BY ANY OTHER NAME
By: Jodi Picoult
Published: August 6, 2024
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Historical Fiction
I LOVE pretty much anything Jodi Picoult writes. For the last several years, I have been fortunate to receive her books as review books which is such a thrill. However, since I received the eBook galley, I didn’t realize until a few days into my reading that the book was over 500 pages. This is my main fault with the book. I think it could have been a bit more concise. But, Jodi Picoult can write whatever she wants and people will still read it. However, the length and the slow start held up my reading a bit.
Jodi Picoult is known for writing books that make you think. She loves to throw in a big twist about halfway through the novel (like in WISH YOU WERE HERE or MAD HONEY) and make you rethink everything you’ve already read. You’ll find many of her books are about difficult or hot-button topics that give you a different perspective (like in A SPARK OF LIGHT). Picoult loves to write about complicated characters with big problems. You’ll find all of this except for the big twist this time. Were there some surprises? Yes. But, not her trademark, drop-the-book kind of twist.
In her newest release, she writes from a dual-narrative perspective as well as a dual-timeline. We begin with Melina, a playwright in present-day New York City. She has written a play about one of her ancestors, Emilia Bassano. Emila was the first woman to write and sell a book of poems in Elizabethan England. But, before she did that, she wrote plays for William Shakespeare. Before that, she was forced to be the mistress to Lord Chamberlain who is how she connected with Shakespeare in the first place.
In alternating chapters, we travel back to the 1500s and 1600s to learn Emilia’s story and then to the present day for Melina’s. Picoult’s research for this story is phenomenal. A resource section at the end of the novel proves this. But, you can tell, by Picoult’s intricate details in the telling of this story, that this was an important story for her to tell.
I’m not particularly fond of Shakespeare. The little bit I’ve read and learned about him, I don’t believe he was a nice person nor did he seem to care about anyone but himself. I’ve only read a couple of his plays and neither interested me much. I typically don’t read books set prior to the 1800s. But, Jodi Picoult proved that the 1500s and 1600s can be just as fascinating of a time period.
I don’t feel the need to rehash the storyline as that is easily available to you. As I mentioned, this story started a bit slow for me. But, once I got to know Emilia, her personality, and her struggles I found I was more interested in her story than Melina’s. I have to assume that is what Picoult wanted. She wants you to know Emilia’s story because, for hundreds of years, her story hasn’t been told. How many of us have even heard of Emilia Bassano before? I doubt very few of you unless you were an English major and a particular professor brought her up as one of the possible ghostwriters for Shakespeare.
“Maybe that was the lesson Emilia had been struggling to learn all this time-that being remembered by many was far less important than being remembered by a few who mattered.”
I think the book would have been enough with just Emilia’s story. However, I understand Melina’s present-day angle was critical to show that we still haven’t moved far enough ahead in the theater world to produce shows written by female playwrights. Picoult and her daughter have met up with their own brick wall many times with their plays.
I can see this story being a bit of a niche and not for every reader. If you are ok with a bit of a history lesson, a whole lot of Shakespeare and poetry, and a spicy love story then this might be the book for you. But, I think typical Jodi Picoult readers will find this to be a bit too far off of her usual format and find this isn’t the book for them. Regardless of whether you liked or disliked this one, I guarantee you are probably thinking about Emilia Bassano.
The next time you go to a Broadway play, I bet you are looking to see if the playwright is a woman. Picoult has written a novel that forces you to rethink everything you’ve learned about Shakespeare. I found Emilia’s story to be compelling and caused me to want to keep reading. Melina’s story was more of a diversion for me and I didn’t feel like rooting for her as much. If you are a short-chapter gal, this one isn’t for you. But, even with long chapters, the dual narrative kept me coming back.
I admired Emilia’s strength and courage. Her story amazed me and offered me a chance to think about how far we’ve come, how women and lower-class citizens are treated, and how far we have yet to go. I want to close with this thought from Emilia:
“In her life, when faced with yet more adversity, a woman straightened her shoulders and said, All right, I’ll take on another burden. Strength was endurance, not escape.”
If we do anything in this life, I hope that each of us finds that “a life well-loved is a life well-lived.” And that each of us will find something that makes us unforgettable.
NOTE: There are scenes with violence towards women. The romance scenes are open door.
I really enjoyed this interview with Jodi Picoult, Charlie Gibson, and his daughter Kate Gibson on The Book Case Podcast.
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister’s Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire.
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Posted Under Book Review, Emila Bassano, historical fiction, Jodi Picoult, Women's history