Shakespeare stories II

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The companion volume to the highly acclaimed SHAKESPEARE STORIES. Leon Garfield presents anew nine more of Shakespeare's memorable dramas. Together Leon Garfield and Michael Foreman have produced a literary and illustrative tour de force that pays homage to the world's most celebrated playwright.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up‘A worthy sequel to Shakespeare Stories (Houghton, 1991). The first volume covered 12 plays, primarily the more familiar. This one has only nine, and several are unusual fare for young readers. They have mature and often jaded perspectives, which, if not incomprehensible to adolescents, we can hope might seem a bit remote. But Antony and Cleopatra is an interesting follow-up to Julius Caesar; Measure for Measure offers complex fare for morality discussions; and the peculiar magical aspects of Winter's Tale offer an interesting contrast to The Tempest. Reading such enriched retellings of plays students might miss in high school will enhance those they do study. For the guaranteed curriculum basics, such as Julius Caesar, here is an alternative to yellow study guides, one in which explication is subliminally available in the graceful prose. The romances are appealing, and Garfield's seamless movement between his own descriptive language and Shakespeare's has never worked better. Foreman's vibrant watercolors, particularly the mesmerizing Cleopatra cover girl and an anguished Julius Caesar at the Capitol, and the many small ink-wash illustrations bring strong visual appeal to a pending classic‘one that adults should not assume is just for kids.‘Sally Margolis, Deerfield Public Library, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 6-10. In the format of his Shakespeare Stories (1985), Garfield retells the plots of nine more Shakespearean plays in graceful prose, studded with dialogue. While the first volume included more familiar plays, this one presents Much Ado about Nothing, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Measure for Measure, As You Like It, Cymbeline, King Richard the Third, The Comedy of Errors, and The Winter's Tale. Foreman contributes dozens of illustrations, from colorplates to smaller line-and-wash paintings reproduced in shades of gray. A handsome companion volume to the earlier book. Carolyn Phelan

Horn Book Review

Some of Shakespeare's best-known comedies ('Much Ado about Nothing; As You Like It') and tragedies ('Julius Caesar; Richard the Third') are included in this second collection of nine tales rewritten in prose form for contemporary audiences. While Garfield's inimitable style is certainly detectable, the flavor of the originals is well preserved. The illustrated volume could have been made even better by the addition of background notes and introductions. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.