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Two L
Something is rotten at Harvard Law. As the frat boys take over the Law Review and the law school sorority, the Veritarts, bring hems to a new high and grades to a new low, the Dean is very strangely gone, leaving in charge one Arthur Agnelli, a scholar of unimpeachable reputation. When a popular lecturer is accused of having an affair with one of his students, 2L Megan Milner reluctantly agrees to try to intercede with Agnelli. But is Agnelli really what he seems? And will the Dean return before the free coffee runs out?
In this tongue-in-cheek satire, Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" is transposed to the campus of Harvard Law.
In this tongue-in-cheek satire, Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" is transposed to the campus of Harvard Law.
197 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2011
15 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Willig
45 books4,733 followersLauren Willig is the New York Times bestselling author of nineteen works of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association's annual list of the best genre fiction. After graduating from Yale University, she embarked on a PhD in History at Harvard before leaving academia to acquire a JD at Harvard Law while authoring her "Pink Carnation" series of Napoleonic-set novels. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full time.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 27, 2011
Should be required reading for all law students - seeing the theory put into practice, the balancing of conflicting interests... and at the same time very funny, and beautifully constructed and executed. Taken together with the Pink Carnation series it demonstrates just how wide is Lauren Willig's range, and what a good writer she is.
August 11, 2012
I am a huge Lauren Willig fan for her Pink Carnation series. I have to say this book left me a little lost. I have never read Measure for Measure, so maybe that is the problem for me. If someone had given me this book and not told me who wrote it, I would have never guessed it was Lauren. It wasn't horrible (thus the 2 stars), but it just wasn't my style of book I guess. I will continue to read her books as they come out because she is a wonderful writer in my opinion.
April 16, 2014
I didn't like this and I'm kind of sorry I paid for it. I know it's supposed to be a retelling of Measure for Measure, but never having read that I felt no special love or impetus to keep reading. My biggest issue was the way the people kept talking in law school rhetoric. Maybe people at Harvard talk like that but at Rutgers I would have rolled my eyes and walked away from you. I got maybe 50 pages in before giving up.
February 13, 2016
The Dean is taking time off. There is scandal brewing at Harvard Law. One of the most popular professors is accused of having an affair with one of his students. Never mind that he's known this woman, who is returning to school, from when they where first undergraduates together. But scandal is scandal. The Dean is leaving Arhur Agnelli in charge. Agnelli is a champion of women's rights and a bit on the puritanical side. Enter Megan Milner. She's caught in the eye of the storm, being asked by her "boyfriend" and the other frat boys over at the Law Review to speak on behalf of the accused. Megan has always had a high regard for Agnelli. His book Legal Bodies, THE work on the objectification of women in America's leading law firms has been her touchstone. Yet Agnelli seems to be propositioning her... which has to be some sort of test... right? With interviews and meetings, thinking about Agnelli gets put on the back burner, temporarily. Enter Mr. Friar, a career counselor, whose outre wardrobe belies the font of knowledge underneath. Megan appears to be being pulled into a weird world or eccentrics, plots and counter plots, and annoying calls from her "boyfriend." She really should dump him, no matter how busy her schedule is.
"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." Or so Shakespeare tells us. And when does he get it wrong? Two L is written with the conceit of reimagining Shakespeare's Measure for Measure at Harvard Law. While to those who have never lived in the rarefied world of academia, the absurdities of Shakespeare might seem overly comical, unrealistic and absurd for the "real world." For those who've spent any time in academia, this seems totally plausible. The caricature of Mr. Friar, sadly dwells quite close to the reality of my advisor, just add a Russian fur hat and a penchant for bottling his own urine and you're there.
While labelled as one of Shakespeare's "problem plays" because it is never quite clear if it's comedy or tragedy, the set-up does lend itself well to Lauren's story. She is never more astute or wicked as when describing the ferocious job hunt, of which I myself have been participating of late, though not in Law. The only real fault I think the book has is in sticking too closely to the original play by Shakespeare (Wikipedia has a nice synopsis if you are in dire need). This, after all, is an adaptation. You can take or leave what you want. I would have eliminated the quotes at the start of each chapter, which did lend a bit too much melodrama and, for those unfamiliar with the play, probably confusion. The story speaks for itself really well and does not need the words of a greater man to frame it. But the happiest surprise of all was that Lauren can write in other genres. I am a huge fan of her historical novels and a modern retelling is a big step in a different direction. It was a fun quick read, and for those who are fans of Shakespeare, will contain even a little more for you.
Also, as a final aside, did anyone else picture the dean as Kyle Maclachlan?
"Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." Or so Shakespeare tells us. And when does he get it wrong? Two L is written with the conceit of reimagining Shakespeare's Measure for Measure at Harvard Law. While to those who have never lived in the rarefied world of academia, the absurdities of Shakespeare might seem overly comical, unrealistic and absurd for the "real world." For those who've spent any time in academia, this seems totally plausible. The caricature of Mr. Friar, sadly dwells quite close to the reality of my advisor, just add a Russian fur hat and a penchant for bottling his own urine and you're there.
While labelled as one of Shakespeare's "problem plays" because it is never quite clear if it's comedy or tragedy, the set-up does lend itself well to Lauren's story. She is never more astute or wicked as when describing the ferocious job hunt, of which I myself have been participating of late, though not in Law. The only real fault I think the book has is in sticking too closely to the original play by Shakespeare (Wikipedia has a nice synopsis if you are in dire need). This, after all, is an adaptation. You can take or leave what you want. I would have eliminated the quotes at the start of each chapter, which did lend a bit too much melodrama and, for those unfamiliar with the play, probably confusion. The story speaks for itself really well and does not need the words of a greater man to frame it. But the happiest surprise of all was that Lauren can write in other genres. I am a huge fan of her historical novels and a modern retelling is a big step in a different direction. It was a fun quick read, and for those who are fans of Shakespeare, will contain even a little more for you.
Also, as a final aside, did anyone else picture the dean as Kyle Maclachlan?
January 24, 2012
A light and entertaining read, Two L was a great selection for a snowy Saturday. A modern take on Measure for Measure set at Harvard law school, this was a perfect opportunity for Lauren Willig’s characteristic wit to shine through. I like the fact that Megan was not, in fact, silent at the end and got a kick out of the reference to Yale, given that the author attended both Ivies. I continue to enjoy everything that Lauren Willig puts to paper.
September 26, 2011
Two L was an interesting modern retelling of Measure for Measure set at Harvard Law. I found Two L engaging, but it lacked it laughing out loud hysteria I usually get from Lauren Willig's books. Had I attended Harvard Law as she did, I may have found it funnier. She did throw in some great Shakespeare references though, and despite not laughing out loud I thoroughly enjoyed it.
January 17, 2015
Should be required reading for all law students - seeing the theory put into practice, the balancing of conflicting interests... and at the same time very funny, and beautifully constructed and executed. Taken together with the Pink Carnation series it demonstrates just how wide is Lauren Willig's range, and what a good writer she is.
February 8, 2012
I love Lauren Willig, but I did not like Two L.
The problem lay in the way the heroine allowed herself to be manipulated. I hate when women do that. I understand that in the real world, women do that all the time, but I do not enjoy books where women do not stand up for themselves.
I'll keep reading Willig, but I doubt sincerely I'll ever give Two L's a second chance.
The problem lay in the way the heroine allowed herself to be manipulated. I hate when women do that. I understand that in the real world, women do that all the time, but I do not enjoy books where women do not stand up for themselves.
I'll keep reading Willig, but I doubt sincerely I'll ever give Two L's a second chance.
September 5, 2011
Measure for Measure at Harvard Law: sign me up, please! Willig proves her range with this contemporary (well, now it's about 6 years out of date but whatever) novel. I thought it was really engaging and witty. Hoping she'll self-publish more oldies from the vault...
September 20, 2011
Completely different from her Pink books, but a fun, witty read all the same. I might have appreciated it more had I gone to Harvard Law School, but I knew enough about the play Measure for Measure to be entertained by the shenanigans. Can't wait to read more from Willig beyond the Pink series.
December 29, 2011
It was nice to read something by this fantastic author and find out that even when she's not writing about the characters that first brought her to my attention (Eloise and Colin), her writing is still fantastic.
June 2, 2012
In defense of a 1 star review for an author I very much enjoy, the difference between "1"and "2" according to the alt-text on the stars, is 2 is "Ok" and 1 is "Didn't like it." And this definitely falls in the latter.
October 2, 2011
Very witty!
January 20, 2012
I think I would probably have appreciated this book more if I had read "Measure for Measure"...or went to law school. Lacking both of these, I felt like I was missing out a bit.
November 5, 2011
This was a very interesting read! I liked it, but I must admit I enjoy the Pink Carnation Series much more! :)
February 20, 2012
Love Lauren Willig, but this isn't like her normal writing style. I know this was based from Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, but it took me a while to finish because I couldn't get into it.
February 13, 2012
Now I want to see Measure for Measure...
March 8, 2013
Not one of my favorites by this author.
July 7, 2013
Meh. I really enjoyed her other series. But this gets a meh.
October 23, 2013
A modern Measure for Measure set in Harvard Law School. Not as funny as the historical novels but was worth reading
September 11, 2017
entertaining and quick read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews