Ophelia | Lisa Klein | Ophelia gets 5 stars for an outstanding book!!!!!!

Ophelia | Lisa Klein | A Work of Art

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Ophelia

	Ophelia Lisa Klein Bloomsbury USA Children's Books, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 30 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.
In this reimagining of Shakespeare?s famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen?s most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia?s happiness is shattered. Ultimately, she must choose between her love for Hamlet and her own life. In desperation, Ophelia devises a treacherous plan to escape from Elsinore forever . . . with one very dangerous secret.
Lisa Klein?s Ophelia tells the story of a young woman falling in love, searching for her place in the world, and finding the strength to survive. Sharp and literary, dark and romantic, this dramatic story holds readers in its grip until the final, heartrending scene.

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Ophelia gets 5 stars for an outstanding book!!!!!!

Ophelia is the retelling of Hamlet(Ophelia's side) The book starts out with a letter that Horatio sent to Ophelia around 1601, it tells about how King Claudius, Queen Gertude, Prince Hamlet, and Ophelia's own brother are all killed. Then ophelia tells her story about what lead to the events that caused the tyrany that caused Elisnore castle(that's where she lives)to go into madness. I would read this book over again and again if i could. Now i will surely read Hamlet!!!!

A Work of Art

Ophelia is probably one of the best books I've ever read. Every minute of it pulled me in liek a vortex. I think I read it in one day. Although I have not read any real works of Shakespeare yet,I have always enjoyed watching his plays. Ophelia was a work of art. It is the story of a motherless girl who lives in the castle as a lady to Queen Gertrude of Denmark. Ophelia finds herself fascinated with Prince Hamlet, and he soon returns her love. However,the course of love never did run smooth. Someone at Elsinore is brewing trouble. Someone murders good King Hamlet, making his brother Claudius king. This makes many people suspicious, especially Hamlet and when Gertrude marries the tyrant, Hamlet comes in full fury.
But this story is about Ophelia. She is a very engaging character who I would like to be friends with. Her biting wit and passion make this book thought-provoking and sometimes even humorous. The ending surprised me a little, but ther was a lot of forshadowing so I'm sure an older person could have figurd it out. I found Horatio a better man thatn Hamlet, who loved Ophelia for like two seconds then went insane. I also liked Sister Isabel because she was so calm and nice. Anyways, please read this book. I like that someone FINALLY made a Shakespeare woman powerful in her own right. That annoyed me immensely whenever I saw one of his plays, and I'm glad at least one character got her due. :) This is a work of art, and you will remain enthralled the whole time.

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Daring Ophelia

Lisa Klein has written a lovely tale that brings Ophelia a life of her own. It shouldn't be compared to Shakespeare's writing--it was not meant to be. If you are familiar with Hamlet, then you will take a deeper meaning from certain events...(no spoilers here) But some of the other story elements that made Shakespeare's Hamlet such a powerful tragedy--the apparition of his murdered father, Hamlet's madness and torment are seen only through the veiled understanding of the main character: Ophelia. Klein does an excellent job of setting the scene for Ophelia's life in the Denmark Court. She takes the reader inside Ophelia's thoughts and we have the benefit of her pure confessions. If you expect a reworking/retelling of Hamlet, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a different angle set against a more famous story, you will enjoy this one. I can see this being a favoite among young women/teens.

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Ok, but not for KIDS!

I recently purchased this book and read a great deal the same day. But as I read on, the story became "dirty" (if you know what I mean) so like a good little girl I put it back on the shelf. I think I'll wait for a couple years to read this one.
Also, the characters in this novel have none of Shakespeare's wit and charm. The author should have studied the original more closely.
In the end, I may read this book one day, but I doubt it will ever blow me away.

Interesting attempt but lacking in prosecution

I am a big fan of Hamlet and I have always wondered what the rest of Ophelia's story is. When of saw this reimagining of Hamlet, from Ophelia's prospective, I was wary but interested. Unfortunately, while decently written, the story was just plain boring and at sometimes forced.

The story starts from Ophelia's point of view earlier than the play, back when the court of King Hamlet was a happy place. There is even a brief meeting with Yorick the jester. It seems okay, the author tries to stay true to the writing style of Hamlet but also tries to make it easily readable. This was okay and overall better than trying to mimic Shakespeare. Unfortunately the author forces in famous parts from the original play. She tries to put them in word for word and they seem strange and stilted in with the rest of the story. It is just plain odd.

The back history and Ophelia's life after where the original play ends seem kind of boring. I am sure that the author means Ophelia to seem spirited and rebellious. To me though Ophelia's story seems rather plain; Ophelia takes what seems to me to be a rather typical route of women that were shunned in that time period. There is no stretch of the imagination here. I wonder if that is meant to make the story more realistic or maybe more in keeping with the times? The tragedy of Hamlet is in itself fanciful so I don't understand why you wouldn't stay with that and make Ophelia have a more interesting part in it all.

Despite all the things I didn't like there were some things I did like. I did like that the author stayed true to the major plotline of Hamlet. I liked the glimpse of the court before King Hamlet's death. And, although it was not in keeping with a tragedy, I liked the hopeful ending. Although even this rankled a bit because after having Ophelia rail against the men in her life it seemed odd for the author to hint that Ophelia would feel more complete with the addition of a man to her life. Maybe this was meant to be ironic. It also bothered me that the characters in this book seemed less passionate than in the play; you would think a book would give more license to character development.

All in all this may be a book I could have never really loved no matter who the writer was. It is an almost insurmountable task to fill-out a story written by Shakespeare. I applaud the author for the attempt. I just wish it was a more interesting and more well-written attempt. As it stands this book was okay, but nothing more. I don't think I will read anything more by this author, her writing style definitely didn't grab and take hold of me.
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