Ophelia

Reader reviewed by Samantha Launius

This book by Lisa Klein is wonderfully descriptive. It tells a deep tale about one girl whos tranformation into a woman has a lot of secret attached. It describes things in a great detail that makes you think that you are actually there.

The story takes place back in time. Even if you do not like books that are based on the past, this book tells a wonderful story of the past with a hint of the present.

Reader reviewed by sarahsue94

Ophelia is based on the fictional character by William Shakespear. Young Ophelia moves into the castle in Elsinore. She soons Falls in love with Prince Hamlet. With her mother dead and her fathers rejection she is sent to live in Queen Gertrude's court. As her and hamlets love grows they secretly wed in the forest, but on there wedding night hamlet good friend burst into their love nest and him and hamlet head into the forest where hamlet sees the ghost of his recently murdered father. With hamlet seeking revenge Ophelia fears for her life and flees to a nunnary. This is a captivating, addicting, wonderful story of love, greif, hope, sorrow and revenge and I recomend it to everyone!

Reader reviewed by Bookmac

Reader reviewed by Steph Su

Shakespeares tragedy, Hamlet, is practically required reading for every English student. But how much is really known about Ophelia, Hamlets girl, who goes mad and commits suicide in the original play?

Lisa Klein offers us a different perspective on the undeveloped Shakespearean character. Ophelia is a strong-willed and beautiful young woman living in the often treacherous world of court intrigue. For the most part shunned and used by her father and brother, the once tomboyish and willful Ophelia grows into a lady with wit and passion under the wings of court women such as Queen Gertrude. Yet she sometimes feels separate from the rest of the ladies when they speak of things such as love and marriage.

That is, of course, until she crosses paths with Prince Hamlet. Their attraction for one another is undeniable, and Ophelia soon finds herself spiraling downwards into love. But when, after the suspicious death of his father the king, Hamlets passion for Ophelia turns into a dreadful passion for revenge, Ophelia must carve out her own path, with or without her love, if she wants to live.

Review

It is refreshing to have one of Shakespeares usually passive female characters retold as a strong personality. Ophelia is very much a modern woman stuck in the early seventeenth century; you can find hearty doses of feminism and religious zeal in many passages throughout. Supporting characters, however, are incompletely sketched, and I never felt any real connection with Ophelia and Hamlets love for one another.

About half of the book focuses on what actually occurs in the play; the rest is about Ophelias attempt to survive away from Elsinore. Because she ends up at a convent, the second half of the book is very much focused on religion and finding peace with oneself, so much so that at times it can begin to sound preachy. Likewise, Ophelia seemed to approach the reliving of her past at arms length, and that, I think, unfortunately detracted from the storys intimacy and appeal.

Overall, however, Ophelia is an interesting way to reapproach a familiar piece of literature. If youre looking for something pro-feminism with period language that sounds genuine, pick this one up.

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Reader reviewed by Rin

Ophelia spends a large majority of her childhood, playing with her brother and his playmates, which occasionally include the prince, Hamlet and his dear friend, Horatio. Meanwhile, her father neglects her as his life revolves around his rank in society.

Then, Ophelia becomes a lady-in-waiting to the queen and manages to make the prince Hamelet fall for her. As their romance escalates, they eventually marry as a secret. Yet things don't continue on happily.A ghost arrives, Hamlet's late father. With a deadly request.

And Hamlet's desire to see his father's wish fufilled consumes him, causing him to lose himself.

Ophelia is a great book! Shakespeare lovers, teen readers and historical fiction lovers will enjoy this one!
Pick it up

Reader reviewed by Mary

When most people think of Ophelia they think of Hamlet's romantic interest in Shakespeare's tragedy. But Ophelia is not the main character in the play and little is known about her. Lisa Klein, in this superb retelling, takes what we know about Ophelia and makes it better.


Ophelia as a young girl grows up playing mainly with her brother. Throughout her childhood, her father neglects her as he tries to climb up in society.

However, soon, her father decides that she should be a lady in waiting to the Queen. This transition brings upon a whole new person. Ophelia begins to grow into a passionate, headstrong young woman. And Hamlet notices. The two fall in love. Meanwhile, Hamlet's father dies and Hamlet's uncle takes the throne. Hamlet decides to marry Ophelia in secret. Unfortunately, on the day of their wedding, they are interrupted by Horatio, Hamlet's dear friend. Horatio takes Hamlet out and there Hamlet meets his father's ghost who claims that he was murdered. And he wants Hamlet to take revenge.


