Miranda Hoberman is an average theater-junkie with a lot of not-so-average ambition. After an amazing audition for the female lead of Romeo and Juliet, she finds that her director isn't satisfied with the talent. So, in an attempt to get the part, she casts a Fame spell. Instead of making her famous, though, it brings her someone famous - Edmund Shakespeare, William's younger brother. After the initial shock of the situation wears off, Edmund agrees to help Miranda get the part. The only problem is helping him fit into twenty-first century life. With no identification, there's not much he can do in the present world. As Miranda helps Edmund and he assists her with the play in return, she finds herself falling for him... but even if their relationship works out, can they conquer time?
I had a good idea of what to expect from this book. I thought I'd read plenty of novels like it before: a cheesy romance barely backed up by some magic and time-travel. I was dead wrong. Douglas Rees managed to spin a tale that was not only believable, despite the laws of the world, but also entertaining. The romance was not cheesy in the least. I found that Edmund was not the macho superman, but instead, a caring, gentle boy who was not afraid to be himself. In the beginning of the book, when Edmund found out what had happened and realized he may never see his family again, he broke down crying. Shoulders-shaking sobbing. At the time, I found this to be not very attractive. But as the story progressed and came together, and the reader could discover more of Edmund's character, I saw it for what it was: strength. Because a strong man can show his emotions, no matter who else is with them. I also enjoyed the magic. There were laws to it that stemmed from science, and there wasn't a lot of magic withing the story. Normally I would be disappointed, since that was the main reason I picked up the book: for the magic. But I found that the way Rees told this story, without focusing on the magic that brought Edmund to present-time, was very interesting.
I had one issue with the authenticity of the historical facts. When Edmund was praying for his family, he mentioned William Shakespeare's children. Their names were Susanna, Judith and Hamnet. However, when Edmund mentioned them, he said Hamlet, as in, the play Shakespeare wrote. This play was written after his son, Hamnet, dies, at age eleven, of the plague. Many historians believe the play is related to the boy, but no one can know for certain. Up until that point in the book, I was loving the way I could really believe that Edmund was from the past. The words, he used, words he didn't understand, even his dialect was mentioned. But when he said Hamlet, I again realized that the Edmund of the book wasn't a real person; his personality was merely a figment of Rees's imagination. Back to authenticity, though, I did like the fact that Edmund was a real person in the past; William Shakespeare really did have a brother named Edmund. And aside from that one error, I couldn't find anything else historically incorrect.
I really enjoyed how Rees brought the theater to life in a such a way that even someone who knows not the slightest about acting or plays could picture themselves in a starring role and feel the magic. The book contained a lot of information about acting in such a way that it didn't feel like the reader was learning a whole new topic, like from school, but an interesting fact, like from a magazine or such. None of it was boring. Of course, I can't speak for people who hate theater, acting, movies, and anything related, but I thought everything was realistic, relevant to the storyline, and engrossing.
Overall, I am proud to say I may have found a new author to look for books from. I enjoyed Rees's style of writing and story. I would rate this book four stars. I simply hated to put it down, and always wanted to pick it back up again. I would give this book to someone looking for mystery, love, and theater.
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