December 10, 2011

Falling for Hamlet by Michelle Ray





Description:
Meet Ophelia: a blonde, beautiful high-school senior and long-time girlfriend of Prince Hamlet of Denmark. Her life is dominated not only by her boyfriend's fame and his overbearing family, but also by the paparazzi who hound them wherever they go. As the devastatingly handsome Hamlet spirals into madness after the mysterious death of his father, the King, Ophelia rides out his crazy roller coaster life, and lives to tell about it. In live television interviews, of course.


Passion, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy intertwine in this compulsively readable debut novel, told by a strong-willed, modern-day Ophelia.

Epic Wins:

  • First off it's a retelling of Hamlet (go Shakespeare! *waves glittery pom poms*) Second Hamlet is, to this date, the only story of Shakespeare's that I have read (technically). 
  • I thought the author did a great job thrusting the story line into the modern world, it was a smooth transition. 
  • How far do we really go? When tested how long will we last? The light is shown on these questions as you dig deep into Ophelia's point-of-view.
  • I like the contrast of her interview with the TV host VS the police. She was snarky and hostile with the police but honest. Where with the TV host she was polite but deceitful
  • Message- The decisions we make effect who we are, who we become, and how are futures will turn out. 
  • Something about the characters and the plot keep you moving forward, deeper into the thick of the story. 
  • Horatio- Phee thinks of him as a brother and, as a brother does, he was there when nobody else was or could be there. 

Epic Fails:

  • I think that Phee floundered too much on her feelings for Hamlet and she REALLY should have left the castle despite her feelings for him. 

Overall:
A cool, modern twist to an old story that packs a punch in the end. Ray really opens your eyes to the hidden stories with in Shakespeare's works. 


just sayin, 
-Kare

1 comment:

Let me know what you think was an epic win or an epic fail, or if you feel like it make robot sound like beep beep boo bop. Really I could careless just keep it clean.