\Her Infinite Variety: Stories of Shakespeare and the Women He Loved"" by Pamela Rafael Berkman retells Shakespeare's life from the many perspectives of the women in his life and the women who populated his plays.
The book creatively speculates on Shakespeare's daily life and serves as a possible biography, providing the concrete details of his life. It delves into such things as his parents' occupations, his marriage arrangements, his children, his home away from home in London and the general logistics of life in Elizabethan times.
Interspersed with stories from Shakespeare's life are several of his rewritten plays told from different women characters' points of view. In these stories, Berkman suggests the possible reasons behind Ophelia's insanity and Lady Macbeth's fierce motivation.
The reworked plays are innovative, assuming the reader understands the play upon which it is based. The retellings give new reasons for the strange behavior of some characters in Shakespeare's plays.
The problem with Berkman's book is that it is not extremely entertaining outside the context of Shake-speare.
Even though the book depicts historical facts in Elizabethan times, it fails to convey a sense of the era.
There are several scenes in which the word selection shatters the fairy-like and magical atmosphere Berkman tries to create.
Overall, the book provides a glimpse into the genius of the plays yet isn't extremely gripping to read.
It frequently gives innovative and and surprising insights into Shakespeare's plays and provides a semi-true history, but doesn't really dedicate itself to either.
The individual stories or chapters are a fine, quick read for anybody looking for a small taste of Shakespeare, but without all the genius.
