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Bloomsbury USA Childrens
On sale:
August 2010
Price:
$16.99
Format:
Hardcover
Size:
5.0625 x 7.75 in
Pages:
304 pp
Ages:
12
Grades:
7
ISBN-13: 9781599904863
ISBN-10: 1599904861
Also Available
The Fool's Girl
By Celia Rees
Book Description
A lush, epic historical novel by bestseller Celia Rees, with an added Shakespearean twist
Young and beautiful Violetta may be of royal blood, but her kingdom is in shambles when she arrives in London on a mysterious mission. Her journey has been long and her adventures many, but it is not until she meets the playwright William Shakespeare that she gets to tell the entire story from beginning to end. Violetta and her comic companion, Feste, have come in search of an ancient holy relic that the evil Malvolio has stolen from their kingdom. But where will their remarkable quest-and their most unusual story-lead? In classic Celia Rees style, it is an engrossing journey, full of political intrigue, danger, and romance.
This wholly original story is spun from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and includes both folly and suspense that would make the Bard proud.
"Rees casts an intriguing portrait of the great playwright and the origins behind one of his most alluring plays. Her seamless incorporation of Elizabethan daily life will interest historical fiction readers with its accessible attention to detail. Direct, well-paced prose and rich dialogue strengthen an entertaining story. [T]his Shakespearean adventure is better than most, full of allusions and details, and will appeal to readers who love their drama with a little romance."—VOYA
"Expertly livening the proceedings with intrigues, japes, kisses, mildly bawdy comments, colorful characters, plot twists, quick violence, and an occasional breath of the supernatural, Rees dishes up a quick-paced tale that builds to a suspenseful climax. Just the ticket for fans of Lisa Klein’s Lady Macbeth’s Daughter (2009) and the plethora of similar Shakespearean sallies."—Booklist
“Imaginative. Rees’s research is impeccable, and the details she includes about daily life and play performance in Elizabethan England are fascinating. This would be an interesting read for a class studying Twelfth Night, as familiarity with the play would help readers understand some of this novel’s plot elements.”—School Library Journal
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