Young Will: The Confessions of William Shakespeare

By Bruce Cook

Book Overview

It's 1616 and William Shakespeare is back in his native Stratford-Upon-Avon. His extraordinary career as a playwright and poet in London seems like another world. A strange encounter with a witch-like madwoman in his local churchyard fills Will with dread, and sends him reeling back in memory to those darker days in London along the filthy, fevered banks of the Thames- a time when politics, plagiarism, sexual passions and betrayed friendship conspired to the point of murder. Bruce Cook perfectly captures Shakespeare's coming of age in a fresh and vivid way. The actors, teachers, lovers and fellow writers spring to life in Shakespeare's confessions - especially a talented, twisted, infinitely compelling and dangerous man called Kit Marlowe, who would change Will's life forever. Shakespeare speaks, from first page to last, and tells every-thing. Literally everything...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312335733
• ISBN13: 9780312335731
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Truman Talley Books
• Length: 407 Pages
• Weight: 1.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Another smash success by Bruce Cook

I am a fan of Bruce Cook (Bruce Alexander) having read all his titles in the Chico Cervantes and Sir John Fielding series. My copy of Young Will: The Confessions of William Shakespeare arrived this week and I quickly finished it. A timeless tale of adultery, betrayal and murder, Young Will is all the more riveting because the central character is one of the greatest artists of all time. Whether or not you are a Shakespeare fan, you will be informed, entertained and on the edge of your seat as you turn the pages. The story is rich in historical depictions, as are all of the author's works. By beginning the story with "young Will", Cook shares with his readers the backdrop against which Shakespeare honed his craft. I knew Shakespeare by his works, and as a timeless poet and playright. Cook considers life for young Will as he may have struggled with manhood and the enormous difficulties of 17th century London.