William Shakespeare, Audio-CD

I enjoyed most of this book because I love Bill Bryson and I like learning more about Shakespeare. I didn't, though, learn a whole lot of new information, which was not what I found disappointing. Instead, I felt like Bryson lost a lot of his voice in this book, but maybe that's because it's part of a series about important people (Eminent Lives or something or other) so maybe the editors asked...more

I enjoyed most of this book because I love Bill Bryson and I like learning more about Shakespeare. I didn't, though, learn a whole lot of new information, which was not what I found disappointing. Instead, I felt like Bryson lost a lot of his voice in this book, but maybe that's because it's part of a series about important people (Eminent Lives or something or other) so maybe the editors asked him to tone down his sarcasm. It's worth the read but not nearly as good as his other books, like "The Mother Tongue," "A Walk in the Woods," "In a Sunburned Country," etc.   hide

An excellent brief discussion on what we don't know about Shakespeare, what people have surmised and attempted to prove, and the context of the bard's life. Worth reading if you're interested in Shakespeare or that historical period.

The only biography I've ever enjoyed.

It's Bryson - o course it's great! Not being the biggest fan of the Bard's work, but seeing as everyone else seems to hold his (really rather impressive quantity of) work in such high standing, I felt I should know more about the man himself. But apparently nobody knows anything about him! A fascinating and well researched tome describing exactly how little even the museum boffins know about the...more

It's Bryson - o course it's great! Not being the biggest fan of the Bard's work, but seeing as everyone else seems to hold his (really rather impressive quantity of) work in such high standing, I felt I should know more about the man himself. But apparently nobody knows anything about him! A fascinating and well researched tome describing exactly how little even the museum boffins know about the man who did more for English Lit than anyone else. Ever. In the whole of history! Plus it's written in today's English, which (unlike many of its competitors) makes it accesible to the non-Shakespeare fan.   hide