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Will at the Tower: Shakespeare's secret seventeenth year
He was sixteen, travelling with the most wanted man in the country, and hiding in the houses of religious fundamentalists. The authorities were closing in. The year was 1580, the place, Hoghton Tower, Lancashire. His name was Will Shakespeare or Shakeshaft. It depended on who was asking. Will at the Tower unravels the pivotal year in Shakespeare’s adolescence. His adventures, his mistakes, his narrow escapes, his first loves, and most of all, the decisions he made that shaped his infamous future. It is the story of how the Bard lost his boyhood.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 23, 2016
About the author
Pete Hartley
13 books2 followersPete Hartley is based in northern England where he taught drama for three decades and ran uneasy theatre - a small production company specialising in creating new drama and reworking established classics.
He has written extensively for the stage. Some fifty of his plays have been performed by professionals, amateurs and student companies. Six have won prizes, and one, was broadcast by BBC Radio.
Pete also had short stories published and broadcast long before the digital era dominated the airwaves.
He has written extensively for the stage. Some fifty of his plays have been performed by professionals, amateurs and student companies. Six have won prizes, and one, was broadcast by BBC Radio.
Pete also had short stories published and broadcast long before the digital era dominated the airwaves.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2019
A Genuine Look into Young Will's Adventurous Life
Written like a long play - that seemingly being Pete Hartley's forte - Will at the Tower conveys a vital slice of life of the young angst-filled teenager and the times which encapsulated him, of the heretic Catholic church under Queen Elizabeth and the fight for religious freedom.
Courage, passion, doubt rain over Will as he ambles through the north woods and sequestors in various keeps, endeavouring to become a priest, when best laid plans...
If you want a keyhole look into those times and Will before he was the famous bard, this book is a solid take.
It is a lengthy read but those who have patience will be rewarded.
Written like a long play - that seemingly being Pete Hartley's forte - Will at the Tower conveys a vital slice of life of the young angst-filled teenager and the times which encapsulated him, of the heretic Catholic church under Queen Elizabeth and the fight for religious freedom.
Courage, passion, doubt rain over Will as he ambles through the north woods and sequestors in various keeps, endeavouring to become a priest, when best laid plans...
If you want a keyhole look into those times and Will before he was the famous bard, this book is a solid take.
It is a lengthy read but those who have patience will be rewarded.
January 5, 2026
There are rumours that William Shakespeare spent some time at Hoghton Tower in Lancashire during his teenage years. Pete Hartley wrote a play, based on this assumption, that was performed at the Tower some years ago. Hartley has expanded the play into a novel, and a very enjoyable one at that.
Whether or not there is any truth in the rumours, this is a great read with a strong sense of history, a cast of sympathetic characters, and a strong story.
Historical fiction isn't usually my thing, but the local (to me) setting of Hoghton, Lea and Preston, tempted me to buy and read the book, and I'm glad that I did.
Whether or not there is any truth in the rumours, this is a great read with a strong sense of history, a cast of sympathetic characters, and a strong story.
Historical fiction isn't usually my thing, but the local (to me) setting of Hoghton, Lea and Preston, tempted me to buy and read the book, and I'm glad that I did.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews