A Rose By Any Other Name by Mary McMyne

Book Review

Rose is a young lady with magical heritage living in the countryside. The sudden death of her father means she must move to the city and marry to secure a comfortable life for her mother and five-year-old brother. Unfortunately, Rose is much more interested in her close friend Cecily than any man, although it takes her a while to realise this.

A Rose By Any Other Name examines the Dark Lady, a figure who appears several times in Shakespeare’s sonnets. Initially I wondered why this book was considered fantasy rather than solely historical fiction, but of course Shakespeare and witches go hand in hand. Shakespeare himself stars as a major character and is as much a delight and disaster as I hoped he would be.

Much of the book centres Rose’s efforts to build a life on her own terms, working against both her prospective husband Richard, her mother’s wishes and society at large. Although the book includes Rose’s romances with Cecily and Shakespeare, they are not the focus. It is about Rose’s journey of self-discovery – not only concerning her deep feelings for Cecily, but her magical talents and heritage too.

I found Rose’s relationship with her mother the most interesting one. They mistrust and work against each other, despite their similarities. They are both ambitious women who must pretend to be obedient and docile to survive.

Shakespeare is characterised as a genius writer and fantastic lover, though often vain, self-centred and whimsical. Unlike other male characters, he sees Rose’s cleverness and creativity without chastising her for it.

The back matter explains the author’s workings, on both creating the magical rituals in the book and writing the character of Shakespeare. I appreciated this, as not being well versed on the history made me wonder which parts were considered true and which were completely made up!

Read A Rose By Any Other Name if you like thoughtful historical fiction with a touch of witchcraft.