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The Players: A Novel of the Young Shakespeare
In 1564 a boy was born to a middle-class family in the little town of Stratford.Thirty-four years later he would write Hamlet . In between was his both troubled and carefree childhood, his disastrous forced marriage and his early wild years in London poverty with the brilliant young writers and actors who were forming the Elizabethan Theater. But even as he was rising into his first successes as a writer, he fell into a passionate bisexual love affair with his patron and an Italian girl musician that threatened to bring down both his work and his life.
252 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1997
About the author
Stephanie Cowell
8 books304 followersMy new novel THE BOY IN THE RAIN, set in Edwardian England 1903, is out in the world and doing very well! It is a love story between two men, a shy young artist and a rising socialist speaker, as they struggle to build a life together against personal obstacles and the dangers of prosecution under the gross indecency laws. The audible book will be out August 8th, while the print version continues to gather some marvelous reviews and is making its way into libraries across the U.S. and as far away as Botswana, the Netherlands and Germany. I am very thrilled and thank all the people who cheer the book on every day.
My novel CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET is still finding friends here and in translation overseas. It's the story of Monet in his 20s and 30s as he struggles to sell his work and manage his love for the beautiful, elusive Camille who would die young and forever remain his muse.
My other novels MARRYING MOZART, THE PLAYERS, THE PHYSICIAN OF LONDON AND NICHOLAS COOKE all continue to find readers. They were translated into several languages and MARRYING MOZART was turned into an opera.
I was born in New York City and still live there; in fact, I have lived in the same apartment for 50 years My heart is half in England/Europe where I have family and consider myself an emotional citizen there.
Please do visit my website StephanieCowell.com. I will be starting a very special mini-blog soon about life in England 1903: arts and sexuality in Edwardian England.
My novel CLAUDE & CAMILLE: A NOVEL OF CLAUDE MONET is still finding friends here and in translation overseas. It's the story of Monet in his 20s and 30s as he struggles to sell his work and manage his love for the beautiful, elusive Camille who would die young and forever remain his muse.
My other novels MARRYING MOZART, THE PLAYERS, THE PHYSICIAN OF LONDON AND NICHOLAS COOKE all continue to find readers. They were translated into several languages and MARRYING MOZART was turned into an opera.
I was born in New York City and still live there; in fact, I have lived in the same apartment for 50 years My heart is half in England/Europe where I have family and consider myself an emotional citizen there.
Please do visit my website StephanieCowell.com. I will be starting a very special mini-blog soon about life in England 1903: arts and sexuality in Edwardian England.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 9, 2022
4,25 stars- English Ebook
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
October 9, 2017
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Stephanie Cowell's "The Players: A Novel of the Young Shakespeare" was a well written novel that transports the reader back in time to Elizabethan England. The story starts in William Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford. Young William matures into a young adult and accidentally gets an older woman, Anne Hathaway, pregnant. The two marry and have three children. Shakespeare realizes he has dreams and other interests in his heart that he desires to pursue. He travels to London by himself where he begins a career as a playwright and actor. He dutifully sends money home to his family on a regular basis. In London, his life fills up with colorful characters. Shakespeare becomes obsessed with Emilia Bassano, an Italian musician, and the Earl of Southampton. A passionate love for both characters ensues. I would recommend this book especially, to fans of William Shakespeare.
August 25, 2017
A bit trashy in areas, but overall not a bad fluff read.
August 19, 2016
The Players by Stephanie Cowell is about the young Will Shakespeare, and as such is quite fictional. In spite of its lack of authenticity, the book catches one's attention with its interweaving of Shakespeare's life with the writing and subject matter of his earlier works. The sonnets mentioned are particularly well integrated with day-to-day events. I enjoyed this but found the overall book a pale shadow of Cowell's first two books of her proposed trilogy about Nicholas Cook. I hope she will get back to writing the third.
August 19, 2012
This novel is about Shakespeare. Not the accomplished master playwright, but the young man trying to make his way in life and in London as a writer. Cowell shows a Shakespeare who is not sure of himself, who is in the process of discovering who he is and what he wants. And she does it in beautiful prose awash in sensual detail.
April 5, 2016
There's nothing earth-shattering about this book, and it's hard to buy the idea of the young Will as having fallen into a menage-a-trois with an Italian courtesan and a local princeling. The only saving grace here, as far as this reader is concerned, is the little knowledge I gathered about his early life, family and friends: John Heminges, Ben Jonson, Kit Marlowe.
August 13, 2009
Stephanie Cowell is a wonderful writer — sensual, fresh, original ... inspiring. A writer's writer: no higher praise.
Sandra Gulland
Author of the Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun
Website: http://www.sandragulland.com
Blog: http://sandragulland.blogspot.com
Sandra Gulland
Author of the Josephine B. Trilogy and Mistress of the Sun
Website: http://www.sandragulland.com
Blog: http://sandragulland.blogspot.com
January 26, 2014
Oh wow. I LOVE anything and everything Shakespeare. But this book...yawn!! It was incredibly difficult to get through...the story was completely lost in all of the mundane details. Which is a shame. I was prepared and expecting to love this book.
March 1, 2013
Well written, but frightfully boring! Can't believe I actually made it through.
November 8, 2016
I love Stephanie Cowell's writing! This is herfirstforay into the times of Shakespeare and her books only get better.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews