wonders if any of them will make it to their senior year of high school unscathed.

A wry retelling of The Great Gatsby with social media, a foodie IPO, and fashion designer name-dropping thrown in for good measure. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)