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Ophelia
He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.
In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.
Lisa Klein's Ophelia tells the story of a young woman falling in love, searching for her place in the world, and finding the strength to survive. Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.
In this reimagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.
Lisa Klein's Ophelia tells the story of a young woman falling in love, searching for her place in the world, and finding the strength to survive. Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
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14564 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,178 reviews
June 2, 2025
This book was an absolute delight, and I know it might sound unusual to say that about a retelling of Hamlet from Ophelia's perspective, but the author's exquisite writing transformed my reading experience into something truly enjoyable. As someone who has always been captivated by Ophelia and wished that Shakespeare had developed her character more fully, this book fulfilled all my desires and then some.
In this version, Ophelia emerges as a strong, outspoken, and proud woman who yearns for autonomy and freedom above all else. I loved delving into her mind and experiencing her thoughts and emotions, and I fell completely in love with this portrayal. The dynamic between her and Hamlet was especially delightful; their interactions crackled with chemistry and affection, often making me smile and even giggle. The author skillfully depicted the gradual deterioration of their relationship, rendering it so poignantly that it had a profound emotional impact on me. Hamlet himself was portrayed with such magnetic charm that I found myself falling for him as well, and I felt a deep sense of heartbreak in response to his actions, even though I was well aware of the tragic path that lay ahead.
Horatio, as a character, served as a comforting and loyal presence throughout the story, and I adored the deep-rooted friendship he shared with Ophelia. Their camaraderie provided a refreshing change, grounding the narrative amid the swirling chaos of the royal court.
However, I ultimately rated this book four stars instead of five for a couple of reasons. First, I wished the author had devoted more time to exploring the complex relationship between Ophelia and her brother, Laertes. While the book did portray their close bond during childhood, their emotional distance in adulthood felt underdeveloped. Their only interaction occurred toward the end, and it just didn’t resonate with me. For Laertes to be characterized as such a vengeful brother later in the story, I believe their bond should have been elaborated upon more significantly to enhance the emotional heft of his motivations.
My most significant issue, however, lay with the final part of the book, particularly the last 100 pages. The conclusion left me bewildered. I honestly would have preferred Ophelia's death to mirror the heart-wrenching ending of the original Shakespeare play rather than the conclusion we received here. The tone shifted abruptly to a sermon on God and trust, which caught me completely off guard. As someone who is not particularly religious, that ending felt jarring, as though I had stumbled into a religious text rather than the poignant narrative I had been enjoying. I understand that the author may have deeply held religious beliefs, but this shift detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Additionally, Ophelia's final sentiments towards Horatio struck me as inconsistent and perplexing. Throughout the book, her feelings for him seem more aligned with friendship than romance, yet we are suddenly expected to believe that she perceives him in a romantic light. This transition came off more as pity than love, which ultimately diminished both characters in my eyes.
In conclusion, despite these critiques, I genuinely loved this book and had a wonderful time reading it. I will simply choose to imagine that the last 100 pages didn't occur.
In this version, Ophelia emerges as a strong, outspoken, and proud woman who yearns for autonomy and freedom above all else. I loved delving into her mind and experiencing her thoughts and emotions, and I fell completely in love with this portrayal. The dynamic between her and Hamlet was especially delightful; their interactions crackled with chemistry and affection, often making me smile and even giggle. The author skillfully depicted the gradual deterioration of their relationship, rendering it so poignantly that it had a profound emotional impact on me. Hamlet himself was portrayed with such magnetic charm that I found myself falling for him as well, and I felt a deep sense of heartbreak in response to his actions, even though I was well aware of the tragic path that lay ahead.
Horatio, as a character, served as a comforting and loyal presence throughout the story, and I adored the deep-rooted friendship he shared with Ophelia. Their camaraderie provided a refreshing change, grounding the narrative amid the swirling chaos of the royal court.
However, I ultimately rated this book four stars instead of five for a couple of reasons. First, I wished the author had devoted more time to exploring the complex relationship between Ophelia and her brother, Laertes. While the book did portray their close bond during childhood, their emotional distance in adulthood felt underdeveloped. Their only interaction occurred toward the end, and it just didn’t resonate with me. For Laertes to be characterized as such a vengeful brother later in the story, I believe their bond should have been elaborated upon more significantly to enhance the emotional heft of his motivations.
My most significant issue, however, lay with the final part of the book, particularly the last 100 pages. The conclusion left me bewildered. I honestly would have preferred Ophelia's death to mirror the heart-wrenching ending of the original Shakespeare play rather than the conclusion we received here. The tone shifted abruptly to a sermon on God and trust, which caught me completely off guard. As someone who is not particularly religious, that ending felt jarring, as though I had stumbled into a religious text rather than the poignant narrative I had been enjoying. I understand that the author may have deeply held religious beliefs, but this shift detracted from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Additionally, Ophelia's final sentiments towards Horatio struck me as inconsistent and perplexing. Throughout the book, her feelings for him seem more aligned with friendship than romance, yet we are suddenly expected to believe that she perceives him in a romantic light. This transition came off more as pity than love, which ultimately diminished both characters in my eyes.
In conclusion, despite these critiques, I genuinely loved this book and had a wonderful time reading it. I will simply choose to imagine that the last 100 pages didn't occur.
May 15, 2018
Headstrong Ophelia is the youngest lady-in-waiting to Queen Gertrude of Denmark. Gertrude is both the pious and kindly mother that Ophelia never had, and the cool aunt who lets the girl read courtly romances, philosophy, and bawdy poems. Ophelia is also learning herbalogy from a local midwife, cheerfully pranking a mean girl at court, and nursing a giant crush on Prince Hamlet.
The fun and games come to a shocking halt while the prince is abroad. The King is murdered by his brother Claudius, who quickly marries Gertrude. The court is a gloomy, uneasy place when Hamlet and his best friend Horatio return…and as supernatural visions give way to revenge plots, mistaken murders, and lunacy, Ophelia realizes that she can’t save her Prince or her court, only herself and the secret she carries inside.
Content Advisory
Violence: Ophelia is harassed and molested by a royal guard named Edmund. Claudius assassinates Hamlet Sr. by pouring poison into the latter’s ear while he napped in the palace orchard. Assorted stabbings, none of which are shown. A character drinks a poison to induce a coma. Someone apparently commits suicide. Two disturbed young men jump into a grave with a dead girl—the sister of one and beloved of the other—and slug it out over which of them loved her more.
Sex: Hamlet and Ophelia see Claudius slobbering all over Gertrude in public and are disgusted. So disgusted are they that they promptly go off and have sex themselves. The next day they are secretly married by a village priest off the palace grounds. We see them kissing and cuddling, but no racy details are given. A kid reading this will learn nothing about sex that they didn’t already know.
Language: Mild modern profanities and a few Elizabethan insults.
Substance Abuse: Claudius is always hammered in this interpretation.
Nightmare Fuel:
Politics and Religion: Bit of a mixed message here. The nuns and pious women in this story are mostly kind and enlightened, but the men are either irreligious or Pharisees. Except Horatio, who is a sweetheart. The portrayal of the cruel priest and hypocritical bishop seemed like a commentary about the men of this time period rather than an attack on the Church. Also, Klein doesn't really seem to understand what a stigmata is, as I will explain later.
Conclusions
Lisa Klein reexamines Hamlet’s girlfriend in Ophelia. Unlike some similar projects— Lavinia by the late great Ursula K. Le Guin comes to mind—Klein’s YA novel diverges substantially from anything that could be inferred from the original story. To borrow a term from the realm of fanfiction, this is a “fix-it fic,” wherein a character wronged badly in the original is restored to rights.
And like most well-written fanfiction, Ophelia is at its lowest when it’s merely recounting what happened in Hamlet , and much better when the heroine finally
Klein’s Ophelia is a bit more of a wild-child than I pictured her—when I read the play earlier this year, she struck me as a shy kid whom Hamlet had seduced and was now trying to intimidate—but this characterization is not bad. As my friend Katherine noted in her review, while this Ophelia defies social convention and has some feminist tendencies, she does not say or do anything that would not have been said or done at the time.
