SparkNotes

Book Review
Book Title: Hamlet
Book Author: William Shakespeare
Adapter/Illustrator: Neil Babra

Introduction: I love Shakespeare, and Hamlet has always been my favourite of all of his plays and sonnets so when I saw this little manga on sale at a location book shop I had to pick it up and read it. I read it about 3 years ago, but I finally found it again on my bookshelf and decided to read it again and review it.

Review:

This adaption is truly an adaption - it's not identical to the original, but it's great for younger readers wanting to get into Shakespeare. The typical Shakespeare form is not used, but that makes it easier for read for those not fluent in his verses.

This task of adapting the famous Hamlet into a shorter, simpler work would have been hard but Neil Babra makes it look so easy. The story is shortened into a perfect, young reader-friendly adaption. The famous lines are still in there, but they are so much easier to understand and read. The book is not dumbed down by any means, so readers do not have to worry - this book is a timeless, incredible adaption that should definitely be introduced to young readers.

The artwork is fantastic and matches perfectly with the story. The wordplay that Shakespeare uses is often seen within the pages of this book in illustrated form, which can make any true Shakespeare fan get a true chuckle out of this work.

Overall, this book was fantastic. The facial expressions, the artwork, the rewording, and the narrative are all fantastic.

Five out of five stars.… (mere)

The "No Fear Shakespeare" editions are, in my opinion, the only way to go if you're a little hazy on all that Elizabethan language. Each left-side page contains the original text, and each right-side page contains a modern translation along with the occasional helpful note. It was MUCH easier than trying to struggle through the syntax alone.

I've discovered that it's hard to say whether one really enjoys a Shakespeare play or not until one has seen it WELL acted. Reading the lines, even aloud, is okay, but it's the staging, and the pausing, and all the stuff that goes into a production, that make it really come alive. If I get the chance, I would watch this performed. Just reading it, I would say I liked it well enough and it certainly had some immortal quotes in it. I think "Much Ado About Nothing" will probably remain my favorite, though!… (mere)

A Bluffer's Guide to Atwood's The Testaments
Review of the SparkNotes Kindle eBook edition (2022) of the original SparkNotes paperback (2020)

I didn't enjoy The Testaments in 2019, but my QCC Book Club had it scheduled as the BotM for February 2o22. I wasn't up for a re-read, but I still wanted to participate in the group discussion and be able to understand the opinions of others. Luckily there was this quite extensive guide to the plot with an analysis of the structure, the motifs and themes, a character guide and a glossary of literary terms.

I didn't hide my use of the guide from the others and explained about my disappointment with the original book as well. Generally there were few in the group (of 14) who enjoyed the book. I was actually surprised that many had not read The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) previously [the group has struck me as well read generally] so that they were especially confused by this sequel and by its episodic switching of PoV between Aunt Lydia and Angie and Jade (Nicole). Most of us had not watched the TV series either, saying they had either not heard of it (it is on the Hulu streaming channel) or simply expressing distaste for a show about the repression of women in a future (some might say current) dystopian society. The group did feel that Atwood was prescient in portraying a future world where environmental toxicity affected birthrates and about hypocritical theocratic governments controlling women's education, roles in society and birthing.

I did note from additional Wiki research that the current TV-series of The Handmaid's Tale will conclude with its upcoming 6th season (late 2023?) upon which there is a plan to continue with a TV-series of The Testaments. Apparently Atwood has cooperated with the TV-series production in aligning the characters for the sequel. I am now somewhat curious as to the character arc of Aunt Lydia in the TV versions because of this.

I felt that this SparkNotes Guide gave me a very thorough background for the Book Club discussion so I rate it highly because of that. The final 20% of the Guide was a generic plan for how to write a student literary essay for a class assignment. This wasn't of use to me, but I thought the Guide did lay out a plan quite well. It ended by warning against plagiarism and saying to always acknowledge your sources 😊.… (mere)