From there, Ophelia's life begins to change, as the madness seems to take Hamlet over. And then the chaos begins-deaths, good acting on Ophelia's part and a whole lot of secrets.....


This book was an extremely good retelling, filled with vivid characters and beautiful prose.

Reader reviewed by Fiona Grew

This novel is what is sometimes called a "hypothetical". Based on Shakespeare's Hamlet, it asks questions such as: what if Ophelia didn't die in the stream that slopes aslant a brook? What if she faked her own death and went, as advised by Hamlet, to a nunnery?

Ophelia is the narrator, and Bloomsbury has provided an appealing cover that depicts her as a Kate Moss-ish beauty with a clear gaze and an expression both defiant and a little alarmed. She begins with her early childhood, her life with her father, Polonius, and her brother, Laertes, in a dingy house outside the palace. Her mother is dead, and that loss is what makes her turn to women who can be substitutes for the one person who would have loved her unreservedly and completely.
She attracts the attention of Queen Gertrude and becomes one of her ladies. She is well educated, and, when she's older, she gets instruction from the Queen herself and also from Mechtild, a wise woman and herbalist. Such knowledge of poisons and soporifics is useful when she wants to deceive everyone into thinking that she has killed herself.
The love affair between Ophelia and Hamlet is the backbone of the novel. They meet as children, and in this version, they are married in secret. Hamlet's madness, brought on by the murder of his father, is as much a mystery to Ophelia as to everyone else. Horatio is her true friend throughout, and it's clear that he's in love with her. Anyone who knows the play will be fascinated to see how the Shakespearean version slots into this tale. Much of the action of the play is missing; some of the most exciting events are reported after they've happened. To compensate somewhat, we get a good idea of what domestic life in the Danish court was like in about 1600.

The language Klein uses is a problem at times. She scatters many quotations from Hamlet, and it's fun to spot them. On the other hand, she's trying to show us that everything is happening a long time ago, and this leads to a kind of grandiloquence, a stiffness and formality that make it hard on occasion to get close to the characters. This, for instance, is Ophelia talking to Hamlet: "In due season, all that lives returns to dust, making the earth fecund with life. Smell how the air tonight is pregnant with the flowers' blooms and their bee-sought sweetness." There are too many clichés, and a plodding weight to the prose, but this won't stop readers revelling in a fascinating sidelight on Hamlet.

Reader reviewed by Jocelyn

Even those of us who havent read HAMLET probably know something of the story. Think hard enough, and you might even recall some details picked up from television, books, and other people. Remember Ophelia? Even if you dont, you will still love this book. Its HAMLET, retold from Ophelias point of view--and its quite different from the story William Shakespeare told! I havent read Shakespeares version, but Im sure Id like Lisa Kleins better--this beautiful and tragic story is my new favorite book! And I dont say that lightly; I always have trouble choosing favorites, but not in this case.

Ophelia is simply one girl of many in the Danish court. Hamlet is the prince. What are the odds that hell even notice this girl? Its not likely, but he does. Even less likely, they fall in love. They keep it a secret, but all seems well; the two are blissfully happy in the way only lovers can be.

Soon, though, life at the court of Denmark turns dark. Bloodshed and madness take over what was once a happy place, and nothing is what it seems to be. Loyalties are changing, lives are at stake, and Ophelia does not know what to do. Her beloved Hamlet is a part of the madness; indeed, perhaps the source of much of it. When she runs out of options, Ophelia does what she feels she must.

I dont want to give away too much of the story from this point on, but rest assured it is very different from Shakespeares telling of it. And it is nothing short of brilliant. OPHELIA is a gripping, beautifully written novel with so many elements of a marvelous story: love, conspiracy, danger, despair, deceit, murder, madness, mystery&This story lacks nothing that would make it more brilliant--except maybe a few hundred more pages or a sequel!

OPHELIA is a smart, well thought out novel full of wonderful characters and surprising plot twists. This dark, emotional, and powerfully written novel is certainly a tragedy; we know that from Shakespeare. However, all through it, there is a note of hope, even when all seems hopeless.

Im sure those who have read HAMLET would enjoy Lisa Kleins retelling of the story, but one doesnt have to have read that to enjoy OPHELIA. Anyone will enjoy this moving, romantic, and breathtaking work of art.