Review: Shakespeare's Spy by Gary Blackwood

Shakespeare's Spy (The Shakespeare Stealer #3)
By Gary Blackwood
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books

To Sum It Up: Widge and the Lord Chamberlain’s Men are back in London, but their troubles are far from over. With Queen Elizabeth’s health failing, there is a lot of anxiety over her successor and the future of the theaters. The unexpected arrival of William Shakespeare’s daughter, Judith, disconcerts not only her father but Widge as well when the latter finds himself smitten with her. There’s also a thief among the company, and Widge’s past deeds cast suspicion over him. To dispel the doubts over his innocence, Widge must go on an undercover mission to unmask the real culprit.

Review: After finding Shakespeare’s Scribe, the middle book in this series, a bit of a letdown compared to the previous book, The Shakespeare Stealer, I began reading this with a little hesitance. I felt that neither the story nor the characters from the first book advanced very far in the sequel. My fondness for The Shakespeare Stealer, which was a delightful read, is what motivated me to finish out the series. While I still think that The Shakespeare Stealer is the strongest entry in the trilogy, Shakespeare’s Spy recaptures some of the charm that made the first book so winning and is a definite step up in plotting and character development from its predecessor.

Whereas Shakespeare’s Scribe focused on the Lord Chamberlain’s Men’s travels through the English countryside, Shakespeare’s Spy finds the company back in London now that the theaters have been reopened following a plague outbreak. I didn’t find the company’s journeys very compelling, so I was glad to see the story return to its original setting, as well as proceed at a crisper pace than it during the road trip. In addition to worrying about the future of the theaters, William Shakespeare has a rather large problem to contend with right under the Globe’s own roof: there is a thief among his players. At first a few costumes go missing, but when a member of a rival acting company is caught stealing a script from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, it appears that he had some inside help. Figuring out the identity of the accomplice wasn’t all that difficult, but it was an entertaining plotline nonetheless. I wasn’t as keen to see the Who Is Widge’s Father? subplot reappear because I found it rather labored in Shakespeare’s Scribe. This story line aside, Shakespeare's Spy moved at a pace that kept me invested in the story and eager to see the thief/spy unmasked.

I’ve liked the protagonist, Widge, since the beginning of the series, so it was disappointing when his character in the second book pretty much turned in a repeat performance from the first one. Fortunately, he undergoes significant growth throughout this book. Widge becomes like an older brother to the younger children in the household of Mr. Pope, the member of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men who took Widge in when the latter first joined the company. Widge also finds himself competing with two of his fellow apprentices for the attention of Shakespeare’s daughter, Judith, who arrives in London unexpectedly. In an effort to impress her, Widge tells Judith that he’s writing a play. He isn’t really at first, but luckily for him, Shakespeare gives him an abandoned draft and permission to do whatever he likes with it. And so Widge’s career as a playwright begins. By the end of the novel, he has come a long way from the humble orphan of the first book, and I thought that his tale reached a very satisfying conclusion.

Readers who have been with the series from the start should be pleased with this finale. I liked how various threads of Widge’s life from the previous books came full circle. In The Shakespeare Stealer, his knowledge of shorthand is what makes him the perfect person to steal Hamlet by transcribing it from a performance. In Shakespeare’s Spy, it’s that same knowledge of shorthand that helps Widge uncover the real thief who’s been lurking around the Globe. Blackwood really brought this historic era to life. I wish that I’d read a series like this as a kid because I definitely would have wanted to learn more about Shakespeare and his times way before I went to high school, when I finally read my first Shakespearean play (which was Romeo and Juliet).

All in All: The series lost a bit of its luster in my eyes with Shakespeare’s Scribe, but it recovers nicely here. I’ll reiterate what I said in my review of The Shakespeare Stealer: I truly think that these books are a great introduction to Shakespeare for younger readers. Being a huge Shakespeare fan myself, I love seeing other readers fall in love with his work, too.

Review: Shakespeare's Scribe by Gary Blackwood

Shakespeare's Scribe (The Shakespeare Stealer #2)
By Gary Blackwood
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books

To Sum It Up: Orphan Widge has come a long way since he first arrived in London on a mission to copy William Shakespeare’s Hamlet so that another acting company could perform it. Although Widge’s secret was eventually revealed, he still found a place among the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Now Widge is about to experience the life of a traveling actor. A plague outbreak in London forces the closure of all of its theaters, and Shakespeare decides to take a small group of players, Widge among them, on the road to perform. Widge’s knowledge of shorthand becomes invaluable to Shakespeare after the latter injures his arm and needs Widge’s assistance in writing down his latest work in progress. But Widge’s future with the group whom he’s come to regard as a family becomes unclear when a stop in his former hometown provides a possible clue to his past.

