Love Disguised

June 24, 2013
After Meg Macdougall loses both of her parents in a quick succession of tragedies, she takes up residence as a barmaid at the Boar’s Head Inn, where she eventually meets a young Will Shakespeare. Will is just to London after being tricked by Anne Hathaway into having sex with her, believing Anne is her younger sister. Soon 15-year-old Meg and her friend Violetta get swept up into helping Will with his new play. After Will is robbed, Meg offers up the assistance of her (invented) twin brother, Mack, in avenging Will’s honor and pocketbook. From there, Will and Mack (who is actually Meg in disguise) try to find the thieves and avoid jail on account of Will’s father’s debts. Klein’s (Ophelia; Lady Macbeth’s Daughter) prose is cheerful, lively, and full of historical and literary tidbits to delight Shakespeare fans, as Meg/Mack’s relationship with Will vacillates between friendship and romance. Weaving fact with fiction, Klein’s novel plays up her own Shakespearean wit and takes full advantage of her extensive knowledge of his life and plays. Ages 12–up.

June 15, 2013
Innovative and ambitious, this portrait of young Will Shakespeare doesn't quite succeed. Assisting his improvident father, a Stratford glover, Will dreams of escaping to become an actor. He gets his wish when a midnight rendezvous with one of the Hathaway sisters goes awry, and his father sends him to London to negotiate a debt. Concurrently, left to shift for herself after her father's death in prison and her mother's suicide, young Londoner Meg survives by petty crime until she's offered employment by kindly innkeepers. Will and Meg meet, but Meg is too late to rescue him from thieves who prey on rubes. While Will frets about repairing his fortunes, Meg concocts schemes to make it happen. Soon, Will's career as playwright and actor takes off, and Meg--thanks to her quick wit and acting chops--serves as his muse. Meg's an appealing character, but naive and selfish Will's hard to like. Labored subplots based on mistaken identity and cross-dressing slow the action considerably. Meant to evoke the Bard of Avon's comedies, they clash with the vivid portrayal of the harsh Elizabethan world and Meg's brutal past depicted elsewhere in the novel. What's hilarious (to some) onstage is problematic in fiction with an otherwise realistic bent. Risk-taking and thought-provoking fiction, best suited to readers who cherish Shakespearean slapstick. (author's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 14 & up)

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September 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-This novel begins slowly but quickly builds steam. Young and charismatic Will Shakespeare longs to escape Stratford to become a playwright in London, an occupation frowned on by his father. Fate and duty seem to interweave as Will is sent to London to deal with his father's debt. There he meets his muse, a witty and savvy barmaid named Long Meg, who is attempting to escape her past. When Will is robbed, Meg offers the help of her brother Mack (Long Meg in disguise). The two work together to recover Will's fortune and settle his father's debt as they work together to realize Will's dreams. Chapters alternate between Will's story and Meg's, giving readers a chance to know both of them. The novel contains many allusions to the Bard's works that fans will delight in, while readers unfamiliar with them will enjoy the story on its own merit. The author includes a note highlighting the historical facts that influenced her tale as well as some resources for further reading. Love Disguised will leave readers inspired to delve into the works of Shakespeare and discover Klein's sources of inspiration.-Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2013
Grades 7-12 *Starred Review* Creatively interweaving fact and fiction, Klein (Ophelia, 2006) imagines Shakespeare's youth in this immersing tale. It's 1582, and 18-year-old Will Shakespeare longs to escape Stratford and his strict father to pursue acting and playwriting. In London on family matters, he meets teen pub-maid Meg Macdougall, an orphan, who is attempting to overcome, and conceal, her childhood by thieving and disguising herself as a boy named Mack. When Will is robbed, Meg offers Mack's assistance. Meanwhile, pub-servant Violetta enlists Meg/Mack's help in wooing Will, but Will and Meg start developing feelings for one another. Multiple plots unfold and, as characters converge, their experiences, individually and together, reveal the complexities of relationships, love, and the pursuit of dreams. Told in alternating stories, and employing Elizabethan theater classic-comedic devices (disguises, romantic mix-ups, etc.), Klein vividly portrays time and place in descriptive prose, rich with historical detail and archaic flavor. Will and Meg are distinctly drawn, engaging protagonists journeying toward self-discovery in this entertaining, inventive story for historical-fiction and theater fans. The abundant Shakespearean/literary allusions will resonate most with those Bard-familiar, but won't lessen new-to-Shakespeare readers' enjoyment. The endnote provides historical context, story inspirations, and further-reading suggestions.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)