Wordy Wednesday #3 - 2025 5 Stars for "By Any Other Name" by Jodi Picoult (Book Review by Crystal J. Casavant)

 

About the Book:

Synopsis In 1581, Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her own out of history. 

 In the present, playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. Although the challenges are different four hundred years later, the playing field is still not level for women in theater. Would Melina—like Emilia—be willing to forfeit her credit as author, just for a chance to see her work performed? 

 Told in intertwining narratives, this sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire asks what price each woman is willing to pay to see their work live on—even if it means they will be forgotten.

About Author Jodi Picoult:

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including Mad Honey, Wish You Were Here, The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page. Picoult lives in New Hampshire. 

 Follow Jodi Picoult on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter: @jodipicoult

5 Star Review of By Any Other Name:

I was a few chapters into By Any Other Name and I had to text several friends about how great this book is! It's one of those books you start and can't put down and you want all of your friends to read it so you can discuss it together. This would be a fantastic book for a book club and you could chat about it's themes for literal hours - take a break - and come back and talk into the evening. Whether you ARE a woman, or you KNOW a woman, you ARE someone who has been treated like a second-class citizen or you KNOW someone who has been treated poorly you can relate to so much of the struggles throughout Picoult's writing. Both characters, Melina and Elizabeth are so well written you cannot help but empathize with their struggles of finding their voice at any cost. I highly recommend By Any Other Name and give it 5 stars if not more!

Today's 5 Star Review was penned by Crystal J. Casavant

Crystal Casavant writes. Everything. If you follow her blog you have likely laid eyes on every thought she has ever had. Her debut novel, It Was Never About Me, Was It? is still a work in progress and shall be fully worthy sometime in 2025. She has written for WOW! Women on Writing, Bring on Lemons, and has been featured in several magazines and ezines relating to credit and collections as well as religious collections for confessional Lutherans. She runs a busy household full of intelligent, recalcitrant, and delightful humans who give her breath and keep her heart beating day after day. 

Crystal wears many hats (and not just the one in this photo) and fully believes in being in the moment and doing everything she can to improve the lives of those around her! The world may never know her name, but she prays that because of her, someone may smile a little brighter. She prides herself on doing nice things - yes, even for strangers! 

May your paths be abundantly filled with lemons, sugar, sunshine, and may you always remember the world is a better place with you in it and it's always a good time to stop and explore a small town!

xoxoxox

Crystal