Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel
    Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel
    Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel
    Audiobook11 hours

    Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel

    Written by Karen Harper

    Narrated by Anne Flosnik

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A bold and intriguing novel about the woman who was William Shakespeare's secret wife from New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper.

    As historical records show, Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton was betrothed to William Shakespeare just days before he was forced to wed the pregnant Anne Hathaway.

    Here, Anne Whateley takes up her pen to tell the intimate story of her daring life with Will. Obliged to acknowledge Will's publicly sanctioned marriage, Anne Whateley nevertheless follows him from rural Stratford-Upon-Avon to teeming London, where they honor their secret union, the coming together of two passionate souls. Persecution and plague, insurrection and inferno, friends and foes all play parts in Anne's lively tale.

    Spanning half a century of Elizabethan and Jacobean history, and sweeping from the lowest reaches of society to the royal court, this richly textured novel tells the real story of Shakespeare in love.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateFeb 5, 2009
    ISBN9781423381600
    Mistress Shakespeare: A Novel
    Author

    Karen Harper

    New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper is a former high-school and college English teacher. Winner of the 2005 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her outstanding novel, Dark Angel, Karen is the author of twelve romantic suspense novels, two historical novels and a series of historical mysteries. Karen and her husband, who divide their time between Columbus, Ohio, and Naples, Florida, love to travel both in the U.S. and abroad.

    More audiobooks from Karen Harper

    Related to Mistress Shakespeare

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Grief-stricken

      Oct 29, 2020

      Grief-stricken
      1 min read

    • Article

      Two Houses Divided

      Mar 27, 2020

      1390-1411 The mother of Richard Plantagenet and grandmother of King Edward IV and King Richard III, Anne de Mortimer was descended from royalty through her mother and grandparents. She died during childbirth. 1375-1415 The father of Richard Plantagen

      3 min read

    • Article

      Victoria's Secrets

      Apr 3, 2024

      Victoria's Secrets
      4 min read

    • Article

      Happy And Glorious

      Jun 1, 2022

      ICAN’T remember when I last used my 12 Fabergé after-dinner coffee cups. Americans call these little cups ‘demitasse’, which is about as bi-lingual as we get. Mine come in five colours and I treasure them, although I’ve reached the age where my guest

      4 min read

    • Article

      Scoundrel’s Lair

      Jul 9, 2023

      Scoundrel’s Lair
      5 min read

    • Article

      ‘Bowlaway’: Featured Fiction from Elizabeth McCracken

      Feb 4, 2019

      What she wanted was a kind of greatness that women were not allowed. The post ‘Bowlaway’: Featured Fiction from Elizabeth McCracken appeared first on The Millions.

      12 min read

    • Article

      Bel voir Castle

      Apr 6, 2023

      Bel voir Castle
      5 min read

    • Article

      Grace Period

      Jun 9, 2022

      Grace Period
      9 min read

    • Article

      A Tale Of Two Dickens

      Nov 24, 2022

      A Tale Of Two Dickens
      8 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson

      Jul 29, 2021

      Mrs Simpson Learns A Lesson
      4 min read

    • Article

      God save THE KING!

      May 14, 2023

      A great chat with the queen of talk back Well, wasn’t the coronation simply marvellous? What an absolute showcase of all that is wonderful about the British monarchy. I loved that so many people from the Commonwealth – and around the world – got joy

      2 min read

    • Article

      “The Old Ones Are The Best…”

      Dec 1, 2022

      When the festive season rolls round and Slade vocalist Noddy Holder for the umpteenth time barks “Does your granny always tell ya, that the old songs are the best” from his band’s 1973 hit Merry Xmas Everybody, I like to paraphrase such lyrics and ap

      6 min read

    • Article

      Vaguely Clever

      Jun 29, 2022

      It was quite a coup for our little church in the Sussex village of Ticehurst. Edith Vogel, a renowned pianist, had generously come down from London to give a recital in aid of the restoration of the roof. She was well into a Beethoven sonata which wa

