Cindy Harrison loves books. As a review for Publishers Weekly, she read about 20 books per month, and still finds time to teach at her local community college."I am also deeply loyal to writers whose work changed my life in significant ways, even if I have not read them in ages. Plus, all kinds of books have marked meaningful moments in my life." Visit her at
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The sonnet Lover
Author: Carol Goodman
C
arol Goodman's new novel has a Shakespearean twist, so that alone made me want to read it. The Sonnet Lover turned out to be so amazing that I added Carol Goodman to my list of "read entire oeuvre immediately" authors. The plot has just enough mystery to intrigue but not overwhelm, the main character is interesting and relatable (she's a literature prof), and the Shakespeare lore dollops the whipped cream on the cupcake.
In Shakespeare circles, it's generally accepted that the bard wrote many of his famous sonnets to a particular woman: a woman for whom he had a mad passion, a woman who drove him nuts with desire, a woman who was inexplicably unattainable. In The Sonnet Lover, Goodman gives us her nominee for the Dark Lady, telling a double tale full of romantic intrigue, feminist fire, and a compelling portrait of the yearning behind artistic expression.
The shadow story takes place 400 years in the past; the contemporary plot stars Rose Archer, who, among other similarities to the Dark Lady, has a secret lover of her own. When Rose receives an amazing clue that seems to lead the identity of Shakespeare's Dark Lady, she is pulled to Italy, back into her past, to her first love, which, despite the years, has never quite died. What she finds will make her career; it also puts her life in peril.
The Sonnet Lover is a cleverly plotted story with depth and heart and intelligence shining on every page. I adored it; it makes me want to write a poem. I'll certainly be reading more of Goodman's work.
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