Horatio is lovely—the one kind and decent and honest person in Elsinore. He suffered greatly, not only losing his best friend, but Yet he continues to help everyone who needs it and think the best of all.
I have a reservation about this book, though. There’s a strange subplot involving a girl named Therese, who works at the convent but has not been allowed to take orders. Therese has visions wherein she nurses the Christ child (a not-unheard-of image in medieval mysticism) and also believes herself to have the stigmata, or the wounds on Jesus’ hands from where the nails went in. Ophelia and the others around Therese aren’t sure if her hand injuries are supernatural in origin, or merely cracks from the lye she often handles. They also have a hard time believing in her visions, despite her visions being very similar to those described by canonized saints.
Twentieth-century mystic Padre Pio had the stigmata. Religious rivals accused him of wounding his own hands, while a psychologist claimed that Pio meditated so obsessively upon the death of Christ that his stigmata was psychosomatic. Pio, with typical Italian dry wit replied to the psychologist, “Right. Now you go meditate like that on a bull and see if you grow horns.”
Anyway, here’s a rare photo of St. Pio with his hands exposed. It would be hard to mistake wounds like this for mere chapped hands:
So while I enjoyed this novel, I’m also Catholic, and the author’s lack of understanding of Catholic supernatural phenomena frustrated me. Klein portrayed the nuns as mostly a wonderful group of people, so I don’t think she intended this plotline as any sort of attack on the Church. I just don’t think she did much research on the nature of stigmatas, and I wish she had, because they are already a difficult and sometimes scary concept for those outside the Church.
This would have been an easy four stars without the muddled treatment of stigmatas.
The fun and games come to a shocking halt while the prince is abroad. The King is murdered by his brother Claudius, who quickly marries Gertrude. The court is a gloomy, uneasy place when Hamlet and his best friend Horatio return…and as supernatural visions give way to revenge plots, mistaken murders, and lunacy, Ophelia realizes that she can’t save her Prince or her court, only herself and the secret she carries inside.
Content Advisory
Violence: Ophelia is harassed and molested by a royal guard named Edmund. Claudius assassinates Hamlet Sr. by pouring poison into the latter’s ear while he napped in the palace orchard. Assorted stabbings, none of which are shown. A character drinks a poison to induce a coma. Someone apparently commits suicide. Two disturbed young men jump into a grave with a dead girl—the sister of one and beloved of the other—and slug it out over which of them loved her more.
Sex: Hamlet and Ophelia see Claudius slobbering all over Gertrude in public and are disgusted. So disgusted are they that they promptly go off and have sex themselves. The next day they are secretly married by a village priest off the palace grounds. We see them kissing and cuddling, but no racy details are given. A kid reading this will learn nothing about sex that they didn’t already know.
Language: Mild modern profanities and a few Elizabethan insults.
Substance Abuse: Claudius is always hammered in this interpretation.
Nightmare Fuel:
Politics and Religion: Bit of a mixed message here. The nuns and pious women in this story are mostly kind and enlightened, but the men are either irreligious or Pharisees. Except Horatio, who is a sweetheart. The portrayal of the cruel priest and hypocritical bishop seemed like a commentary about the men of this time period rather than an attack on the Church. Also, Klein doesn't really seem to understand what a stigmata is, as I will explain later.
Conclusions
Lisa Klein reexamines Hamlet’s girlfriend in Ophelia. Unlike some similar projects— Lavinia by the late great Ursula K. Le Guin comes to mind—Klein’s YA novel diverges substantially from anything that could be inferred from the original story. To borrow a term from the realm of fanfiction, this is a “fix-it fic,” wherein a character wronged badly in the original is restored to rights.
And like most well-written fanfiction, Ophelia is at its lowest when it’s merely recounting what happened in Hamlet , and much better when the heroine finally
Klein’s Ophelia is a bit more of a wild-child than I pictured her—when I read the play earlier this year, she struck me as a shy kid whom Hamlet had seduced and was now trying to intimidate—but this characterization is not bad. As my friend Katherine noted in her review, while this Ophelia defies social convention and has some feminist tendencies, she does not say or do anything that would not have been said or done at the time.
Horatio is lovely—the one kind and decent and honest person in Elsinore. He suffered greatly, not only losing his best friend, but Yet he continues to help everyone who needs it and think the best of all.
I have a reservation about this book, though. There’s a strange subplot involving a girl named Therese, who works at the convent but has not been allowed to take orders. Therese has visions wherein she nurses the Christ child (a not-unheard-of image in medieval mysticism) and also believes herself to have the stigmata, or the wounds on Jesus’ hands from where the nails went in. Ophelia and the others around Therese aren’t sure if her hand injuries are supernatural in origin, or merely cracks from the lye she often handles. They also have a hard time believing in her visions, despite her visions being very similar to those described by canonized saints.
Twentieth-century mystic Padre Pio had the stigmata. Religious rivals accused him of wounding his own hands, while a psychologist claimed that Pio meditated so obsessively upon the death of Christ that his stigmata was psychosomatic. Pio, with typical Italian dry wit replied to the psychologist, “Right. Now you go meditate like that on a bull and see if you grow horns.”
Anyway, here’s a rare photo of St. Pio with his hands exposed. It would be hard to mistake wounds like this for mere chapped hands:
So while I enjoyed this novel, I’m also Catholic, and the author’s lack of understanding of Catholic supernatural phenomena frustrated me. Klein portrayed the nuns as mostly a wonderful group of people, so I don’t think she intended this plotline as any sort of attack on the Church. I just don’t think she did much research on the nature of stigmatas, and I wish she had, because they are already a difficult and sometimes scary concept for those outside the Church.
This would have been an easy four stars without the muddled treatment of stigmatas.
January 18, 2020
If I have to choose which one of Shakespeare's tragidies is my favorite I'd hands down and without a doubt choose Hamlet. It's been my favorite tragey by Shakespeare from the moment i got introduced to his works, which was a long time ago.
Before reading the book I watched the movie Ophelia, which is not the right thing to do I know. Most of the time I read the book then watch the movie, but I completley forgot that I had this book and that the movie was specifically based on this.
Anyway, It was so refreshing that both book and movie were from Ophelia's PoV. I always loved this character next to Hamlet of coourse and how the procedures led her to madness.
I liked that the author wanted to focus on Ophelia and her actions, although the ending was changed from the original story but I didn't mind it at all.
Definitely recommed this book the those who love Shakespeare and retellings.
Before reading the book I watched the movie Ophelia, which is not the right thing to do I know. Most of the time I read the book then watch the movie, but I completley forgot that I had this book and that the movie was specifically based on this.
Anyway, It was so refreshing that both book and movie were from Ophelia's PoV. I always loved this character next to Hamlet of coourse and how the procedures led her to madness.
I liked that the author wanted to focus on Ophelia and her actions, although the ending was changed from the original story but I didn't mind it at all.
Definitely recommed this book the those who love Shakespeare and retellings.
August 4, 2009
Okay so I think my star rating needs some explaining.
I loved Part 1 and most of Part 2. If the book had stopped there I would have given this 3-4 stars. Probably 4. But now, the book continues for another 100 pages of the most boring rambling "Finding God" story arch which doesn't so much arch as drivels along in a slow straight line.
I thought the whole last third of the book was so bad, the entire story gets 1 star.
I had to skim through most of the ending because it was so boring. Ophelia didn't grow, she became petulant. She didn't want to the kid- then she did! She couldn't tell anyone who she was, or where she was from or that she was carrying a kid. Um- last time I checked on small framed women- you can't even hide that under a cloak/mumu/drapes of fabric. That they couldn't tell until basically she was giving birth? Really?
I knew a girl who tried to hide her pregnancy as a teen. She got fat in all the pregnant places... and by month 7 we all knew she was going to have a baby.
So first 2/3rds of the books- 4 stars, add int he last 100 pages, negative 3 stars. Rounding it out to 1.
I loved Part 1 and most of Part 2. If the book had stopped there I would have given this 3-4 stars. Probably 4. But now, the book continues for another 100 pages of the most boring rambling "Finding God" story arch which doesn't so much arch as drivels along in a slow straight line.