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Kingdom To Come

      Sep 23, 2022

      The Kingdom To Come
      5 min read

    • Article

      ‘I’d Always Wanted To Write A Historical Novel About The Royal Family’

      Sep 16, 2020

      “If I didn’t write novels for a living, I’d run a second-hand bookshop. I love them and I never pass one without going in. As a result, our house wheezes under the weight of tatty old volumes on every subject under the sun. All purchased in a fit of

      2 min read

    • Article

      Michael Kohlhaas

      Mar 28, 2019

      Michael Kohlhaas
      24 min read

    • Article

      A Right Royal Party For Shakespeare

      Mar 6, 2024

      Where was Leslie Caron? Was she there? On 14th February, I hosted a Valentine's Day party at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane. Walt Disney stayed at Grosvenor House on his honeymoon. As girls, the future Elizabeth II and her sister, Pr

      3 min read

    • Article

      Some Are Born Great…

      Mar 10, 2020

      Some Are Born Great…
      3 min read

    • Article

      Hello, Grim Reaper

      Dec 15, 2021

      She was a babe. A fully paid-up, card-carrying babe. There was absolutely no doubt about it, and she was heading straight for me. She was almost sprinting towards me across the recently reimagined lobby of Claridge’s. She looked up, her scarlet-anoin

      3 min read

    • Article

      Arthur’s Seat

      Jan 19, 2021

      Arthur’s Seat
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Mistress Shakespeare

