The Dark Lady's Mask

By: Mary Sharratt

Narrated by: Jilly Bond

Aemilia Bassano Lanier is beautiful and accomplished, but her societal conformity ends there. She frequently cross-dresses to escape her loveless marriage and gain freedoms only men enjoy, but a chance encounter with a ragged, little-known poet named Shakespeare changes everything. They leave plague-ridden London for Italy, where they begin secretly writing comedies. Their Italian idyll, though, cannot last, and their collaborative affair comes to a devastating end.

Will gains fame and fortune for their plays back in London and, years later, publishes the sonnets mocking his former muse. Not one to stand by in humiliation, Aemilia takes up her own pen in her defense and in defense of all women.

The Dark Lady's Mask gives voice to a real Renaissance woman.

©2016 Mary Sharratt (P)2016 Dreamscape Media, LLC

wonderful!

Seeing Shakespeare from the perspective of his once lover and muse is truly a delight. If you love historical fiction, strong women and Shakespeare this book is a must. Enthralled from beginning to end.

Excellent story, hard to hear in a car

This was a well crafted story line, notably for the way Shakespeare's person and works were woven in.
The narrator breathed vitality into the characters but low-pitched and quiet lines were nearly impossible to pick up against highway sound. I had to rewind (distracted driver alert!) or miss plot as a result.

Great Novel, Mediocre Performance

Would you consider the audio edition of The Dark Lady's Mask to be better than the print version?

Definitely not.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jilly Bond’s performances?

I'm not tempted to.

Any additional comments?

I really loved the book, but I couldn't deal with the narrator. She was ok when she was just narrating the story, but when she started to do dialogue it was cringe-worthy. I just felt like she made all the women--these strong, intelligent, proud women--sound hysterical and whiny.

Farfetched but lovely

Quite a saga! Very enjoyable. Beautifully read except I wish the narrator didn't actually whisper when the book says a character whispered! I listen in a sometimes loud room, so everything whispered was lost to me.