I thought the whole last third of the book was so bad, the entire story gets 1 star.
I had to skim through most of the ending because it was so boring. Ophelia didn't grow, she became petulant. She didn't want to the kid- then she did! She couldn't tell anyone who she was, or where she was from or that she was carrying a kid. Um- last time I checked on small framed women- you can't even hide that under a cloak/mumu/drapes of fabric. That they couldn't tell until basically she was giving birth? Really?
I knew a girl who tried to hide her pregnancy as a teen. She got fat in all the pregnant places... and by month 7 we all knew she was going to have a baby.
So first 2/3rds of the books- 4 stars, add int he last 100 pages, negative 3 stars. Rounding it out to 1.
November 9, 2014
I realize the author mostly wrote this for herself, intrigued with the idea that there might have been more to Hamlet than meets the eye. It's an interesting concept to think Ophelia might have been faking her insanity and even her death, but I didn't like what the author did with it.
Of course, as with many modern novels set in olden times, the author felt the need to drive home the point that Ophelia was a tomboy. I guess many female authors put this trait to their girl characters thinking it'll make them more admired to be different in a society that's supposed to be full of meek, polite, feminine girls. Maybe we'll like the character more if she's strong and athletic rather than delicate! She laughs in the face of adversity! Sure. If I'm not mistaken, the author also tried to drive home the point that Ophelia was intelligent when most girls in that time didn't get much of an education. I feel like this is part of that same tactic. Very annoying.
I hated the characters in this renewal. Hamlet might as well not have been there and I didn't feel like their love was as groundbreaking as the author tried to portray. Ophelia wasn't likeable, and Queen Gertrude apparently likes her servants to read erotica to her. Hmm.
Here's another common occurrence in books such as these: the girl loses her virginity to a guy she's not even married to, and doesn't even pause to fret about it beforehand. She just DOES it. I realize not all girls in all times were so pristine, but girls brought up well in those times would certainly have stopped to worry about something like that, since virginity was of such importance back then (at least with the women). It would have been more realistic if the guy was pressuring her into doing it, and she only gave in in the end because she wanted to please him. You'd think the girl would at least stop to worry that maybe, just maybe she might get pregnant.
I lament that this Ophelia didn't have a deterioration of mind like Shakespeare's Ophelia did, as that's my favorite part about her, but I know the author was setting out to portray a possibility of a different scenario so I tried not to let it bother me. Ophelia fakes her death (highly unlikely) and ends up in a convent, completely composed to be in the presence of nuns when she quickly gave up her virginity without being married to some guy. Right.
Actually, I feel like the convent part of the book is the only good part in it, though others might find it boring. And in the end, the author feels the need to pair her up with a man. Who but Horatio, who I doubt would have gotten with his newly dead best friend's ex girlfriend. I also doubt Ophelia would have gotten with him if she'd really been so wholly in love with Hamlet.
And then happily ever after. Uh-huh.
Kudos for trying, Lisa Klein, but I like my Ophelia to be feminine, naive, and tending to insanity.
Of course, as with many modern novels set in olden times, the author felt the need to drive home the point that Ophelia was a tomboy. I guess many female authors put this trait to their girl characters thinking it'll make them more admired to be different in a society that's supposed to be full of meek, polite, feminine girls. Maybe we'll like the character more if she's strong and athletic rather than delicate! She laughs in the face of adversity! Sure. If I'm not mistaken, the author also tried to drive home the point that Ophelia was intelligent when most girls in that time didn't get much of an education. I feel like this is part of that same tactic. Very annoying.
I hated the characters in this renewal. Hamlet might as well not have been there and I didn't feel like their love was as groundbreaking as the author tried to portray. Ophelia wasn't likeable, and Queen Gertrude apparently likes her servants to read erotica to her. Hmm.
Here's another common occurrence in books such as these: the girl loses her virginity to a guy she's not even married to, and doesn't even pause to fret about it beforehand. She just DOES it. I realize not all girls in all times were so pristine, but girls brought up well in those times would certainly have stopped to worry about something like that, since virginity was of such importance back then (at least with the women). It would have been more realistic if the guy was pressuring her into doing it, and she only gave in in the end because she wanted to please him. You'd think the girl would at least stop to worry that maybe, just maybe she might get pregnant.
I lament that this Ophelia didn't have a deterioration of mind like Shakespeare's Ophelia did, as that's my favorite part about her, but I know the author was setting out to portray a possibility of a different scenario so I tried not to let it bother me. Ophelia fakes her death (highly unlikely) and ends up in a convent, completely composed to be in the presence of nuns when she quickly gave up her virginity without being married to some guy. Right.
Actually, I feel like the convent part of the book is the only good part in it, though others might find it boring. And in the end, the author feels the need to pair her up with a man. Who but Horatio, who I doubt would have gotten with his newly dead best friend's ex girlfriend. I also doubt Ophelia would have gotten with him if she'd really been so wholly in love with Hamlet.
And then happily ever after. Uh-huh.
Kudos for trying, Lisa Klein, but I like my Ophelia to be feminine, naive, and tending to insanity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2025
”I had wanted to be the author of my tale, not merely a player in Hamlet’s drama or a pawn in the court’s deadly game. But what had I gained instead?”
Synopsis: ‘Do you know how hard it’s been to be labeled insane for over 400 years?’, cries Hamlet to any disparaging soul willing to listen.
‘Hold my beer,’ mutters Ophelia.
Biblio-Babble
Feminist Shakespeare for the Win: Despite the archaic times he lived in, Shakespeare’s female characters, especially in his comedies, were known for their sharp wit, fierce intelligence, and even sharper minds. However, Ophelia is not one of those characters. She may be Hamlet’s beloved, but we get little to know insight into her character, and what we do see is marred by madness and babbling. Lisa Klein saw a serious opportunity to right the wrongs of Ophelia and rewrites her story not only to give her side, but to give her more character and depth. And she succeeds. The Ophelia in this version rivals even the wittiest of Shakespeare’s original creations with her dry humor, sharp intellect, and inability to let any man get in the way of telling her what to do. She recognizes and speaks out against the double standards that men and women faced back than (and still do now, for that matter), and is not afraid to put them in their place. And she did this in a way that felt true to the time period, not as if a Riot GRRLLL suddenly crashed the 1600s, both in mannerisms and social situations.
Boyfriend of the Year He Isn’t: A while ago, Jean Rhys decided to write a feminist reimagining of Jane Eyre, focusing on Bertha Mason . I had to read it for a university course and let me tell you something; while it achieved its mission into making Bertha a sympathetic main character rather than just the stereotypical maniacal woman, Rhys made Rochester into a fucking monster. Much like Wide Sargasso Sea, Lisa Klein makes Hamlet into a pretty horrible person too. Granted, he was already insane and kind of monstrous to begin with, so this version of him acts nightmarishly more horrible. And yet despite that, Ophelia was such a sympathetic main character that the author’s characterization of him didn’t bother as much as Wide Sargasso Sea did (no one offends my book husband like that).
Get Thee Out of the Friend Zone: The real MVP here in this story is Ophelia herself, but I would argue that the runner up is Horatio, Hamlet’s closet confidant and constant apologizer. He’s what would happen if someone equivalent to the Great Trumpkin crashed Elizabethan England and Horatio had to follow right behind him apologizing for everything. Horatio is a precious cinnamon bun that should forever be protected, especially cause he’s stuck in the friend zone for the entire novel. You might get some hints here or there, but he’s so far in the zone that it can be hard to tell. But trust me, he’s there. Not only is he watching out for Hamlet, but Ophelia as well. Just think how Hamlet could have ended differently is Ophelia were in love with Horatio and not Hamlet.
Shakespeare Made Easy: Potential readers of this book might put this sucker off entirely because of their Shakespearephobia. He’s one of the greatest playwrights in the English language, but he’s also the most groan-inducing and fear palpating author. Pretty much every single English speaking schoolkid had to read at least one of his works in high school (Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream were mine), and I’ll be the first to admit that Shakespeare is not my favorite. I avoid reading him for leisure at all costs, as do many schoolkids traumatized by having to read his works in high school or college. While Klein’s reimagining retains almost all the plot points and even many of the original lines of dialogue, she does so in a way that is easy to understand for even the most passionate of Shakespeare haters.
Would Daddy Shakespeare Be Proud?: That’s hard to say. I can’t really say for certain whether or not Shakespeare had feminist tendencies, but he did occasionally make them out to be more than dishwater rags. He doesn’t fit the modern definition of feminism, but for his time one could argue that he was in the way he depicted some of his female characters. Whether he would like this version of his story is a two-part answer. I don’t think he’d be particularly thrilled that Klein made Hamlet even more horrible than he was, but I actually do think he would like her version of Ophelia. The overall structure and storytelling of his original play is all intact, as well as quite a few of the original lines of the play. So the verdict? He might actually enjoy this.
**************************************
Those who enjoy Shakespeare and those who fear him will find this retelling easily accessible and true to the original. With a fiercely feminist protagonist and timeless themes of insanity, political intrigue, and forbidden romance, I think that Shakespeare would be secretly pleased to see not only one of his most misunderstood female protagonists finally get her due, but also that because of this book more people might want to give his original work a try.
Synopsis: ‘Do you know how hard it’s been to be labeled insane for over 400 years?’, cries Hamlet to any disparaging soul willing to listen.
‘Hold my beer,’ mutters Ophelia.
Biblio-Babble
Feminist Shakespeare for the Win: Despite the archaic times he lived in, Shakespeare’s female characters, especially in his comedies, were known for their sharp wit, fierce intelligence, and even sharper minds. However, Ophelia is not one of those characters. She may be Hamlet’s beloved, but we get little to know insight into her character, and what we do see is marred by madness and babbling. Lisa Klein saw a serious opportunity to right the wrongs of Ophelia and rewrites her story not only to give her side, but to give her more character and depth. And she succeeds. The Ophelia in this version rivals even the wittiest of Shakespeare’s original creations with her dry humor, sharp intellect, and inability to let any man get in the way of telling her what to do. She recognizes and speaks out against the double standards that men and women faced back than (and still do now, for that matter), and is not afraid to put them in their place. And she did this in a way that felt true to the time period, not as if a Riot GRRLLL suddenly crashed the 1600s, both in mannerisms and social situations.
Boyfriend of the Year He Isn’t: A while ago, Jean Rhys decided to write a feminist reimagining of Jane Eyre, focusing on Bertha Mason . I had to read it for a university course and let me tell you something; while it achieved its mission into making Bertha a sympathetic main character rather than just the stereotypical maniacal woman, Rhys made Rochester into a fucking monster. Much like Wide Sargasso Sea, Lisa Klein makes Hamlet into a pretty horrible person too. Granted, he was already insane and kind of monstrous to begin with, so this version of him acts nightmarishly more horrible. And yet despite that, Ophelia was such a sympathetic main character that the author’s characterization of him didn’t bother as much as Wide Sargasso Sea did (no one offends my book husband like that).
Get Thee Out of the Friend Zone: The real MVP here in this story is Ophelia herself, but I would argue that the runner up is Horatio, Hamlet’s closet confidant and constant apologizer. He’s what would happen if someone equivalent to the Great Trumpkin crashed Elizabethan England and Horatio had to follow right behind him apologizing for everything. Horatio is a precious cinnamon bun that should forever be protected, especially cause he’s stuck in the friend zone for the entire novel. You might get some hints here or there, but he’s so far in the zone that it can be hard to tell. But trust me, he’s there. Not only is he watching out for Hamlet, but Ophelia as well. Just think how Hamlet could have ended differently is Ophelia were in love with Horatio and not Hamlet.
Shakespeare Made Easy: Potential readers of this book might put this sucker off entirely because of their Shakespearephobia. He’s one of the greatest playwrights in the English language, but he’s also the most groan-inducing and fear palpating author. Pretty much every single English speaking schoolkid had to read at least one of his works in high school (Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream were mine), and I’ll be the first to admit that Shakespeare is not my favorite. I avoid reading him for leisure at all costs, as do many schoolkids traumatized by having to read his works in high school or college. While Klein’s reimagining retains almost all the plot points and even many of the original lines of dialogue, she does so in a way that is easy to understand for even the most passionate of Shakespeare haters.
Would Daddy Shakespeare Be Proud?: That’s hard to say. I can’t really say for certain whether or not Shakespeare had feminist tendencies, but he did occasionally make them out to be more than dishwater rags. He doesn’t fit the modern definition of feminism, but for his time one could argue that he was in the way he depicted some of his female characters. Whether he would like this version of his story is a two-part answer. I don’t think he’d be particularly thrilled that Klein made Hamlet even more horrible than he was, but I actually do think he would like her version of Ophelia. The overall structure and storytelling of his original play is all intact, as well as quite a few of the original lines of the play. So the verdict? He might actually enjoy this.
**************************************
Those who enjoy Shakespeare and those who fear him will find this retelling easily accessible and true to the original. With a fiercely feminist protagonist and timeless themes of insanity, political intrigue, and forbidden romance, I think that Shakespeare would be secretly pleased to see not only one of his most misunderstood female protagonists finally get her due, but also that because of this book more people might want to give his original work a try.
October 25, 2019
To be completely honest, I'm perplexed as to why people were unimpressed. Shakespeare is hard to do, and I think for what it was, she did an amazing job. No, it wasn't perfect. But I think that even attempting a project like this is ambitious, and I think she kind of nailed it, to be frank.
It was sculpted wonderfully, had many different emotions coursing through the pages, and left you thinking by the end. Those are three very positive things, and I was impressed. It may have been short, but there was life in it that made it a rather heavy book- definitely not a light read.
It was sculpted wonderfully, had many different emotions coursing through the pages, and left you thinking by the end. Those are three very positive things, and I was impressed. It may have been short, but there was life in it that made it a rather heavy book- definitely not a light read.
June 11, 2024
من در حال پرستش زیبایی این کتاب😭🛐✨️
July 20, 2011
Seriously, this is Hamlet fanfic, with Ophelia/Horatio as the OTP.
I can't help but compare this (unfavorably) to Ursula K. LeGuin's Lavinia. Both examine a famous male-dominated text from the perspective of the extremely marginalized love interest. But LeGuin brilliantly turns the story on its head. Her Lavinia has a strong enough voice of her own to really bring a new perspective to the Aeneid. I felt like the original gained new depths as a result.
Ophelia, on the other hand, is a pale shadow of the original. I don't feel like I have new things to think about. I don't even feel like this is a particularly interesting interpretation of the character. She's fine, the plot's fine, everything's fine, but there's no spark. Hamlet himself never particularly comes alive. And Ophelia does just as much pointless waffling as her love, only less poetically.
Very minor spoilers that you find out anyway on the first page: she survives. Actually, she wanders out of the play probably two thirds of the way into the book, and wanders into her own, not particularly interesting, plot. In which she continues to waffle a lot, keeping secrets for no reason she bothers to justify (it's justifiable, the author just chooses not to do so more than weakly).
Meh.
Here's where my rating system breaks down. Lady Lazarus was ambitious but deeply flawed. She reached high, and I think may have failed, but did so with passion. Ophelia, on the other hand, has far fewer technical flaws. It's just kind of lifeless. Both average out to middle-of-the-road books, but really, I'd rather read the fiery but irritatingly flawed book than the mostly unobjectionable, dishwater one.
I can't help but compare this (unfavorably) to Ursula K. LeGuin's Lavinia. Both examine a famous male-dominated text from the perspective of the extremely marginalized love interest. But LeGuin brilliantly turns the story on its head. Her Lavinia has a strong enough voice of her own to really bring a new perspective to the Aeneid. I felt like the original gained new depths as a result.
Ophelia, on the other hand, is a pale shadow of the original. I don't feel like I have new things to think about. I don't even feel like this is a particularly interesting interpretation of the character. She's fine, the plot's fine, everything's fine, but there's no spark. Hamlet himself never particularly comes alive. And Ophelia does just as much pointless waffling as her love, only less poetically.