    3.5/5

    90 ratings15 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      What a beautifully written, researched book. I know that it's a historical novel but it really brought William Shakespeare to life for me.
    • 2/5
      A good idea, but an amateur execution with flat characters and a good sprinkling of unintentional humour. Not recommended.
    • 2/5
      The so-called Dark lady of the Sonnets has inspired a host of books about the putative identity of the beauty who served as Shakespeare’s poetic muse, of which Karen Harper’s book is the latest, and the slightest. Written English of the late 16th Century was pretty informal and completely inconsistent regarding spelling: within the space of two days and in the same district, two marriage licenses were issued, one to William Shaxpere and Anne Whateley, and the other to William Shagpere and Anne Hathway [sic]. Was it the same William, and did he marry twice in quick succession?The story is based on the premise that the bard married his true love, the half Italian Anne Whateley, before being railroaded into a shotgun marriage with the pregnant and much older Anne Hathaway the following day: while Hathaway stayed in Stratford raising his children and generally nagging, Whateley moved to London where she ran a business and was a keen theatre-goer. When Shakespeare eventually joins her in London they resume their affair, he becomes a successful playwright and she continues to inspire and promote him though all the ups and downs of his apparently tumultuous life. All of which is okay, as far as it goes. But why she portrays Shakespeare as a recusant hostile to the Tudor monarchy and insanely jealous to boot is not clear; and while one does not want the novel written in actual Elizabethan English, modern slang and grammatical sloppiness is unacceptably jarring. If you enjoy a soppy romance which is easy to read and features lots of well-known historical names, this should be right up your ally, but if you like your history authentic, your language pure and your characters plausible, don’t bother.
    • 4/5
      Karen Harper's novel is based on the premise that before he married Anne Hathaway (in a shot-gun marriage), Will married another woman called Anne Whateley from the village of Temple Grafton near Stratford. The historical basis for this idea comes from the fact that two marriage licences appear to have been issued with William Shakespeare's name on, on consecutive days. The intriguing possibility that Shakespeare had two wives is worked here into a readable and entertaining story, which shows off the author's knowledge of the historical period and the works of Shakespeare with a light touch. With her striking Italian looks inherited from her long-dead mother, Anne Whateley is a strong, single-minded business woman, and the muse of the playwright. Through the telling of her story, Harper is able to explore the Elizabethan theatre, as well as something of the political intrigue of the period, and her array of characters both real and imagined are well-drawn. The writing style occasionally grates as being too modern, but this is a minor criticism and did not detract from my enjoyment of the story overall. If you enjoy historical fiction then this is definitely worth considering but it should be read in the spirit of a light-hearted romantic story and is probably not one for serious Shakespeare scholars.
    • 2/5
      I do not wish to be rude about this book., it is just not my cup of tea. I was hoping for a Hilary Mantel style of book: one that transported me into Shakespeare's World. Sadly, this is more Mills and Boon than historic novel. Karen Harper is, undoubtedly, well versed in the times of the Bard but, I found her language and the ideas that she attributed to her characters at odds with my (very limited) understanding of the age.If you are looking for some light reading based, loosely, upon the life of Shakespeare, but more of a cosy romantic novel, then this is for you but don't expect any insight.
    • 3/5
      Oh, Will, you heartbreaker.
    • 4/5
      Mistress Shakespeare is the fictional story of William Shakespeare and his lifelong love affair with Anne Whateley--not his official wife, but his intended wife. Centered primarily on their relationship together, through many historical events and personal tragedies, successes and rifts of the heart, the book also describes how Shakespeare came to be the poet and playwright of fame and distinction. Author Karen Harper based her story on some actual events and created the rest imaginatively and believably from her own talent. I very much enjoyed the book. Harper's writing is straight forward with a subtle romantic undertone. Never too dramatic or sweet, her story illuminates one of historic England's most adored creative geniuses. A+ for effort, (her research was boundless and exacting)creativity, and charm. A genuinely satisfying read.
    • 4/5
      The premise behind this book is the historical record that shows that an Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton was bethrothed and secretly married to William Shakespeare just the day before he was forced to marry the pregnant Anne Hathaway. This book then is her story. William and Anne were childhood friends who grew up together. The story moves from Stratford to London and tells of William's struggles to forge a career while at the same time keeping himself safe from Elizabeth 1's campaign to hunt down secret Catholics of whom he was rumoured to be a part.. Events such as the plague and the building and destroying of the Globe theatre are woven into this story. I liked the character of Anne. She was written as a strong and intelligent woman who was Shakespeare's partner in all areas of his life. As William began to spend more and more time in London with her and became more estranged from the other Anne she became in turn his friend, his lover and his helper with his writing. It was she who copied down the plays as he composed them. I did enjoy this book and the insight it gave into life in Elizaabethan times. It was a great historical romance.
