Current Book Selection
Calling all readers - Your church book club has a new book to read for May!
Young playwright Melina Green has just written a new work inspired by the life of her Elizabethan ancestor Emilia Bassano. But seeing it performed is unlikely, in a theater world where the playing field isn’t level for women. As Melina wonders if she dares risk failure again, her best friend takes the decision out of her hands and submits the play to a festival under a male pseudonym.
In 1581, young Emilia Bassano is a ward of English aristocrats. Her lessons on languages, history, and writing have endowed her with a sharp wit and a gift for storytelling, but like most women of her day, she is allowed no voice of her own. Forced to become a mistress to the Lord Chamberlain, who oversees all theatre productions in England, Emilia sees firsthand how the words of playwrights can move an audience. She begins to form a plan to secretly bring a play of her own to the stage—by paying an actor named William Shakespeare to front her work.
Told in intertwining timelines, By Any Other Name, a sweeping tale of ambition, courage, and desire centers two women who are determined to create something beautiful despite the prejudices they face. Should a writer do whatever it takes to see her story live on . . . no matter the cost? This remarkable novel, rooted in primary historical sources, ensures the name Emilia Bassano will no longer be forgotten.
Available in Kindle version, paperback, hardcover, and Audiobook, on Amazon, or at your local library. Pick up a copy and join in this month.
As always, read at your own pace but be ready for discussion at the end of the month. Meetings are held at church on a designated night from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. A date will be voted on later, to schedule the meeting.
All are welcome to join and participate, at any time. Notices like this will be sent at the beginning of each month to provide information on the book of the month. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email Jackie at jacqueline_maechtle@outlook.com .
Blessings to all and happy reading!
Your Book Club Coordinator,
Jackie Maechtle