Very minor spoilers that you find out anyway on the first page: she survives. Actually, she wanders out of the play probably two thirds of the way into the book, and wanders into her own, not particularly interesting, plot. In which she continues to waffle a lot, keeping secrets for no reason she bothers to justify (it's justifiable, the author just chooses not to do so more than weakly).
Meh.
Here's where my rating system breaks down. Lady Lazarus was ambitious but deeply flawed. She reached high, and I think may have failed, but did so with passion. Ophelia, on the other hand, has far fewer technical flaws. It's just kind of lifeless. Both average out to middle-of-the-road books, but really, I'd rather read the fiery but irritatingly flawed book than the mostly unobjectionable, dishwater one.
September 25, 2020
2.5 stars
November 12, 2024
چقدر عالی نوشته بود. و حرفهای عاشقانه شون😭🤌
March 29, 2008
Yeah...they do stuff. Was good 'till that point. I can see the writer's reasoning for putting that section in there, but I thought it ruined the story.
September 27, 2019
قطعا از کتابهای موردعلاقه من تا ابدیت خواهد بود.
یه تراژدی... یه دراما... که کهعامهساهعیایز
اصلا نمیدونم چطور احساساتمو بیان کنم. این فقط به طرز غیرقابل باوری بهترین و گرون ترین کتابی بود که تو عمرم خونده ام.
هم از لحاظ قلم، هم موضوع، هم اتفاقا، ... مخلوط دست شکسپیر با قلم امروزی هرگز فکر نمیکردم چنین شاهکاری پدید بیاره. ولی به هرکسی این رو پیشنهاد میکنم.
<اسپویلر>
خصوصا از روی فمینیستی داستان خیلی خوشم اومد. زننده نبود اصلا و خیلی جالب توصیف کرده بود مشکلات زنان رو
ظرف چند روز بعد از عروسی، مهمانان السینور را ترک کردند و سکوت به ان بازگشت اما آرامش، نه چندان. من در اندیشه کاری بودم که من و هملت کرده بودیم و افکارم سخت با هم در نبرد بودند. من ارزشمند ترین هدیه را به او داده بودم، هدیه ای که هرگز نمیتوانستم پس بگیرم.
صدایی دنیادیده در سرم میگفت: چیزی نیست" صدایی شبیه گرترود هنگام اظهار ننظر راجع داستانهای عاشقانه
.صدا همچون صدایی از کتابی درباره ی آرزو های عشق و عاشقی ادامه داد" این لذتی معمولی نیست، بلکه عشقی حقیقی و ماندگار است"
صدای پرهیزگارانه ای سرکوفت زد:" با این گناه نابود و تباه شدی" صورت النورا به نظرم رسید که برای حرام شدن تمام اموزه هایش افسوس میخورد.
صدای خردمند تر و بخشنده تر گفت: " نه، عشق تو را نو کرده است،. دیگه دختر نیستی. بلکه یک زن متولد شده است .
صدای سختگیرانه ای شبیه به صدای پدرم به گوش رسید که: " کاریست که شده است و چاره ای نیست"
با صدای بلند گفتم:" آه، اما بعد چه کار کنم؟"
صدای دنیادیده گفت:"دعا کن این راز فاش نشود" من هم نادم و پشیمان قبول کردم.
- از کتاب افلیا، نوشته ی لیزا کلاین، برگرفته از هملت شکسپیر
<پایان اسپویلر/>
و خب جنگ و جدال اطراف دنیا به کنار، جنگ و جدال داخل کشور هم به کنار، جنگ و جدال احساسی بین شخصیتها بسیار جذب کننده بود.
در کل، از مترجم و نویسنده و ناشر و نشر بسیار تشکر میکنم. الان به یاد ندارم چه نشری و مترجمی چاپش کرده ولی ترجمه فارسی داره که خیلی هم ترجمه خوبیه!
متشکرم
یه تراژدی... یه دراما... که کهعامهساهعیایز
اصلا نمیدونم چطور احساساتمو بیان کنم. این فقط به طرز غیرقابل باوری بهترین و گرون ترین کتابی بود که تو عمرم خونده ام.
هم از لحاظ قلم، هم موضوع، هم اتفاقا، ... مخلوط دست شکسپیر با قلم امروزی هرگز فکر نمیکردم چنین شاهکاری پدید بیاره. ولی به هرکسی این رو پیشنهاد میکنم.
<اسپویلر>
خصوصا از روی فمینیستی داستان خیلی خوشم اومد. زننده نبود اصلا و خیلی جالب توصیف کرده بود مشکلات زنان رو
ظرف چند روز بعد از عروسی، مهمانان السینور را ترک کردند و سکوت به ان بازگشت اما آرامش، نه چندان. من در اندیشه کاری بودم که من و هملت کرده بودیم و افکارم سخت با هم در نبرد بودند. من ارزشمند ترین هدیه را به او داده بودم، هدیه ای که هرگز نمیتوانستم پس بگیرم.
صدایی دنیادیده در سرم میگفت: چیزی نیست" صدایی شبیه گرترود هنگام اظهار ننظر راجع داستانهای عاشقانه
.صدا همچون صدایی از کتابی درباره ی آرزو های عشق و عاشقی ادامه داد" این لذتی معمولی نیست، بلکه عشقی حقیقی و ماندگار است"
صدای پرهیزگارانه ای سرکوفت زد:" با این گناه نابود و تباه شدی" صورت النورا به نظرم رسید که برای حرام شدن تمام اموزه هایش افسوس میخورد.
صدای خردمند تر و بخشنده تر گفت: " نه، عشق تو را نو کرده است،. دیگه دختر نیستی. بلکه یک زن متولد شده است .
صدای سختگیرانه ای شبیه به صدای پدرم به گوش رسید که: " کاریست که شده است و چاره ای نیست"
با صدای بلند گفتم:" آه، اما بعد چه کار کنم؟"
صدای دنیادیده گفت:"دعا کن این راز فاش نشود" من هم نادم و پشیمان قبول کردم.
- از کتاب افلیا، نوشته ی لیزا کلاین، برگرفته از هملت شکسپیر
<پایان اسپویلر/>
و خب جنگ و جدال اطراف دنیا به کنار، جنگ و جدال داخل کشور هم به کنار، جنگ و جدال احساسی بین شخصیتها بسیار جذب کننده بود.
در کل، از مترجم و نویسنده و ناشر و نشر بسیار تشکر میکنم. الان به یاد ندارم چه نشری و مترجمی چاپش کرده ولی ترجمه فارسی داره که خیلی هم ترجمه خوبیه!
متشکرم
April 13, 2023
this was totally different than i was expecting in the best way. i really enjoyed it!
August 6, 2024
آخرش چرا یهو اینجوری شد؟ بخش سومش کامل چیزای حوصله سربر و تبلیغ مسیحیت بود در حالی که میتونست بیشتر از جمع سه نفرشون بگه به جای یک صفحه اونم صفحه آخر 🤦🏻♀️
با اینحال خوندنش یکم دردناک و لذتبخش بود (البته فقط دو بخش اولش)
[اسپویل]
اصلاااااا دوست نداشتم هملت بمیره اصلااااااا
دوست داشتم بیاد به افلیا التماس کنه ببخشتش بابت حرفایی که بهش زده ولی خب یکم خورد تو ذوقم…
کلا به نظرم نیازی به اون همه مرگ و میر نبود یکم این حس رو بهم داد که نویسنده از یه جایی به بعد هدفش همون بخش سوم کتاب بود نه خود داستان افلیا
جوری که همههههه یهو مردن بعد رفت تو یه صومعه بعد راهبهها بهش کمک کردن بعد ارزش زندگی رو فهمید و به رستگاری رسید
خیلی شبیه داستانای پیامهای آسمان ابتداییه 😭
پ.ن: به هیچی کار ندارم ولی من افلیا رو با هوراشیو بیشتر میپسندیدم، میپسندم و خواهم پسندید.
با اینحال خوندنش یکم دردناک و لذتبخش بود (البته فقط دو بخش اولش)
[اسپویل]
اصلاااااا دوست نداشتم هملت بمیره اصلااااااا
دوست داشتم بیاد به افلیا التماس کنه ببخشتش بابت حرفایی که بهش زده ولی خب یکم خورد تو ذوقم…
کلا به نظرم نیازی به اون همه مرگ و میر نبود یکم این حس رو بهم داد که نویسنده از یه جایی به بعد هدفش همون بخش سوم کتاب بود نه خود داستان افلیا
جوری که همههههه یهو مردن بعد رفت تو یه صومعه بعد راهبهها بهش کمک کردن بعد ارزش زندگی رو فهمید و به رستگاری رسید
خیلی شبیه داستانای پیامهای آسمان ابتداییه 😭
پ.ن: به هیچی کار ندارم ولی من افلیا رو با هوراشیو بیشتر میپسندیدم، میپسندم و خواهم پسندید.
August 8, 2022
I had such mixed feelings about this book. I mostly loved it.
Like the author, I was never satisfied with the character Ophelia and the place she has in literature. I always thought that there was more to her than Shakespeare lets on. She always seemed such a mystery to me. In that sense, I loved how Lisa Klein took the frame of Shakespeare's play and filled in the details of Ophelia. I thought that the story she made for Ophelia was believable and it fit very well with the original Hamlet.
Being a Shakespeare fanatic and having read and studied Hamlet about 8 times, I could tell that Klein knew the play well. I could tell that she understood the subtleties of the characters written by Shakespeare. I could tell that she was trying to give the famous lines their appearance in book without writing them all out word for word from Shakespeare. I am not sure if this bothered me or not. I was glad that she didn't just copy Shakespeare, but at the same time, I wanted to read Shakespeare's lines word for word because they are written so beautifully and I believe no one will ever compare with him. Perhaps someone who hasn't read Hamlet over and over, wouldn't even have noticed the author's attempts to say the same things that Shakespeare said, but in different ways, but I just kept thinking of the real lines in my head. At the same time, it was kind of fun for me to see if I could pick out these lines. I also think the end got a little bit tiresome and long. It dragged on a bit.
Overall, I loved the idea of the book and how it dispels the "Ophelia Syndrome" and the weak, confused character who says and means, "I do not know, my lord, what I should think." This book certainly makes me think of Shakespeare's play in a new light and makes me love the original play even more. I can't wait to read Hamlet for the 9th time. :)
Like the author, I was never satisfied with the character Ophelia and the place she has in literature. I always thought that there was more to her than Shakespeare lets on. She always seemed such a mystery to me. In that sense, I loved how Lisa Klein took the frame of Shakespeare's play and filled in the details of Ophelia. I thought that the story she made for Ophelia was believable and it fit very well with the original Hamlet.
Being a Shakespeare fanatic and having read and studied Hamlet about 8 times, I could tell that Klein knew the play well. I could tell that she understood the subtleties of the characters written by Shakespeare. I could tell that she was trying to give the famous lines their appearance in book without writing them all out word for word from Shakespeare. I am not sure if this bothered me or not. I was glad that she didn't just copy Shakespeare, but at the same time, I wanted to read Shakespeare's lines word for word because they are written so beautifully and I believe no one will ever compare with him. Perhaps someone who hasn't read Hamlet over and over, wouldn't even have noticed the author's attempts to say the same things that Shakespeare said, but in different ways, but I just kept thinking of the real lines in my head. At the same time, it was kind of fun for me to see if I could pick out these lines. I also think the end got a little bit tiresome and long. It dragged on a bit.
Overall, I loved the idea of the book and how it dispels the "Ophelia Syndrome" and the weak, confused character who says and means, "I do not know, my lord, what I should think." This book certainly makes me think of Shakespeare's play in a new light and makes me love the original play even more. I can't wait to read Hamlet for the 9th time. :)
December 16, 2008
I love this book. William Shakespeare out does himself in this love tale gone tragic. Ophelia a motherless girl who finds herself soon living in the castle ruled by Queen Gertrude. She works for her as a honorable lady and soon meets Hamlet and they fall in love. They have to keep their love in secret because Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark and Ophelia is working for the queen and is not of power. The Queen was nice and caring of Ophelia and did not want to disappoint her. The love between Ophelia and Hamlet was not set in stone. Hamlet would love her one day and the next day he wouldn't. She finally has had it with the drama, and decides to leave, she runs away and finds herself in a nunnery. Horatio is the only one who knows her whereabouts. She was found passed out, the nun's bring her in and welcome her and nurse her back to health. She finds out she is pregnant with Hamlet's baby. Horatio sends he a letter with everything that has happened in Denmark. Hamlet and Queen Gertrude are dead. Years pass and Horatio finds her, and little hamlet, she is still living in the nunnery, but she did not take the oath. Horatio makes a move on her and plants a kiss on her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2009
At first this book made me really mad. But I don't think you should snub this book completely. If you call yourself a Shakespeare connoisseur, then you should just take this as it is and enjoy it.
There have got to be a million different retellings of Hamlet. Different interpretations especially on film, whether its the straight Shakespearean story or something like the Tale of Edgar Sawtelle.
I decided ultimately to enjoy this as a retelling. Lisa Klein knows she is not Shakespeare.
I was glad that I had taken Shakespeare Honors and knew a lot about Shakespeare and Hamlet already. Hamlet is arguably the gem of English literature.
So this was my immediate reaction: "Like WTF are you fucking kidding me you can't pretend Ophelia didn't die and NO you can't mix her and Horatio!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME"
but I cheered up and enjoyed it when they made Ophelia this really cool feminist and very strong questioning woman! Awesome.
I also thought the authors focus on Shakespeare's connection to herbs and plant life and acting for the character Ophelia was extremely well executed! I wrote my Hamlet thesis paper on this myself.
There have got to be a million different retellings of Hamlet. Different interpretations especially on film, whether its the straight Shakespearean story or something like the Tale of Edgar Sawtelle.
I decided ultimately to enjoy this as a retelling. Lisa Klein knows she is not Shakespeare.
I was glad that I had taken Shakespeare Honors and knew a lot about Shakespeare and Hamlet already. Hamlet is arguably the gem of English literature.
So this was my immediate reaction: "Like WTF are you fucking kidding me you can't pretend Ophelia didn't die and NO you can't mix her and Horatio!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME"
but I cheered up and enjoyed it when they made Ophelia this really cool feminist and very strong questioning woman! Awesome.
I also thought the authors focus on Shakespeare's connection to herbs and plant life and acting for the character Ophelia was extremely well executed! I wrote my Hamlet thesis paper on this myself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2020
4.5
Oh dear god... i'm not even a fan of Shakeaspeare, i haven't read Hamlet, BUT THIS RETELLING. OH GOD.
i can't stop thinking about this novel... Like, the first chapters are very simple, but further you read better it gets. The prose, the drama, the romance, the tragedy, the atmosphere! So vivid, very cottagecore but with the contrast of a dark and turbulent Renaissance castle... is just... TRULY GORGEOUS. And also the characters! I don't know about the original work of Shakeaspeare, but in this version the author show us a cast of such a complex and realistic characters. Anyway, it was so so so so so good but for some reason i like more the movie (even if the costumes are so historically inaccurate)
Sorry if my english is bad in this kind of "review" but i'm not bilingual yet and this book has me just so excited to try to be perfeccionist right now.
Oh dear god... i'm not even a fan of Shakeaspeare, i haven't read Hamlet, BUT THIS RETELLING. OH GOD.
i can't stop thinking about this novel... Like, the first chapters are very simple, but further you read better it gets. The prose, the drama, the romance, the tragedy, the atmosphere! So vivid, very cottagecore but with the contrast of a dark and turbulent Renaissance castle... is just... TRULY GORGEOUS. And also the characters! I don't know about the original work of Shakeaspeare, but in this version the author show us a cast of such a complex and realistic characters. Anyway, it was so so so so so good but for some reason i like more the movie (even if the costumes are so historically inaccurate)
Sorry if my english is bad in this kind of "review" but i'm not bilingual yet and this book has me just so excited to try to be perfeccionist right now.
