Hag-seed
The Tempest Retold
Book - 2016 | First United States edition
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9781781090220
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Tempest retold
Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
When a colleague's betrayal forces the artistic director of a theatre festival to abandon his greatest production, he plots revenge for 12 years. A prison theatre program may be his chance for payback. [Tempest]
From the critics
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Summary
Add a SummaryMargaret Atwood is a master storyteller. She's created a highly unlikely scenario, but made it very believable. The characters are likeable and I found myself pulling for them.
Spoiler alert -- I wrote this to remind myself of the story months from now. Felix, a luminary in the theater world, was betrayed by his assistant, Tony, and Sal, Tony's buddy. He skulks away to a shanty where he resides with the spirit which he imagines of his daughter Miranda who had died. He landed a job as producer and director of the theater program of a local prison. He designs a wonderful program to help the men improve themselves and their prospects by doing Shakespeare -- up-to-date versions of Shakespeare. The opportunity presents itself to exact the revenge on Tony and Sal, who have moved up the ranks into fairly powerful government positions. He takes the opportunity and strips them of the power and prestige they unethically acquired, and also gets a promise of 5 more years of funding for the prison theater program.
Comment
Add a CommentThis is a very involved story with some truly funny parts.
Loved this. I have never managed to see The Tempest live but I adored this re-interpretation. I am now seeking out some of the other interpretive pieces. Perhaps not the Nesbo .... or perhaps a bit later.
re-telling of The Tempest
A play about a man presenting a play, a play about people shipwrecked and imprisoned on an island, a fable about a Shakespearean director presenting a revenge play literally in a correctional facility - the levels of wit swirl around one another, all made of dreams...
... and the inmates can only swear using poxy curses found in the Shakespeare.
This book I liked as a book depicting grief and regret. The social aspect of a literary class being brought to a prison was an interesting interpretation of bringing Shakespeare into another light. Having encountered grief many times during my life that aspect is what got to me the most. How a character went through so many stages and phases as he dealt with his grief was a real key point for me. Not just the death of his daughter but the death of the life he thought he wanted, a life he thought he deserved, and a world that ceased to include him in it (in his point of view.) A real phoenix from the ashes story in a setting you would not expect.
I could not get into this at all. I guess I don't like the Tempest.
I love Shakespeare. I love Margaret Atwood. I couldn't get into this book. Tried twice. Super disappointed.
Recommended by a library patron for it's humour and surprising difference from the usual Atwood novels they expected. Will definitely have a read as the book sounds like its theme is a nice blend of social issues and theatrical expression.
Telling details bring the characters to life. There is a self-absorbed theater director grieving his dead daughter, a spunky young actress/dancer, and a diverse crew of medium security prison inmates. Sit back and enjoy the ride provided by one of the most accomplished authors alive.
A re-telling of "The Tempest", set in a dismal prison theater workshop.