    • 4/5
      Mistress Shakespeare is a lovely historical romance based on the real-life historic wedding records of William Shakespeare. One record states that he is to marry Anne Whately while the other shows a marriage to Anne Hathaway. This story is based on the assumption that these are two different ladies - one that Will loves, the other that he is forced to marry.Quotes from Shakespeare's plays appear throughout the story of Anne and Will's forbidden love, sometimes as they say them in love or in jest to one another. The author also uses the story to show the people on which some of Shakespeare's characters could have been based, and how he worked the names of his friends and relatives into the plays.I liked that Anne Whately was written as a strong and intelligent woman who was Shakespeare's partner in all aspects of his life. She was his friend, his lover and his helper in writing - copying down the plays while he composed.The only issue I had with this book was what seemed to me a misuse of the word "wherefore" which should mean "why" or "for which reason," but is commonly wrongly defined as "where." I don't know why, but the misuse of this word is a pet-peeve of mine.Here is the quote from Mistress Shakespeare:"O Will, Will, wherefore art thou, Will?""I have been lost, my love, lost in despair of my loss, but I hope now I can go on." page 287*To me it seems like Anne is asking where Will has been, and then he answers that he has been lost in despair. It doesn't make sense to me that he would give the same answer if she had been asking "Why are you Will?" in the sense that it was used in Romeo and Juliet. I could be wrong here, but this was my interpretation of this section.Aside from that one very small annoyance, I really liked this book. I am a fan of Shakespeare's works, and am familiar with his plays, and I think that added a lot to my enjoyment of the book, but you don't have to be an expert on Shakespeare to understand what's going on. I think that anyone who likes Shakespeare's works or historical fiction will enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of the story of Shakespeare in love, though I'm not sure what (if any) historical truths the novel actually contains. I have always been fascinated, though, by the mysteries surrounding much of Shakespeare's life -- though his writing is so widely studied and appreciated, details of his life story are murky and patchy at best.Harper's book is primarily a love story, chronicling the lifelong see-saw of feelings between Anne Whately and Will Shakespeare. Anne is a strong and independent woman -- it's a little disappointing, then, that she so completely devotes herself to a man whose affections come and go with the ever-changing political and social scene. Shakespeare is presented as a flawed man with a burgeoning genius talent, a man who never quite understands how his writing and behavior have affected the two women in his life.Harper's writing is entertaining and for the most part well-crafted - the only times I felt the story floundered occurred when the characters slipped into poorly executed period speak. Because these moments stunted the narrative, I'm giving the book 3.5 stars, but I definitely recommend it for anyone who enjoys Elizabethan history.
    • 5/5
      Those studying Elizabethan times have discovered something odd in the historical records. William Shakespeare has two entries in the marriage registry on two consecutive days: on November 27, 1582 to Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton and on November 28, 1582 to Anne Hathaway of Stratford. The general consensus has been that Anne Whateley and Anne Hathaway are the same person and the odd registry entries are the result of a careless clerk. In “Mistress Shakespeare,” however, Karen Harper posits that Shakespeare’s two Annes were not the same woman, and that Anne Whateley was his true love and secret wife. Harper’s Anne Whateley was a completely delightful and strong woman, without seeming completely out of her own time period. I found her relationship with Shakespeare to be very realistic as well. When he was forced to marry Anne Hathaway the day after his secretive ceremony with Anne, she was realistically and understandable furious and hurt. Her ability to eventually at least partially forgive him and their complicated life seemed completely natural. I also loved the political aspects of the book, including the complication of the Shakespeare family’s Catholicism in Elizabeth’s England.Not only did I really enjoy this book, but so did one of my coworkers. She saw it on my desk the day I got it and asked if she might borrow it when I was finished with it. Within a week, we had both finished it. Generally I like my historical fiction to be about real people: kings, queens, playwrights. This, however, worked perfectly for me and provided great insight into the world of Elizabethan England outside of the court.
    • 4/5
      On November 27th 1582 a marriage license was taken out between a Wm Shaxpere and Anne Whateley of Temple Grafton. On November 28th 1582 there was also a marriage certificate taken out between Willm Shagspere and Anne Hathaway of Stratford. Was this an honest mistake or did Shakespeare marry two different women named Anne back to back? Most scholars believe that this was a simple error but the author disagrees and believes that there were indeed two Annes. Mistress Shakespeare is Anne Whateley's fictionalized memoir of her life with the poet. According to this account, she was Will's true wife who he married as an expression of their love. Unfortunately for the young lovers, Shakespeare had gotten another woman pregnant, Anne Hathaway, and is basically forced into an emergency marriage to a woman he does not love. The lovers, after a brief period of estrangement, reunite in London where Anne Whateley is basically his London wife and Anne Hathaway is his country wife. Anne Whateley serves as his muse, his great source of support and saves him from many a royal intrigue. They are a good deal of the time happy but their happiness is