April 25, 2025
RTC once I decide how much of a b*tch I want to be about the Catholic inaccuracies. it WAS solidly feminist though. I will gladly give it that.
January 26, 2014
I chanced upon this book in the library a few years ago. And I'm glad I picked it up because, surprisingly, this is the book that inspired me to read classic literature, of which I am now a huge fan.
This is a YA work, but it's the one of the best titles I've ever read. It is a retelling of the play "Hamlet" by Shakespeare. I used to hate Shakespeare, but this story was so intriguing that I had to go back to the original and read it again. Because of Ophelia, I saw the greatness of Shakespeare from which Lisa Klein drew her characters.
I won't give the plot away, but I can tell you that I thought it was excellently written. If there's anything that stands out to me in a good book, it's the author's ability to get readers to understand the protagonist's very mind; this book has that. I've reread this book many times, and each time I'm struck by Klein's use of English and her portrayal of characters.
Five stars because it is a remarkably well done work (and for a YA title, it's superb). Five stars also because of Klein's inspiring me to go back and read the original Hamlet... her words were that powerful. And because I realized that Shakespeare was more than I thought it was before, I was able to bring myself to read other classic works and recognize the genius of their authors as well. Recommended to mature readers.
This is a YA work, but it's the one of the best titles I've ever read. It is a retelling of the play "Hamlet" by Shakespeare. I used to hate Shakespeare, but this story was so intriguing that I had to go back to the original and read it again. Because of Ophelia, I saw the greatness of Shakespeare from which Lisa Klein drew her characters.
I won't give the plot away, but I can tell you that I thought it was excellently written. If there's anything that stands out to me in a good book, it's the author's ability to get readers to understand the protagonist's very mind; this book has that. I've reread this book many times, and each time I'm struck by Klein's use of English and her portrayal of characters.
Five stars because it is a remarkably well done work (and for a YA title, it's superb). Five stars also because of Klein's inspiring me to go back and read the original Hamlet... her words were that powerful. And because I realized that Shakespeare was more than I thought it was before, I was able to bring myself to read other classic works and recognize the genius of their authors as well. Recommended to mature readers.
January 4, 2025
Audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell 9 hrs 53 minutes
The only New Year's resolutions are those related to reading. One of my resolutions for 2025 is that I am going to tackle my Goodreads TBR and that those long and suffering books on the list FINALLY are read.
Ophelia is the first to be tackled. Hamlet was one of my favourite high school plays and I always wanted to have a better end for Ophelia than Shakespeare gave her.
Lisa Klein answers the call and provides first the back story- a motherless girl used for her father's desire to have better opportunities in the Danish court. Ophelia adores her brother but has very few friends at court. Ophelia is close to the Queen and as she blossoms into womanhood forms an attachment to Prince Hamlet. The romance between the two is the central point of the novel. After all, the book is directed at a teen audience.
But I was a little bored and was grateful when I hit part two and the events that are known from the play threw the book into high gear. Except, Hamlet becomes extremely unlikeable and Ophelia runs around the Danish court like a character in a 90's rom-com. Also, I know it has been years since I read the play but Ophelia's major conflict was always how torn her heart was between her father's orders and Hamlet's revenge plan. But Klein appears to brush this aside and so it feels a little disingenuous that the retelling eliminates the conflict from its source material.
On the other hand, I liked the twist "what-if Ophelia escaped her death?" and I liked Horatio's role in the deception. But I wish that the part three had been a little more gripping.
Unfortunately, it would appear that Ophelia failed to gain a grip on me.
Lastly, Cassandra Campbell's narration was my favourite part of the audiobook.
Goodreads review published 04/01/25
The only New Year's resolutions are those related to reading. One of my resolutions for 2025 is that I am going to tackle my Goodreads TBR and that those long and suffering books on the list FINALLY are read.
Ophelia is the first to be tackled. Hamlet was one of my favourite high school plays and I always wanted to have a better end for Ophelia than Shakespeare gave her.
Lisa Klein answers the call and provides first the back story- a motherless girl used for her father's desire to have better opportunities in the Danish court. Ophelia adores her brother but has very few friends at court. Ophelia is close to the Queen and as she blossoms into womanhood forms an attachment to Prince Hamlet. The romance between the two is the central point of the novel. After all, the book is directed at a teen audience.
But I was a little bored and was grateful when I hit part two and the events that are known from the play threw the book into high gear. Except, Hamlet becomes extremely unlikeable and Ophelia runs around the Danish court like a character in a 90's rom-com. Also, I know it has been years since I read the play but Ophelia's major conflict was always how torn her heart was between her father's orders and Hamlet's revenge plan. But Klein appears to brush this aside and so it feels a little disingenuous that the retelling eliminates the conflict from its source material.
On the other hand, I liked the twist "what-if Ophelia escaped her death?" and I liked Horatio's role in the deception. But I wish that the part three had been a little more gripping.
Unfortunately, it would appear that Ophelia failed to gain a grip on me.
Lastly, Cassandra Campbell's narration was my favourite part of the audiobook.
Goodreads review published 04/01/25
September 24, 2020
Reinterpretacion de la tragedia de Hamlet, Ofelia es un retelling de la famosa obra de Shakespeare que nos cuenta la historia desde un nuevo punto de vista. Es un libro entretenido aunque no me ha resultado nada especial.
Una novela entretenida para pasar el rato.
Una novela entretenida para pasar el rato.
June 13, 2008
I won't rehash my love of all things Shakespeare and the particular love i have for his play Hamlet here (although my reading of the particular young adult novel Ophelia by Lisa Klein did prompt a viewing of all six of my various Hamlet dvds for their sundry interpretations~it is always better to view performances than just to read over the text and i felt it all needed slight refreshing so i pulled i started by rereading the text itself then decided to pull out all five of my Hamlet dvds and watch those instead.
I started with the Kenneth Branagh version because that is the first version to actually use the full text of the play. It is set in Denmark, though in the nineteenth century (somehow i feel a bit iffy with the whole messing around with the bard thing~but then i think~how anachronistic was old Will to begin with? and i rethink my whole thinking...) Overall i liked the Branagh version (though, of course, i did have a few quarrels with it~can anyone ever do a film of something you love ever fully to your liking?~i found Ophelia a tad too "knowing", if that is in fact the word...).
I've always been fond of Franco Zeffirelli's Shakespeare and his Hamlet is no exception (tho i've somewhat soured on Mel Gibson now~i do love Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia and the locations here are wonderful). Olivier is brilliant as always~i can see why he is who he is (was?), but of course (tho how you can leave out Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is beyond me...) and i also really like Richard Burton's dress rehearsal version. I must say i'm not a huge Ethan Hawke fan but i did like his Hamlet (even if it was set in "modern"~well year 2000, god how time does fly~New York). And then there is the Russian Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet, beautifully sparse and spare (just as imagine ninth century Denmark), it is also beautifully Russian… (i would also love to get my hands on a Ralph Fiennes Broadway production~so i'm just a little obsessesed~but this was probably enough for a single film festival...)
I think that Lisa Klein might be a slightly better author than Lisa Fiedler (what is it about the name Lisa and making feminists out of Shakespearean heroines~even when there already are a few feminist Shakespearean heroines already?). I’m actually quite struck by many of the similarities of the backstory in these novels. Klein doesn't seem to be stretching quite so much for her language anyway, and the book just seemed to flow much more naturally. Her Ophelia also seemed to be much more of a real feminist than did Fiedler’s (who’s felt more like what every young girl dreamed of being in a strong female~but maybe that is appropriate to a young adult novel.) And is there really a textual basis for Ophelia being an expert herbalist (other than her “there’s rue for you..” speech?~much of which content was more common knowledge than it is today) Not that i didn’t love the detail but it was common to both novels. I did have some problems with the setting tho~seemed to be more Elizabethan than the ninth century Danish i wanted it to be (there i go again...)
I really liked the relationship developed between Ophelia and Gertrude, as well as between Hamlet and Ophelia. Familial relationships seem to be more realistic than in Fiedler’s book (and no obnoxious father reworking...) The end is somewhat predictable (although about half of the novel takes place after the end of the play) from too many clues laid out along the way (and doesn’t seem entirely in keeping with the point of the novel~tho i suppose some concessions must be made.) ‘nough said? Too much?