Review: The Shakespeare Stealer was a very enjoyable read, so I was really looking forward to reading the follow-up, Shakespeare’s Scribe. Much to my disappointment, the sequel lacked the charm and wit that made the first book so captivating. I just didn’t feel as invested in the story and the characters as I did with The Shakespeare Stealer.

The plot of Shakespeare’s Scribe, which centers around the Lord Chamberlain’s Men taking their act on the road after the plague forces the shutdown of London’s theaters, wasn’t all that compelling to me. I failed to find anything particularly fascinating about the day-to-day life of a traveling actor in Elizabethan England. As Shakespeare and his actors trudged through muddy country roads, I felt like I was slogging through the book. Shakespeare, who’s in the midst of writing a play that will eventually become All’s Well That Ends Well, has a greater presence here than he did in The Shakespeare Stealer. Although it’s welcome, more page time for the Bard still doesn’t inject enough spark into the story.

The biggest letdown was the lack of character growth by the protagonist, Widge. We pretty much see the same Widge from the previous book. The story line involving the addition of an apprentice named Sal Pavy, who previously belonged to another acting company and becomes Widge’s rival, fell kind of flat. My interest was piqued when the Lord Chamberlain’s Men made a stop in York, where Widge grew up, and a visit to his old orphanage resulted in an unexpected clue to his parentage. I thought that this development in Widge’s story had a lot of potential, but I didn’t like the way that it played out. At times this plotline seemed forced, like it was in the book just to give Widge something to do besides transcribing for Shakespeare and worrying about losing his roles to Sal Pavy. I really do like Widge; he’s an endearing sort of lad whom you can’t help but cheer for, and I felt that he deserved a more satisfying resolution to his search for answers about his identity.

Shakespeare’s Scribe isn’t a bad book by any means. It’s just that I went into it with high expectations after liking the previous book so much, and this installment in the series didn’t quite meet those expectations. I do still plan on reading the third book in this series, Shakespeare’s Spy, to see if the story picks up.

All in All: I thought that the series lost some of its momentum this time around, but fans of The Shakespeare Stealer might still want to check this out and follow Widge on his latest adventure.

Review: The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood

The Shakespeare Stealer (The Shakespeare Stealer #1)
By Gary Blackwood
Publisher: Dutton Children's Books

To Sum It Up: Meek orphan Widge has never received much notice from anyone, even when he finally leaves the orphanage to begin an apprenticeship. Under his master, Dr. Bright, Widge learns a form of shorthand that Dr. Bright has developed himself. One day, a mysterious stranger who has heard about Dr. Bright’s system shows up to buy Widge’s apprenticeship. Widge’s new master, Simon Bass, wants Widge to go to London to attend a performance of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and transcribe it using shorthand so that Bass’s own acting company will be able to perform the play. Accompanied by Bass’s menacing right-hand man, Falconer, Widge is about to embark on the adventure of his life in Elizabethan London.

Review: I was pleasantly surprised by The Shakespeare Stealer. While it’s probably more of a middle-grade read than a young adult one, I found the story to be very charming, as well as a nice introduction to Shakespeare and his times for younger readers.

As soon as I read that the main character’s name, Widge, was short for Pigwidgeon, I couldn’t help but think of Pigwidgeon the owl from Harry Potter. Widge is a young orphan who’s never really belonged anywhere. Even when he becomes an apprentice to Dr. Bright, a man with suspect morals who trains Widge in shorthand so that Widge can transcribe sermons from neighboring parishes that Dr. Bright can then pass off as his own, Widge is given little more than the necessities of food and shelter. It’s not until Widge sets out to transcribe a performance of Hamlet for his new master, Simon Bass, that he begins to learn what it’s like to be part of a family.

I became engrossed in Widge’s journey from lowly apprentice to aspiring actor with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. When he first arrives in London, his sole focus is on copying down the play and being released from the scrutiny of the intimidating Falconer. Widge loses his notebook, though, and while trying to retrieve it from the Globe Theatre, he gets caught by some of Shakespeare’s players. Widge concocts the cover story that he wants to be a player, and he’s welcomed into the fold by most of the actors. This brings some unexpected changes to Widge’s life. For the first time ever, he has friends and a sense of belonging. He also actually enjoys the work, even when his jobs are behind the scenes. Widge’s increasing comfort in his new surroundings makes it all the more difficult for him to carry out his original task; it means stealing from those who have taken him under their wing. As you watch Widge struggle with this dilemma, you realize how attached he’s grown to his new family. The Shakespeare Stealer is truly a coming-of-age story, and I couldn’t help but silently urge Widge to make the right decision as I read along.

Although I’m certainly not an expert on Elizabethan times, I found this portrayal of the era and the characters’ dialogue very believable. The book is quite humorous, with the characters frequently exchanging witty remarks. The Bard himself makes an appearance or two, but this is Widge’s story all the way, and I really enjoyed it.

All in All: I love historical fiction, and Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean play, so this book was an ideal combination for me. I’ll definitely continue reading about Widge’s adventures.