LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE

Meyer's fiction inventively fills in the missing details of the wife of Will Shakespeare--making the story almost suspenseful as it seems the two are fated, at first, never to connect as anything but neighbors. As Shakespeare grows from toddler to glove-maker to playwright, his witty dialogue matures as well. But Kellgren's light British accent keeps its focus on narrator Agnes (Anne) Hathaway with few changes for other characters except Agnes's abusive stepmother and her nasty daughter. Historical nuances are neatly woven in by Meyer: the Hathaways' farm chores, the odor of the glove shop. When references are made to the "outlaw faith" pursued by Will's father and Anne's best friend, Kellgren evocatively captures the terror of discovery. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 07]