I started with the Kenneth Branagh version because that is the first version to actually use the full text of the play. It is set in Denmark, though in the nineteenth century (somehow i feel a bit iffy with the whole messing around with the bard thing~but then i think~how anachronistic was old Will to begin with? and i rethink my whole thinking...) Overall i liked the Branagh version (though, of course, i did have a few quarrels with it~can anyone ever do a film of something you love ever fully to your liking?~i found Ophelia a tad too "knowing", if that is in fact the word...).
I've always been fond of Franco Zeffirelli's Shakespeare and his Hamlet is no exception (tho i've somewhat soured on Mel Gibson now~i do love Helena Bonham-Carter as Ophelia and the locations here are wonderful). Olivier is brilliant as always~i can see why he is who he is (was?), but of course (tho how you can leave out Rosencrantz and Guildenstern is beyond me...) and i also really like Richard Burton's dress rehearsal version. I must say i'm not a huge Ethan Hawke fan but i did like his Hamlet (even if it was set in "modern"~well year 2000, god how time does fly~New York). And then there is the Russian Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet, beautifully sparse and spare (just as imagine ninth century Denmark), it is also beautifully Russian… (i would also love to get my hands on a Ralph Fiennes Broadway production~so i'm just a little obsessesed~but this was probably enough for a single film festival...)
I think that Lisa Klein might be a slightly better author than Lisa Fiedler (what is it about the name Lisa and making feminists out of Shakespearean heroines~even when there already are a few feminist Shakespearean heroines already?). I’m actually quite struck by many of the similarities of the backstory in these novels. Klein doesn't seem to be stretching quite so much for her language anyway, and the book just seemed to flow much more naturally. Her Ophelia also seemed to be much more of a real feminist than did Fiedler’s (who’s felt more like what every young girl dreamed of being in a strong female~but maybe that is appropriate to a young adult novel.) And is there really a textual basis for Ophelia being an expert herbalist (other than her “there’s rue for you..” speech?~much of which content was more common knowledge than it is today) Not that i didn’t love the detail but it was common to both novels. I did have some problems with the setting tho~seemed to be more Elizabethan than the ninth century Danish i wanted it to be (there i go again...)
I really liked the relationship developed between Ophelia and Gertrude, as well as between Hamlet and Ophelia. Familial relationships seem to be more realistic than in Fiedler’s book (and no obnoxious father reworking...) The end is somewhat predictable (although about half of the novel takes place after the end of the play) from too many clues laid out along the way (and doesn’t seem entirely in keeping with the point of the novel~tho i suppose some concessions must be made.) ‘nough said? Too much?
November 7, 2009
2.5 stars
here is my essential question: do i love metafiction or do i hate it? i really don't know and this book isn't helping me decide.
first off, i was sort of...miffed...by the premise. i am a die-hard hamlet fan (by which i mean i love shakespeare's play, not that i'm about to get a poisoned rapier and go to town). furthermore, i LOVE ophelia. and i don't think shakespeare does her any unnecessary disservice. there i said it. lisa klein's whole premise in writing this story is that she, too, claims to love ophelia but she feels that billy the bard mistreats her more than, well, everyone in the play seems to. so, in a move that totally lacks any hubris whatsoever, she decided to write this prosaic version instead. pun on prosaic intended.
then, to add insult to injury, she rewrites ophelia's ending.
gah. i understand that the target audience of this book is 13-16 year old girls who practically demand a happy ending (cough, cough, twilight, cough, cough), but the original source is profoundly tragic. to alter or deviate from that is to spit in the face of the original (in my opinion) - there is just no enhancement to shakespeare's text here.
furthermore, the writing here is nothing special; it's not bad...it's just ordinary. lisa klein is a former professor and she clearly knows the rules of grammar, but she lacks the panache of a truly great writer. and let's just be honest, if you are going to take on the bard, you better have a few tricks up your sleeve. perhaps too frequently, klein manipulates famous quotes from the play, but like this novel, her efforts merely come off as a hollow homage to the spirit of the original.
p.s. the post-hamlet bit is just very...weird. i'm fairly certain ophelia gets mixed up with st. theresa of avila, which, well, makes no sense historically. oh, and a rip-off of christine de pizan. and maybe i'm just reading into that because of my degree in medieval lit, but still. it added insult to the injury that is the premise of this book to begin with.
here is my essential question: do i love metafiction or do i hate it? i really don't know and this book isn't helping me decide.
first off, i was sort of...miffed...by the premise. i am a die-hard hamlet fan (by which i mean i love shakespeare's play, not that i'm about to get a poisoned rapier and go to town). furthermore, i LOVE ophelia. and i don't think shakespeare does her any unnecessary disservice. there i said it. lisa klein's whole premise in writing this story is that she, too, claims to love ophelia but she feels that billy the bard mistreats her more than, well, everyone in the play seems to. so, in a move that totally lacks any hubris whatsoever, she decided to write this prosaic version instead. pun on prosaic intended.
then, to add insult to injury, she rewrites ophelia's ending.
gah. i understand that the target audience of this book is 13-16 year old girls who practically demand a happy ending (cough, cough, twilight, cough, cough), but the original source is profoundly tragic. to alter or deviate from that is to spit in the face of the original (in my opinion) - there is just no enhancement to shakespeare's text here.
furthermore, the writing here is nothing special; it's not bad...it's just ordinary. lisa klein is a former professor and she clearly knows the rules of grammar, but she lacks the panache of a truly great writer. and let's just be honest, if you are going to take on the bard, you better have a few tricks up your sleeve. perhaps too frequently, klein manipulates famous quotes from the play, but like this novel, her efforts merely come off as a hollow homage to the spirit of the original.
p.s. the post-hamlet bit is just very...weird. i'm fairly certain ophelia gets mixed up with st. theresa of avila, which, well, makes no sense historically. oh, and a rip-off of christine de pizan. and maybe i'm just reading into that because of my degree in medieval lit, but still. it added insult to the injury that is the premise of this book to begin with.
April 29, 2010
You get sucked in instantaneously to this cunning and devilishly smart novel called OPHELIA. The main character, Ophelia, is headstrong, determined, and lovestruck. When the wonderful and beautiful Hamlet enters her life, Ophelia is hypnotized.Even though he is a prince and she is the Queens lowest lady-in-waiting, the two stop at nothing to be together. When Hamlet's father is poisoned, the Queen becomes very grief stricken, going to Ophelia for support and a welcome ear. Then the notorious King Claudius marries Hamlet's mother, and he will stop at nothing to make sure the court rules exactly the way he wants-eliminating everyone who gets in the way. When Hamlet starts to go crazy and claims he is seeing his father's ghost, Ophelia flees with nothing other than the clothes on her back and a very dangerous secret.
Lisa Klein weaves a tale so intruiging and spellbinding you'll never want to put this book down. Every page holds new emotions and new adventures to behold. Thiugh it may start slow, if you stick with this book, it will be truly enchanting. Reccommended for young adults and up who like adventure with a bit of romance.
Lisa Klein weaves a tale so intruiging and spellbinding you'll never want to put this book down. Every page holds new emotions and new adventures to behold. Thiugh it may start slow, if you stick with this book, it will be truly enchanting. Reccommended for young adults and up who like adventure with a bit of romance.
May 1, 2019
I just noticed the relatively low rating of this book on this website and I just came here to say that THIS SHIT ABSOLUTELY SLAPS. Everybody in it is sexy and I think about it all the time. I think my weird obsession with monasteries can be traced back to this exact book. I definitely read this before Hamlet, so it had a very Wishbone-introduction vibe for me. 13 year old me was absolutely BLESSED to have it and I love it very much.
February 23, 2008
I learned that I definitely have a different idea of what Ophelia's fate should have been! Very well written but not enough interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia to justify the deep love the author wanted us to believe that they had for one another. The research the author did on herbs and medicine during that era was quite extensive and interesting.
August 17, 2017
~2.75 stars~
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