Ophelia By: Lisa Klein

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• Title: Ophelia
• Author: Lisa Klein
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication Date: October 31, 2006
• Pages: 328
• Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age: 13+
• First Read: 2012
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

In this re-telling of the classic Shakespeare play Hamlet, we get to hear Ophelia's side of the story as she grows up in the kingdom of Elsinore as Queen Gertrude's most trusted lady in waiting. Ophelia is rowdy, quick witted, and an overall rocking heroine because she tells people exactly what she thinks and doesn't sell herself short and I love that.

The author blends the original play seamlessly within the plot and creates an entire backstory for Ophelia that I appreciate very much because we get to know her as a young child before she "supposedly" went crazy. My favorite aspect of this novel is the perspective Klein takes on Ophelia's (and Hamlet's) madness and how, though it ended quite horribly for Ophelia in the original play, there might be a chance for her in this novel. 

I love Ophelia. She is an absolute spitfire for sixteenth century standards and ends up having a lot of people in the palm of her hand even though others don't realize that they are. She transforms from the almost absent character in Shakespeare's original to the girl that leaps from the pages of the book so that I can almost hear see her strolling along the river picking herbs and pining about Hamlet.

My favorite part is actually the plot Ophelia concocts to get her out of Elsinore before she gets killed and the author skillfully weaves the traditional state of her madness into something that actually benefits Ophelia. I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the ending of the book, but it's genius.

I think I'll stop gushing now and just let you guys read the book for yourselves but this is definitely one of the best re-tellings, or should I say, re-imaginings of any classic work I've ever read. This novel is highly under appreciated and I hope that changes soon!

Never Let Me Go By: Kazuo Ishiguro

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• Title: Never Let Me Go
• Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
• Publisher: Vintage Books
• Publication Date: August 31, 2010
• Pages: 288
• Genre: Fiction
• Recommended Age: 16+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 3.5 / 5.0

I have started this review over and over again because I just couldn't find the right words to describe this ethereal, dreamy mess that I love and hate at the same time.

I know that a lot of people start this book not knowing what to think because the blurb completely misleads the reader into thinking there is nothing but normalcy in this novel. But if the plot was "normal" then why would Ishiguro have written about it then?

The truth is, this novel is more about the author's exploration of morality in the human race than anything else because he gives these three characters-Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy- an inescapable fate. I do not want to give too much away in terms of the plot because I think that it is important that people do not know the true intentions of the novel because it adds to the experience when the reader discovers what it is all about.

All I have to say is that I experienced a roller coaster of emotions with this book because I did not know exactly how to feel at any given time, despair being the overarching theme in this novel. And though it was horribly depressing at times, the book was masterfully written and Ishiguro never had to over describe everything to get his point cross.

I did not give this book a five star rating or even the four star rating because I felt like it left too many unanswered questions that could have cleared the plot up a little bit. Although I suppose it was the author's intention to leave to those details ambiguous to explore the human psyche, it still would have been nice. But it was beautifully written, albeit a bit slow at times, and I do recommend reading this book to have a unique experience.

Note about the movie: It features Andrew Garfield and Kiera Knightly and completely diverges from the original plot, but it was, like this book itself, quite an experience unto itself.