sometimes marred by Will's jealousy in believing that Anne is unfaithful with other men. With Anne's help, Shakespeare constructs some of the best plays and poems that have continued to delight audiences till present day. The author is obviously a well of information on Shakespeare and his time and aptly conveys that into the book. The minor caveat to this is that it sometimes seem like too much information and if you are not a Shakespeare aficionado you may find this tedious after awhile. Rich and vivid descriptions of the early Globe theater and the many playhouses where Shakespeare plied his trade abound and delight. You are drawn into a world of drama and secret plots with one of the best stories being the removal of an entire playhouse brick by brick across the river due to a dispute with a land owner. A plague epidemic in London is vividly depicted and transports the reader to the decay and death that overtook the city as the disease raged.I enjoyed reading this book but I find that I was not as captivated by the story as I thought I would be. I have read many historical fiction novels and was able to connect and be thrilled by them. Even the much maligned Phillippa Gregory manages to pen many historical fiction books that are page turners(even if they are historically inaccurate). Maybe the author had too little to go on in order to craft this tale and the idea that Shakespeare may have married two Annes back to back was not enough to craft a fully captivating story. All in all it was a good read.
    • 4/5
      I know little about the actual historical basis for this novel, but certainly enjoyed this take on Shakespeare in love. Ann Whateley is a strong woman in the cast of Elizabeth I herself, and her independence and creativity serve as Shakespeare's inspiration for many of his works. I was less delighted with her willingness to accept the poor behavior meted out by her true love, though the author did do a good job capturing the duality of Anne's feelings of love and hate. Will Shakespeare is presented as a flawed man first, undeniable genius second. His efforts to write while earning enough to support his growing family are complicated by the complex political situation that thrives on suspicion and uncertainty. In the end, Shakespeare chooses to live in London and to write with his love, but he never really seems to acknowledge the harm he has done to both of the women in his life.At heart, this novel is a love story, and it succeeds as such. Unfortunately, Harper falls into the trap of attempting quasi-period speech and her efforts fall flat. I found that when the characters lapsed into period language, the entire momentum of the narrative came to a halt. If it hadn't been for the language, I would have gone 4 stars, but as it is can only give this novel 3.5 stars.
    • 5/5
      There are two different records filed within days of each other showing William Shakespeare's marriage. One of the records lists a marriage to an Anne Whateley, and the other to an Anne Hathaway. Anne Hathaway is known to be Shakespeare's wife, and the mother of his children, but the reason for the other record remains a mystery. Is it a misspelling, a misprint, or some other mistake? In Mistress Shakespeare Karen Harper puts forth a very convincing theory that Shakespeare actually had another woman, Anne Whateley, whom he married first, and then, upon finding Anne Hathaway pregnant, the first marriage was kept a secret. Mistress Shakespeare is told through the eyes of the first, and unrecognized, Anne. From her meeting of Will near their homes as young teens, through his rise to fame and fortune, Anne is there. A very strong woman character, limited but not daunted by the restrictions put on women in her time, Anne pushes her way through life with incredible passion and compassion. William Shakespeare is her love and life, and much of the book covers his life, but Anne herself is not eclipsed by him, and feels just as real as does her non-fictional husband.This book was very well written and researched. Especially enjoyable were the refrences to Shakespeare's sonnets and lines from his plays, and how they fit into that time in Shakespeare's life. So many things came to life for me while reading this book: the English countryside; London in all of its darkness and brilliance; the hardships of the times including sickening infant mortality rates, early old age, religious persecution, and the black plague. I very much appreciate historical fiction which does not idealize the past, or figures from history. Karen Harper manages a compelling novel, full of easily digestible and realistic history.
    • 5/5
      Mistress Shakespeare is a what if? story. William Shakespeare’s life was riddled with mysteries, one of which was that a license was issued for him to marry an Anne Whateley—the day before he married Anne Hathaway. So who was the other Anne? Karen Harper explores the mystery in this expertly-written novel, delving into the relationship between Shakespeare and his “first mistress.”Harper is a Shakespeare scholar, and she’s in her element in this novel. You could tell she had a lot of fun researching and writing this book. Late 16th century London and its playhouses are described in exquisite detail, and the love story between Anne and Shakespeare is very real and not overly sappy or sugary. Harper plays to her strength—her knowledge of Shakespeare’s works inside and out—and she explores his inspiration for his plays and sonnets in some depth in this novel (though it might bore people who aren’t aficionados of Shakespeare and Renaissance drama). She also has a great knowledge of the way that people acted and spoke back then, and her characters never feel overly modern. Maybe Harper was an Elizabethan in a previous life?My only problem with the book is that it moved a little too quickly from great event to great event in Shakespeare’s life, especially towards the end. But in all, this is a very solid, well-written and researched novel, about love that lasts forever; I preferred this over The Last Boleyn, the only other Harper novel I've read.